Screening for viral pathogens in the gastrointestinal tract from cases of sudden unexpected death in infancy at the Tygerberg Medico-legal Mortuary.

ABSTRACT: Sudden and unexpected death in infancy (SUDI) may be triggered by an external risk or exposure. Intestinal infections with enteric viruses may disrupt the gut and enhance bacterial toxins present in SUDI cases. While diarrhoeal disease deaths have decreased worldwide, approximately half a million deaths still occur in children in Sub- Saharan Africa and South Asia. Furthermore, the role of viral enteropathogens in SUDI cases have not been investigated. The aim of this study was to describe specific viral pathogens in stool samples collected from SUDI cases and age-matched, apparently healthy infants in Cape Town, South Africa. Stool samples were collected from 176 SUDI cases between June 2017 and May 2018. In addition, stool samples were collected from the nappies of 30 age-matched, appare

SUBMITTER: Cupido DT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10688011 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature