[Rotavirus infection--clinical symptoms and influence of climate].

Between January 1986 and December 1989, 957 fecal specimens were collected mainly from pediatric outpatients with acute gastroenteritis during the acute phase. Rotavirus (RV) and adenovirus (AV) antigens were found in 233 (24%) and 60 (6%) of these specimens, respectively. Seventy-five % of 76 RV antigen-positive specimens collected in 1989 were determined to be serotype 1. Although both RV and AV infections occurred slightly more often in boys than in girls, there were no significant differences. About 80% of the patients infected with RV or AV were at the age of below 2 years, and the youngest case was aged 2 months. The RV antigen was most frequently detected during the winter season in low temperature and low relative humidity. The detection rate of RV antigen had negative relation with mean temperature or mean relative humidity. Diarrhea in RV infection occurred 5.5 times/day on average, and the number of diarrhea per day was significantly higher in RV antigen-positive cases than in negative cases. The mean duration of diarrhea was 4.5 days. Diarrhea was significantly observed more in the watery or watery-whitish unformed ones than in other diarrhea. Vomiting occurred in 82% of the RV-infected cases, 4 times or less in a day. The duration of vomiting was as short as 1-2 days in about 90% of patients. Three symptoms (DFV symptoms), including diarrhea (D), fever (F) and vomiting (V), were more frequently observed in RV-infected cases than in the cases with non rotaviral infection.