Rotavirus
Rotavirus
Rotavirus (/roʊtəˈvaɪrəs/) is a genus of double-stranded RNA viruses in the family Reoviridae.
Etymology
The name "rotavirus" is derived from the Latin rota, meaning "wheel", which refers to the virus's wheel-like appearance when viewed by electron microscopy.
Definition
Rotaviruses are the most common cause of diarrhoeal disease among infants and young children. Nearly every child in the world is infected with rotavirus at least once by the age of five. Immunity develops with each infection, so subsequent infections are less severe; adults are rarely affected.
Symptoms
Symptoms of rotavirus infection include severe watery diarrhea, often with vomiting, fever, and abdominal pain. Infants and young children are most likely to get rotavirus disease. They can become severely dehydrated and need to be hospitalized and can even die.
Related Terms
- Reoviridae: The family of viruses to which rotaviruses belong.
- Diarrhea: A common symptom of rotavirus infection.
- Dehydration: A serious complication of rotavirus infection.
- Virus: A type of microorganism; rotaviruses are a type of virus.
- Electron microscopy: A technique used to visualize viruses, including rotaviruses.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Rotavirus
- Wikipedia's article - Rotavirus
This WikiMD article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.
Languages: - East Asian
中文,
日本,
한국어,
South Asian
हिन्दी,
Urdu,
বাংলা,
తెలుగు,
தமிழ்,
ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian
Indonesian,
Vietnamese,
Thai,
မြန်မာဘာသာ,
European
español,
Deutsch,
français,
русский,
português do Brasil,
Italian,
polski