Abstract
Human rotavirus (HRV) is the leading worldwide cause of acute diarrhea-related death in children under the age of five. RV infects the small intestine, an important site of colonization by the microbiota, and studies over the past decade have begun to reveal a complex set of interactions between RV and the gut microbiota. RV infection can temporarily alter the composition of the gut microbiota and probiotic administration alleviates some symptoms of infection in vivo, suggesting reciprocal effects between the virus and the gut microbiota. While development of effective RV vaccines has offered significant protection against RV-associated mortality, vaccine effectiveness in low-income countries has been limited, potentially due to regional differences in the gut microbiota. In this mini review, we briefly detail research findings to date related to HRV vaccine cohorts, studies of natural infection, explorations of RV-microbiota interactions in gnotobiotic pig models, and highlight various in vivo and in vitro models that could be used in future studies to better define how the microbiota may regulate RV infection and host antiviral immune responses.
Highlights
Prior to the introduction of rotavirus vaccines (RVVs) in 2006, human rotavirus (HRV) was the leading global cause of mortality due to acute gastroenteritis in children under the age of five (Rodriguez et al, 1980; Tate et al, 2016)
As one of the possible etiologies contributing to this variation in RVV effectiveness, a number of recent studies have suggested a potential role for the commensal gut microbiota in regulating RVV responses
This review details what is currently understood about the complex interactions between RV infection and immunity and the gut microbiota, summarizing the evidence to date as well as clarifying the in vitro and in vivo systems available to explore these interactions
Summary
While development of effective RV vaccines has offered significant protection against RV-associated mortality, vaccine effectiveness in lowincome countries has been limited, potentially due to regional differences in the gut microbiota. In this mini review, we briefly detail research findings to date related to HRV vaccine cohorts, studies of natural infection, explorations of RV-microbiota interactions in gnotobiotic pig models, and highlight various in vivo and in vitro models that could be used in future studies to better define how the microbiota may regulate RV infection and host antiviral immune responses
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