Background & objective: Rotavirus is the most important viral cause of diarrhea and dehydration, and is one of 10 important pathogens in hospitalized patients. In developed countries, the identification of rotavirus in stool is a routine diagnostic method in diarrhea to reduce the need for antibiotics.
Materials & Methods: This study is a descriptive and analytical study and it consists of 400 samples. The cases were tested for rotavirus using ELISA and the collected data were analyzed by SPSS software.
Results: The prevalence of rotavirus with acute diarrhea was 32% and the most prevalent cases were among children of 6-24 months. The most associated symptoms were fever and vomiting. Rotavirus was common in autumn and non-rotavirus in summer which were significant(P =0.005).
Conclusion: It is recommended to physicians, in acute diarrhea, to pay more attention to rotavirus in children aged 6-24 months and for the stools to be examined and analyzed.