[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [Microbiology](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/) › [Other RNA viruses](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/groups/other-rna-viruses/) › Rotavirus

[Microbiology](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/) · [Other RNA viruses](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/groups/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

## Key points

- Non-enveloped, wheel-shaped reovirus with segmented double-stranded RNA
- Leading cause worldwide of severe infant diarrhoea
- NSP4 enterotoxin
- Live oral vaccine; rarely intussusception
- Contact precautions

## 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

- Acute gastroenteritis with vomiting, watery diarrhoea and dehydration in infants [Acute (viral) gastroenteritis →](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/acute-gastroenteritis/)

## 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.

## In Colombia

Since the vaccine entered the PAI, Colombia has reduced admissions and deaths from rotavirus diarrhoea in children under five; acute diarrhoeal disease in children remains an INS-monitored event.

## Memory aid

Rotavirus = the "wheel" that keeps the baby "rolling" to the nappy change: watery diarrhoea with vomiting in the first two years.

## 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.

[Add to my cards (3)](https://durgical.app/estudiar/?add=/en/microbiology/rotavirus/)

## Related

- [Norovirus](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/norovirus/)

## Related conditions

- [Acute (viral) gastroenteritis](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/acute-gastroenteritis/)

## What the colours mean

**Gram-positive**
Thick peptidoglycan wall: stains purple.

**Gram-negative**
Thin wall with an outer membrane: stains pink.

**Acid-fast**
Lipid-rich wall (mycobacteria): Ziehl–Neelsen stain.

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

**Droplet**
Surgical mask within about a metre; single room.

**Airborne**
N95 respirator and a negative-pressure room.

[← Back to the group: Other RNA viruses](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/groups/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](https://www.cdc.gov/rotavirus/hcp/clinical-overview/index.html) (CDC, 2025); [Appendix A: Type and Duration of Precautions Recommended for Selected Infections and Conditions](https://www.cdc.gov/infection-control/hcp/isolation-precautions/appendix-a-type-duration.html) (CDC, 2024).

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Representative model, for educational purposes only.

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Source: https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/rotavirus/
License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/rotavirus/