Rotaviral infection: etiopathogenesis, epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment and prevention

Ieva Adamonienė1, Kamilė Burbaitė1, Justina Ramanavičiūtė1

1Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Medical Academy, Faculty of Medicine 

Abstract

Rotaviral infection is a contagious disease, which presents with typical symptoms of gastroenteritis such as vomiting, diarrhea, and fever. This infection mostly affects children, it spreads rapidly in their gatherings and is one of the most common causes of gastroeneritis in children. Diagnosis is based on medical history, clinical examination, and laboratory confirmation. Laboratory testing is not routinely performed as it does not affect the choice of treatment. The most important aspect of treatment for rotavirus infection is adequate rehydration with rehydration solutions to restore fluid and electrolyte balance. Non-specific prophylaxis is not very effective, thus vaccination with RotaTeq or Rotarix vaccines is the best choice of preventing rotavirus infection.

Keywords: rotavirus, viral gastroenetritis, diarrhea, rehidration, vaccine.