[Virusenteritis in childhood (author's transl)].

About 20% of infantile enteritis are caused by bacterial infections. The most cases of non bacterial infantile enteritis are supposed to be viral infections. Arguments for the existence of enterotropic viruses arised the first time in 1943. Since the middle of the fifties, various kinds of enteroviruses are known to be causative agents of infantile gastroenteritis. The same is true occasionally for some types of adenovirus. In 1973 the Norwalk-agent was discovered provocing enteritis mainly in adults. The most important progress was achieved by the discovery of Rotavirus. The viruses of this group nowadays are ment to be the most wide spread causes of enteritis in human beings and many mammalians. Rotavirus can be found in about 40--60% of acute infantile gastroenteritis in many parts of the world. Furthermore, in the last years of Coronavirus and Astrovirus were detected as causative agents of gastroenteritis in some domestic animals and probably in human beings too.