Causes of acute gastroenteritis in Korean children between 2004 and 2019

Abstract

Since the 2000s, the major causes of acute gastroenteritis in children in Korea have been identified by classifying the pathogens into viruses, bacteria, and protozoa. For viruses, the detection rate is 20%–30%, and norovirus is being increasingly detected to account for the majority of viral gastroenteritis cases. In addition, despite the dissemination of the rotavirus vaccine, many rotavirus infections persist, and its seasonal distribution is changing. The detection rate of bacterial pathogens is 3%– 20%, with <i>Escherichia coli</i> and <i>Salmonella</i> spp. infections being the most common, while the incidences of <i>Bacillus cereus</i> and <i>Campylobacter</i> spp. infections are gradually increasing. Owing to intermittent outbreaks of gastroenteritis caused by individual bacteria as well as the inflow of causative bacteria, such as <i>E. coli, Vibrio</i> spp., and <i>Campylobacter</i> spp., from overseas, continuous surveillance of and research into the characteristics and serotypes of each bacterium are needed.