APPETITE Study Results
Alberta Provincial Pediatric Enteric Infection Team
Study Results
Since launching in 2014, the Alberta Provincial Pediatric Enteric Infection Team (APPETITE) study has completed its recruitment phase in August 2018 and enrolled over 6000 Albertan children with and without acute intestinal infections, also known as gastroenteritis. These children either presented for Emergency Department (ED) care or were cared for at home (called HealthLink). We were also able to collect samples for these children, which included poop in a container, mouth (oral) swabs, and bum (rectal) swabs. Currently, our team is working hard on taking a better look at the data we have collected, but here are some early results from our study:
- Bum (rectal) swabs should be collected for testing if a poop sample is not readily available;
- Children brought for Emergency Department (ED) care with acute gastroenteritis had predominately bugs called viruses, which several were associated with severe disease; and
- Children brought for ED care were more likely to experience intense vomiting while those cared for at home experienced greater amounts of diarrhea.
Principal Study Investigator: Dr. Stephen Freedman
Project Lead: Karen Lowerison, Kelly Kim
Research Ethics Board ID Number: REB14-1122