Diarrheal disease is the major cause of childhood morbidity in developing countries. Although malnutrition is known as a risk factor for severe gastroenteritis, the role of enteric pathogens in the clinical severity is unclear. The present study was conducted in well nourished Ghanaian preschool children during a 3 month period of the rainy season to assess the relationship between enteric pathogens and severe gastroenteritis. Two hundred and twenty-five children with acute gastroenteritis and 64 age-matched control children were prospectively examined for the severity of dehydration and enteric pathogens in their stools. Of the 225 children with gastroenteritis, 69.8% (157/225) had mild dehydration and 30.2% (68/225) had severe dehydration. Bacteria were similarly isolated in stool samples from children with mild and severe dehydration and controls. Rotavirus accounted for 20.6% of children with severe dehydration and was more often isolated in stools from patients with severe dehydration than those from controls. Furthermore, the mixed infections associated with rotavirus and bacteria were more often found in patients with severe dehydration than those with mild dehydration or controls. Parasites were similarly found at low incidences among the three groups.
The present study implied that rotavirus was more responsible for severe gastroenteritis than bacteria or parasites. However, factors other than enteric pathogens must be sought in a considerable number of severe cases. A large scale study throughout a year is recommended to obtain more precise information that would reflect the seasonal variation of rotavirus infections.