The impact of rotavirus gastroenteritis on the family

BMC Pediatrics

Table 2 Clinical severity of gastroenteritis in children with a stool sample testing positive or negative for rotavirus antigen (n = 43).

	Number (%)
Rotavirus Antigen Test	All Subjects Tested*	Mild Illness	Moderate/Severe Illness	Mean Clinical Severity Score
Positive	27 (63%)	2 (8.3%)	23 (92%)**	10.64^†
Negative	16 (37%)	10 (62.5%)	6 (37.5%)**	7.25^†
Total	43	12 (29%)	29 (71%)

*Although stool samples were obtained from 43 children, severity scores were not available for 2 of the 27 rotavirus-positive children.
**Children testing positive for rotavirus antigen were more likely to have a clinical severity score of moderate-severe than those testing negative (p = 0.0003 by Fisher's exact test).
^†Children testing positive for rotavirus antigen had a significantly higher mean clinical severity score than those testing negative (p = 0.0016 by Student's t-test)

ISSN: 1471-2431