Molecular Determinant of Rotavirus Neutralization and Protection

Human group A rotaviruses were first identified by Bishop et al. in 1973. In the ensuing 15 years, a great deal was learned about these important pathogens. Rotaviruses are members of the Reoviridae family. They are icosahedral viruses with two concentric capsid layers and a diameter of approximately 75 nm. The outer capsid of the virus contains a t least two primary gene products, VP4 and VP7, the products of genes 4 and 8 or 9, respectively. The chapter takes into account the recently revised nomenclature for rotavirus proteins. Genetic studies have demonstrated that VP4 is the viral hemagglutinin. Rotaviruses are the single most important cause of severe, dehydrating diarrhea in children under the age of 2. These viruses are a major cause of infantile mortality in less developed countries and the most frequent cause of morbidity due to pediatric gastroenteritis in developed countries. Rotaviruses can be isolated from the young of many, if not most, mammalian species, and in many cases these viruses are the cause of infantile diarrhea in the mammalian species from which they are isolated.