[Epidemic of nosocomial infection by rotavirus in a neonatology service].

The goal of work is to establish a clinical descriptive analysis of the epidemic of nosocomial rotavirus occurred in the Neonatal Unit of the Hospital's Child Rabat for a winter period. We systematically collected all the patients of the service right from the first case of rotavirus nosocomial infection. Patients with a stay of less than 48 hours of hospitalization were excluded. We have established operating sheets for all positive cases, with the term, birth weight, postnatal age and weight during the sampling, clinical symptoms, treatment, and the evolution. Out of the 36 cases analyzed (where 26 preterm and 10 term neonates), 12 samples were positive for rotavirus, so one third of patients. The patients with positive samples were in 75% symptomatic cases. The clinical signs were represented in term newborns with stool weight with stagnant fluid in 2 cases and weight loss in one case and in premature infants with mucous stools with abdominal distension in 2/3 of cases, and fluid and stool dehydration in 1/3 of cases. A very low rate of breastfeeding (17%) was noted among all newborns service in this epidemic. We performed the isolation of positive patients, with a strengthening of hygiene measures. In addition, infants were started on symptomatic treatment with careful clinical monitoring. Evolution was complicated by necrotizing enterocolitis in 3 cases of preterm infants.