Aetiology of community-acquired, acute gastroenteritis in hospitalised adults: a prospective cohort study

Abstract

Known enteric pathogens were detected in 82% of adult patients who were hospitalized with acute gastroenteritis. We found that currently used culture-based methods may miss a substantial proportion of Campylobacter infections, and additional serological testing for Campylobacter should be considered. Viral infections emerged as an important cause of severe gastroenteritis in adults, and viral-bacterial co-infections in adults are probably underrecognized so far. The presence of coexisting medical conditions--but not the etiological agent--was a predictor for the duration of the hospital stay.