Objective: Infectious gastroenteritis is the second most common cause of morbidity and mortality after lower respiratory tract infections in children. It is observed that the frequency of viral gastroenteritis is increasing especially in the developed countries. Rotavirus and enteric adenoviruses are the most common agents of acute gastroenteritis in children. Analysis of viral antigens in stool samples is important for diagnosis. This study was aimed to find out the frequency of rotavirus and adenovirus in tissue samples harvested from patients admitted to our hospital (Gaziantep University, Şahinbey Research and Training Hospital, Microbiology Unit of the Central Laboratory, Gaziantep, Turkey) with gastroenteritis between July 2012-2013.

Materials and Methods: In our study, 1988 stool samples were investigated for the presence of rotavirus and 1591 stool samples for the presence of adenovirus. The samples were obtained from patients admitted to our hospital with gastrointestinal complaints. The presence of rotavirus and adenovirus was investigated with immunochromatographic method (RIDA®QUICK Rotavirus/Adenovirus combi, R-Biopharm AG, Germany). The distribution of rotavirus and adenovirus frequency was evaluated according to gender, age and the season.

Results: Rotavirus antigen was determined in 241 (12.1%) and adenovirus antigen in 68 (4.3%) of the investigated samples. Twenty-four (1.8%) samples were positive for both rotavirus and adenovirus antigens. Rotavirus antigen was determined in 11.9% of the male and 12.4% of the female patients. As a result of the statistical analysis a significant difference was not found between genders (p=0.76). Hundred and ninety- eight of the rotavirus antigen positive cases (82.2%) were in the 0-5 years age group and antigen positivity (19.9%) was determined mostly in children between 5-24 months of age. The most common season was determined as winter (17.1%). Statistically significant difference was determined according to age groups (p<0.001) and seasons (p=0.016) for rotavirus antigen. Thirty-nine (57.4%) of the adenovirus positive patients were in the 0-5 years age group. No statistically significant relationship was determined between the presence of adenovirus antigen and gender, age groups and season (p>0.05).

Conclusion: Rotavirus and enteric adenoviruses cause important public health problems in terms of acute gastroenteritis in children in our region. The data obtained in this study showed that besides bacteria and parasites, viral agents should also be investigated in patients with acute gastroenteritis.