Etiology and Rapid Diagnosis of Human Viral Gastroenteritis.

This project is designed to assess the etiology and establish the rapid diagnosis of human viral gastroenteritis. During the contract year for this report, we have continued to demonstrate the involvement of astroviruses in gastroenteritis. In a previously reported Thai study, we have now determined that the clinical symptoms of patients with astrovirus infections were similar to the symptoms of those with rotavirus infection. Additional studies in Guatemala (5,234 samples) and Australia (1,343 samples) have confirmed the importance of astroviruses in gastroenteritis in comparison to other virus infections (rotaviruses and enteric adenoviruses). During this contract year we also developed monoclonal antibodies to calicivirus and we are evaluating these antibodies for use as diagnostic reagents. Ongoing collaborative epidemiological studies have continued to be done with the U.S. military in overseas populations, utilizing the immunodiagnostic techniques that we have developed for gastroenteritis viruses.