Metagenomic Study of Viral Pathogens in Children Under Five with Diarrhea Across Regions in Tanzania

This BioProject details a metagenomic investigation aimed at identifying viral pathogens linked to diarrhoea in children under five years old across various geographic regions in Tanzania. Diarrhoea remains a major factor in morbidity and mortality among children, especially in low-income regions. Rotavirus and E. coli are the primary pathogens associated with diarrhoea in children under five, highlighting the importance of comprehending location-specific etiological patterns for enhanced disease management. In Tanzania, the availability of routine viral diagnostics is restricted, and surveillance research is concentrated on identifying specific pathogens.Samples were obtained from paediatric patients experiencing acute diarrhoea at district, tertiary, and referral hospitals throughout various regions of Tanzania. The samples were transported to and processed at the adjacent National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) facilities. Nucleic acid purification was performed for both DNA and RNA, followed by unbiased metagenomic sequencing utilising the cost-effective, real-time third-generation Oxford Nanopore Technology (ONT).This project aimed to: (1) identify known and potentially novel viruses linked to childhood diarrhoea; (2) characterise the genetic diversity of circulating viral strains, including rotavirus, norovirus, adenovirus, astrovirus, and sapovirus; (3) assess viral co-infections and their potential relationship with clinical presentation; and (4) contribute high-quality sequence data to global public databases to enhance surveillance, comparative genomics, and future vaccine or antiviral development.Sequencing data produced in this study, together with sample-level metadata, will be publicly accessible via the NCBI Sequence Read Archive (SRA). The datasets are anticipated to facilitate additional research on enteric viromes, viral evolution, and molecular epidemiology in low-resource environments. This initiative represents the inaugural large-scale ONT-based viral metagenomic surveillance focused on paediatric diarrhoea in Tanzania, providing critical insights for public health planning, diagnostics, and outbreak response