Which virus is the etiologic agent of acute infectious infantile diarrhea?

Which virus is the etiologic agent of acute infectious infantile diarrhea?

• A. Rotavirus
• B. Norovirus
• C. Adenovirus
• D. Astrovirus

Answer: (A)

Rotavirus is the virus most classically responsible for acute infectious diarrhea in infants and young children. It infects the cells lining the small intestine, causing villous atrophy and reduced absorption, which leads to a profuse, watery diarrhea and a high risk of dehydration in this age group. The virus is nonenveloped and carries a segmented double-stranded RNA genome, and it spreads mainly through the fecal-oral route in settings like daycare. While other viruses such as Norovirus, Adenovirus types 40/41, and Astrovirus can cause gastroenteritis, they are less likely to produce the severe, dehydration-prone infantile diarrhea that rotavirus characteristically causes. Vaccination against rotavirus has greatly reduced the burden of this disease.

Rotavirus is the virus most classically responsible for acute infectious diarrhea in infants and young children. It infects the cells lining the small intestine, causing villous atrophy and reduced absorption, which leads to a profuse, watery diarrhea and a high risk of dehydration in this age group. The virus is nonenveloped and carries a segmented double-stranded RNA genome, and it spreads mainly through the fecal-oral route in settings like daycare. While other viruses such as Norovirus, Adenovirus types 40/41, and Astrovirus can cause gastroenteritis, they are less likely to produce the severe, dehydration-prone infantile diarrhea that rotavirus characteristically causes. Vaccination against rotavirus has greatly reduced the burden of this disease.