Characteristics of case-patients
During the data collection, a total of 897 hospitalized children aged 0-59 months (mean age 22±16 months) were recruited in this investigation, of which 541 (60.3%) were male, and 356 (39.7%) were female. Among them, 322 individuals (35.9%) aged 0-12 months, 221 (24.6%) aged 13-24 months, 150 (16.7%) aged 25-36 months, 120 (13.4%) aged 37-48 months, and 84 (9.4%) aged 49-59 months. Besides diarrhea, vomiting (368, 41.6%) was the most common clinical manifestation of cases presenting with concomitant vomiting. Other common symptoms included respiratory symptoms (177, 19.7%), fever (172, 19.2%), and nervous system symptoms (7, 0.8%). Of the 897 stool specimens submitted to be detected, watery stool (732, 81.6%) was the most common type, followed by mucus stool (85, 9.5%). In the area of Shenyang, Huanggu had the largest number of cases (198, 22.0%), followed by Dadong (137, 15.3%), hunnan (135, 15.1%), Yuhong (98, 10.9%), and Shenhe (83, 9.3%) (Table 1).
Table 1 Demographic and epidemiological characteristics of patients with diarrhea
Characteristic
|
No. of case (%)
(n=897)
|
Enteric virus infection
(n=430)
|
Gender
|
|
Male
|
541 (60.3)
|
269 (62.6)
|
Female
|
356 (39.7)
|
161 (37.4)
|
Seasons
|
|
Spring
|
102 (11.4)
|
43 (10.0)
|
Summer
|
142 (15.8)
|
33 (7.7)
|
Autumn
|
296 (33.0)
|
141 (32.8)
|
Winter
|
357 (39.8)
|
213 (49.5)
|
Age (months)
|
|
0-12
|
322 (35.9)
|
129 (30.0)
|
13-24
|
221 (24.6)
|
121 (28.1)
|
25-36
|
150 (16.7)
|
87 (20.2)
|
37-48
|
120 (13.4)
|
62 (14.4)
|
49-59
|
84 (9.4)
|
31 (7.2)
|
Year
|
2018
|
297 (33.1)
|
203 (47.2)
|
2019
|
299 (33.3)
|
119 (27.7)
|
2020
|
301 (33.6)
|
108 (25.1)
|
Region
|
|
|
Huanggu
|
198 (22.1)
|
86 (20.0)
|
Dadong
|
137 (15.3)
|
67 (15.6)
|
hunnan
|
135 (15.1)
|
74 (17.2)
|
Yuhong
|
98 (10.9)
|
50 (11.6)
|
Shenhe
|
83 (9.3)
|
40 (9.3)
|
Tiexi
|
80 (8.9)
|
36 (8.4)
|
Sujiatun
|
42 (4.7)
|
19 (4.4)
|
Heping
|
39 (4.3)
|
14 (3.3)
|
Shenbeixin
|
35 (3.9)
|
21 (4.9)
|
Xinmin
|
24 (2.7)
|
13 (3.0)
|
Liaozhong
|
12 (1.3)
|
7 (1.6)
|
Faku
|
10 (1.1)
|
3 (0.7)
|
Kangping
|
4 (0.4)
|
0 (0.0)
|
Diarrhea
|
|
|
Watery
|
732 (81.6)
|
357 (83.0)
|
Mucus
|
85 (9.5)
|
40 (9.3)
|
Rice-water
|
8 (0.9)
|
5 (1.2)
|
Bloody
|
2 (0.2)
|
1 (0.2)
|
Blood purulent
|
1 (0.1)
|
0 (0.0)
|
Other symptoms
|
|
|
Vomiting
|
368 (41.6)
|
212 (49.3)
|
Respiratory
|
177 (19.7)
|
82 (19.1)
|
Fever
|
172 (19.2)
|
80 (18.6)
|
Nervous symptoms
|
7 (0.8)
|
2 (0.5)
|
Prevalence of viruses
Enteric viral infections were found in 430 of the 897 cases (47.9%, 430/897), and rotavirus was the most commonly identified (16.9%, 152/897), followed by calicivirus (14.7%, 132/897), adenovirus (11.8%, 106/897), and astrovirus (4.5%, 40/897). Among calicivirus, 98 cases were norovirus. Of the mixed infection cases, eight children were infected by two viruses, and rotavirus mixed one of the other three enteric pathogens was the most common pattern (Table 2).
Table 2 Viral pathogens identified in hospitalized children in Shenyang
Virus
|
No. (%) of stool specimens
|
Rotavirus
|
152 (16.9)
|
Calicivirus
(Norovirus)
|
132 (14.7)
(98 (10.9))
|
Adenovirus
|
106(11.8)
|
Astrovirus
|
40(4.5)
|
Calicivirus + Adenovirus
|
1(0.1)
|
Adenovirus + Astrovirus
|
2(0.2)
|
Rotavirus+ Astrovirus
|
2(0.2)
|
Rotavirus + Calicivirus
|
1(0.1)
|
Rotavirus + Adenovirus
|
1(0.1)
|
Calicivirus + Astrovirus
|
1(0.1)
|
There was no significant difference in the detection rate of rotavirus, calicivirus, adenovirus and astrovirus in children of different genders (c2=1.776, P=0.183; c2=0.426, P=0.513; c2=0.384, P=0.536; c2=0.384, P=0.535). And the prevalence of diarrhea viruses among age groups was compared. Viral agents were more likely to be identified in the group of 0-12 (n=129) and 13-24 (n=121) months. Also, with aging, the number of cases decreased gradually. The distribution of those four viruses was varied among children of different age groups in different regions (Fig. 1). Infection cases were found in almost all age groups in Hunnan, Huanggu, Dadong, and Yuhong, and other urban areas of Shenyang. Among the four viruses, only the positive rate of adenovirus was statistically significant in different month age groups (c2=21.914, P<0.001).
The isolation rates of rotavirus, calicivirus, adenovirus and astrovirus four enteric viral pathogens showed a similar distinct seasonal variation with a higher rate in winter and autumn (Fig. 2a). The seasonal curve had a peak in winter and a trough in summer. And there was a significant difference in rotavirus, calicivirus, adenovirus, and astrovirus between seasons (c2=40.020, P<0.001; c2=49.759, P<0.001; c2=25.395, P<0.001; c2=16.335, P=0.001). Similarly, from Fig. 2c, the virus infection between different districts in Shenyang also had a seasonal trend, and the infection situation in each district was different. During the high incidence period of viral diarrhea, the number of cases of viruses was higher in Dadong, Huanggu, Hunnan, Shenhe, and Yuhong five districts.
From 2018 to 2020, the number of cases of rotavirus, adenovirus, and astrovirus had a clear downtrend. But with the passage of time, the trend of calicivirus was different from the others (Fig. 2b). And there was a significant difference in rotavirus, calicivirus, adenovirus, and astrovirus between years (c2=59.486, P<0.001; c2=25.782, P<0.001; c2=51.146, P<0.001; c2=21.105, P<0.001).
In our study, a strong regional pattern in rotavirus, calicivirus, adenovirus, and astrovirus four viruses was also observed (Fig. 3). Huanggu, Dadong, hunnan, and Yuhong four districts had a relatively high positive rate of viruses compared to other areas in Shenyang. And there had a significant difference in rotavirus, adenovirus, and astrovirus between different areas of Shenyang (c2=30.977, P=0.001; c2=23.017, P=0.018; c2=32.911, P<0.001).
Genotypes of rotavirus and norovirus
Among 152 genotyped rotavirus strains, G9P[8], G2P[4], G3P[8], G9P[4], and G9P[6] were the leading genotypes identified, accounting for 84.5%, 3.9%, 3.1%, 1.6%, and 0.8%, respectively. Among caliciviruses, 98 cases of norovirus were detected, and the GII was the predominant genogroup of norovirus, accounting for 85.7% of positive samples, followed by GI (11,11.2%), and GI+GII (3, 3.1%). During the three-year study period, strains of rotavirus and norovirus were circulated in children changed from year to year. The prevalence of G9P[8] was increased from 83% to 100% since 2018 and became the only virus strain in 2020. In 2018 and 2019, the only genotype of norovirus was GII, while the main genotypes in 2020 were GI, GII, and GI+GII (Figure 4).
From Fig. 5, we could conclude that in each district of Shenyang, the distribution of predominant genotypes of rotavirus (G9P[8]) and norovirus (GII) were different. For G9P[8], it was mainly concentrated in Huanggu (26, 23.9%), Shenhe (20, 18.3%), Hunnan (19, 17.4%), and Yuhong (16, 14.7%). And GII genotype was relatively high in Dadong (15, 17.9%), followed by Huanggu (13, 15.5%), Yuhong (12, 14.3%), and Hunnan (12, 14.3%).