Rotaviruses: Basic Facts

Rotaviruses (RVs) are the chief etiologic agent of viral gastroenteritis in infants and young children, and in the young of a large variety of animal species. Since the discovery of RVs in man 25 yr ago, much has been learned about their genome and protein composition; their three-dimensional structure; their replication, pathogenesis and clinical pattern; the host’s immune response; and the epidemiology. Measures of individual treatment have recently been complemented by the licensure in the United States of a tetravalent (TV), live attenuated rhesus rotaviruses (RRV)-based, human reassortant vaccine which may to be universally applied.