CORONAVIRUSES AND GASTROENTERITIS - EVIDENCE OF ANTIGENIC RELATEDNESS BETWEEN HUMAN ENTERIC CORONAVIRUS STRAINS AND HUMAN CORONAVIRUS OC43

  • 1 January 1984
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 7  (4) , 315-322
Abstract
A peculiar pattern of antibody response to human coronavirus (HCV) OC43 and neonatal calf diarrhea coronavirus (NCDCV) was observed in a significantly higher proportion of children with gastroenteritis (GE) than controls. It was directed only to OC43 surface antigens and appeared to be quite different from that observed in OC43 respiratory infections, in which an antibody response to both OC43 and NCDCV surface and internal antigens was found. Subsequently, fecal excretion of coronavirus-like particles was detected by EM in a significantly higher proportion of infants and young children with acute GE as compared to controls. Immune EM showed a 2-way cross-reactivity between HCV OC43 and human enteric coronavirus (HECV), both immune sera (raised in animals immunized with HECV strains purified from stools of 2 patients) and patients'' convalescent sera. Thus, HECV are antigenically related to HCV OC43 and could be somewhat involved in the etiology of GE in infants and young children.