Prevalence of Human Adenovirus, Epstein-Barr Virus, and Cytomegalovirus in Pediatric Hematologic Diseases in Iran

Gastroenteritis is the second leading cause of death worldwide, with a high prevalence in children. Among pathogenic microorganisms, viruses are one of the main causes of this disease. Thus, the aim of this research was to investigate the prevalence of diarrhea caused by human adenovirus (HAdV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and cytomegalovirus (CMV) in children with hematological diseases for the first time in Iran.

This study was conducted on 120 stool samples stored in the clinical sample bank of the Cellular and Molecular Research Center of Qom University of Medical Sciences. These samples were obtained from immunocompromised children with gastrointestinal symptoms, who referred to one of the children's hospitals in Qom during 2018 to 2019. Genomes were extracted from the stool samples and evaluated using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method.

The prevalence of HAdV and EBV was reported in seven (5.8%) and one (0.8%) cases, respectively, and CMV was detected in none of the samples. No cases of co-infection were observed.

This study results show that there are diarrhea-causing viruses among patients in the study area. Fortunately, the prevalence of these infectious agents in patients with underlying conditions was relatively low. However, monitoring of these viruses in the feces of all patients, especially immunocompromised patients, is recommended.