Rotavirus is a virus that can cause severe
diarrhea, usually with fever and vomiting. It is the leading cause of diarrhea in infants and young children in the United States and worldwide. Rotavirus results in the hospitalization of approximately 55,000 to 70,000 children each year in the United States and the death of over 600,000 children annually worldwide.
Almost all children in the United States are likely to be infected with this virus before their fifth birthday.
Rotaviruses are members of the
Reoviridae family of viruses. Rotavirus is a double-stranded RNA (ribonucleic acid) virus. This virus has a characteristic wheel-like appearance when viewed by electron microscopy. The name rotavirus is derived from the Latin word "rota," meaning "wheel"
(see Rotavirus Pictures).
There are a number of different strains of rotavirus that cause infections in humans; four strains are common in the United States. Children can be infected with the virus more than once, but usually the first infection is the most severe, and each subsequent infection causes less severe symptoms of the disease.
Large amounts of this virus are shed in the stools of infected people. This contaminated stool can easily spread to hands and objects. Because the virus can live for a long time outside of a host, transmission can then occur quite easily through the following methods:
- Ingestion of contaminated food or water
- Direct contact with contaminated surfaces.
Children can spread the virus both before and after they become sick with
diarrhea. They can sometimes pass the virus to other members of the family and to other people with whom they have close contact.
Incubation Period for Rotavirus
Once the virus has entered the body, it travels to the small intestine, where it begins to multiply. Approximately two days later, symptoms can begin. This period between infection with the rotavirus and the beginning of symptoms is known as the "rotavirus incubation period."
Not all people who are infected with the virus will develop symptoms. If symptoms do occur, the illness begins suddenly. Common symptoms include:
- Vomiting
- Upset stomach
- High fever (greater than 102.2°F)
- Watery diarrhea
- Severe dehydration
- Loss of interest in eating
- Mucus in stool.
(Click Rotavirus Symptoms for more information.)
In order to make a diagnosis, the doctor will ask a number of questions about a patient's medical history and will perform a physical exam, looking for signs and symptoms of the virus. If the doctor suspects rotavirus, he or she may test the stool for it.
There is no medicine that will kill rotavirus. Therefore, treatment goals are focused on providing supportive care while the body fights the infection. Supportive care refers to treating symptoms, such as dehydration, that occur as a result of the rotavirus infection.
Fortunately, for people with healthy immune systems, the body is able to effectively kill the virus, and after 3 to 9 days, symptoms usually improve.
While it is important that you wash your child's hands (as well as your own), better hygiene and sanitation have not significantly reduced incidents of rotavirus disease. A new, recently licensed vaccine (
RotaTeq®) is the best way to protect your child against this virus.
The virus can also be transmitted to adults. An adult infection is less common and usually less severe. In adults, rotavirus infection most often is seen in:
- Family members of affected children
- The elderly
- People with conditions or medications that decrease the function of the immune system, such as people with HIV, AIDS, or cancer.
(Click Adult Rotavirus for more information.)
How Common Are These Infections?
In the United States, rotavirus is responsible for approximately 5 to 10 percent of all cases of
diarrhea among children under 5 years of age. However, because the virus causes more severe diarrhea than other pathogens, it accounts for a greater proportion of severe diarrhea cases (for example, 40 to 50 percent of diarrhea hospitalizations).
Rotavirus accounts for more than 500,000 physician visits and approximately 55,000 to 70,000 hospitalizations each year among children under 5 years of age. An estimated 1 in 200,000 children with rotavirus diarrhea die from the complications of the infection.
Other Names for Rotavirus
Because rotavirus is the name of the virus, people commonly refer to a rotavirus infection as:
