356 - Rotaviruses, Noroviruses, and Other Gastrointestinal Viruses

Abstract

Viruses are a principal cause of acute infectious gastroenteritis, which is a syndrome of vomiting, watery diarrhea, or both that begins abruptly in otherwise healthy persons. Two distinct viruses account for much of these cases. Before rotavirus vaccines were widely introduced over the last 15 years, rotaviruses accounted for over 400,000 deaths annually. Rotaviruses remain the most frequent cause of sporadic, severe gastroenteritis in young children and are currently responsible for the death of approximately 600 children daily worldwide, mainly in developing countries that have not yet implemented widespread rotavirus vaccination. Noroviruses are the primary cause of epidemic infectious gastroenteritis in both infants and adults in developed countries. For example, outbreaks of gastroenteritis in closed settings, such as cruise ships and nursing homes, are a typical manifestation of norovirus infections. However, noroviruses are also an increasingly common cause of sporadic, severe gastroenteritis in young children.