Occurrennce and impact of community‐acquired and nosocomial rotavirus infections — a hospital‐based study over 10 y

The need for a rotavirus vaccine in any particular country depends primarily on the number of hospitalized cases. Since only limited data are available for Germany, we undertook a retrospective hospital‐based analysis in order to gather further information. From 1987 through 1996, a total of 3618 inpatients were hospitalized with a diagnosis of gastroenteritis (ICD 9). In 892 (25%) of them the causative organism wasa rotavirus. During the same period, 1886 (out of 8383; 22%) stool speciment tested in the hospital laboratory were obtained from rotavirus‐positive inpatients. In 49.2% the infection was community‐acquired, and in the remainder of nosocomial origin. Infants under 4 months of age(n=709; 38%) predominated among both the nosocomial and community‐acquired infections. Premature neonates made up 26% of the nosocomial, but only 2% of the community‐acquired cases of diarrhoea. The winter peak (January) was most pronounced in the age group 4‐12 months, but in those more than 1 y old the peak came a month later. The median hospitalization time for community‐acquired cases was 4 d (mean 5.9 d).The mortality was 0.1%. Rotavirus infection must therefore be regarded as a considerable burden, particularly with regard to infants and young children. Furthermore, the morbidity due to nosocomial infection with the rotavirus, analysed here in a long‐term observational study, is unexpectedly high. □Hospital‐based study, nosocomial infection, rotavirus