A type of virus that is one of the causes of gastroenteritis, especially in young children.
n. any member of a genus of viruses that occur in birds and mammals and cause diarrhoea (often severe) in children. The viruses are excreted in the faeces of infected individuals and are usually transmitted in food prepared with unwashed hands. Rotavirus infection is endemic worldwide.
A group of viruses (so-called because of their wheel-like structure: rota is Latin for wheel) which are a common cause of GASTROENTERITIS in infants (see also DIARRHOEA). They cause from 25 to 80 per cent of childhood diarrhoea in di?erent parts of the world, and in the United Kingdom they are responsible for 60– 65 per cent of cases. They infect only the cells lining the small intestine. In the UK, death from rotavirus is rare.... rotaviruses
Health Encyclopedia