Abstracts e423 test kits). Socio demographic data was obtained using a study questionnaire.Results: Out of 536 admissions, 187 (34.9%) had acute diarrheal disease and 148 stools tested for rotavirus. Of the 148 specimens tested, 111 (75.0%) were positive for rotavirus antigen and 37 (25.0%) were negative. Ninety (81.1%) of the positive cases, were aged 12 months and below. There was no significant difference in the age specific prevalence rates (c2 = 0.50, p = 0.48).The mode of feeding, and other identifiable possible risk factors like socio economic class, maternal education, level of hygiene practiced by the mother, method of excreta disposal, water source, did not appear to have a significant effect on the risk of rotavirus infection.There was a well-defined, period of peak transmission occurring between the third week of January and second week of February 2006.Mortality rate for acute diarrhea over the study period was 7.5%, with 50.

Introduction: Bartonella bacilliformis is the etiological agent of Carrion’s disease, which is a neglected disease linked to people in low-socioeconomic populations in Andean valleys. An outbreak of B. bacilliformis was reported in a rural area of the Peruvian Amazon region. The aim of this study was to characterize this outbreak using molecular techniques. Methodology: Fifty-three blood samples from patients diagnosed with Carrion’s disease were analyzed by molecular tools, using both a Bartonella-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and an universal PCR, both based on 16S rRNA gene amplification. Additional water samples from the area were also analyzed. Results: Unexpectedly, the samples were positive only when the universal PCR was used. Although environmental contamination cannot be ruled out, the results showed that Sphingomonas faeni was the possible causative agent of this outbreak, and that water was the most feasible infection source. Conclusions: Diagnosis by clinical criteria or microscopy may lead to misdiagnosis. There is a need to include molecular tools in the routine diagnosis of febrile syndromes, including Carrion’s disease.

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