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Microbiology · Other RNA viruses

Rotavirus !

  • Virus
  • Non-enveloped (naked)
  • Contact
  • Exam priority: medium

A virus that causes severe diarrhoea and vomiting in babies and young children. The oral childhood vaccine has greatly cut severe cases.

Updated 2026-11-01

Also called: infant diarrhoea virus

At a glance

Shape
Triple-layered icosahedral, wheel-like
Genome
Double-stranded, segmented RNA (11 segments)
Envelope
Non-enveloped (naked)
Family
Sedoreoviridae (formerly Reoviridae), genus Rotavirus
Size
About 70 to 75 nm

Morphology

  • Naked triple-layered capsid that looks like a wheel (rota) under the electron microscope
  • Outer proteins VP7 (G) and VP4 (P) define genotypes
  • The segmented genome allows reassortment

Transmission

  • Faecal-oral, mostly person to person
  • Contaminated surfaces and objects, where the virus is very stable
  • Contaminated water or food, less often
  • Incubation about 2 days

Reservoir: Humans; animal rotaviruses can reassort with human ones

Isolation precautions

What the care team adds to standard precautions.

Contact
Gown and gloves; dedicated equipment. For C. difficile, soap-and-water hand washing.

Virulence factors

  • Infects small-intestine villus enterocytes and blunts the villi
  • Protein NSP4 acts as an enterotoxin and raises chloride secretion
  • Malabsorption and secretion cause profuse watery diarrhoea

Diseases it causes

Clinical picture

  • Fever and vomiting first, then watery, non-bloody diarrhoea for 3 to 8 days
  • Dehydration: little urine, dry mouth, lethargy or irritability
  • The first infection is usually the worst; reinfections are milder
  • Most severe between 6 months and 2 years

Diagnosis

  • Stool antigen by immunoassay (rapid tests)
  • RT-PCR on stool or gastrointestinal panels
  • Genotyping only for surveillance and research

Treatment

Oral rehydration with low-osmolarity salts, or intravenous fluids for severe dehydration, plus zinc for children under WHO guidance. There is no antiviral; antibiotics do not help.

Drug class only; doses and regimens are set by the clinician from the current guideline.

Prevention

  • Live attenuated oral vaccine in the first months of life
  • Handwashing, especially when changing nappies
  • Contact precautions and bleach cleaning in hospitals and nurseries
  • Breastfeeding

Vaccine: Live attenuated oral rotavirus vaccine; Colombia has included it in the PAI since 2009 in the first months of life. It is rarely linked to intussusception.

Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

What kind of genome does rotavirus have?

Double-stranded RNA in 11 segments, inside a non-enveloped triple-layered capsid.

Which rare complication has been linked to rotavirus vaccine?

Intussusception.

Which precautions apply to a child admitted with rotavirus?

Contact precautions (gown and gloves) on top of standard ones, plus bleach cleaning.

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← Back to the group: Other RNA viruses

Educational content on microorganisms; not a treatment guide and no substitute for a health professional's advice. No doses are given.

Sources: Clinical Overview of Rotavirus (CDC, 2025); Appendix A: Type and Duration of Precautions Recommended for Selected Infections and Conditions (CDC, 2024).

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Representative model, for educational purposes only.