Epidemiological characteristics of acute intestinal infections in patients hospitalized in an adult infectious disease hospital in 2022-2025

Objective: To identify current epidemiological characteristics of acute gastrointestinal infections (AGI) among patients 18 years and older hospitalized in an infectious diseases hospital.

Materials and Methods: Data from Form No. 60/u of the «Journal of Infectious Diseases» was analyzed for patients hospitalized with AGI at the Clinical Infectious Diseases Hospital named after S.P. Botkin in St. Petersburg from January 1, 2022, to October 31, 2025. Etiological determination was performed using polymerase chain reaction, serology (indirect hemagglutination assay), and bacteriology. Microsoft Excel was used to process the obtained data.

Results: Since 2022, an increase in the number of hospitalized adult patients with AGI of established etiology has been observed. In the etiological structure of acute intestinal infections, Norovirus, Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp., and Rotavirus account for 73.9% to 80.4% of cases. Since December 2023, a dramatic increase in the number of patients admitted with acute intestinal infections of norovirus etiology has been detected; in 2025, their share reached 39%. An increase in the proportion of AGI of mixed etiology was detected from 4.5% in 2022 to 9.4% in 2024, while combinations of norovirus with other microorganisms accounted for 60.3% of associations. In addition to typical seasonality, increases in the number of patients with acute intestinal infections of viral etiology were observed in the summer months. An inverse correlation (r = -0.89) was observed between the number of admissions and the age of patients. The maximum number of hospitalizations was observed among individuals aged 18-19 in 2022-2023 and 19-23-year-olds in 2024-2025. More than 70% of those hospitalized with acute intestinal infections caused by campylobacter and norovirus were under 40 years of age, while the age distribution for rotavirus etiology was uniform, and for Clostridioides difficile, patients over 60 years of age predominated.

Conclusion: An increase in hospitalizations of patients with AGI, whose etiology was subsequently elucidated, has been identified. An inverse relationship between patient age and hospitalization rate is observed. The main causative agents among young adults are Campylobacter and Norovirus. When collecting the epidemiological history, it is necessary to detail information on the consumption of ready-to-eat meals, including the public catering establishments where they were purchased.

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