Rotavirus gastroenteritis.

Rotavirus gastroenteritis is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, especially in developing countries. Dehydration, which is often isotonic, occurs in 40 to 80% of patients. Rehydration and maintenance of proper fluid and electrolyte balance remains the mainstay of treatment. In recent years, development of efficient diagnostic methods has led to better understanding of the morphology of the virus, the epidemiology and natural history, as well as the importance of rotavirus disease. Rapid progress in the development and improvement of rotavirus vaccines has also been made. Among the vaccine candidates currently available, both the bovine rotavirus strain RIT 4237 and the rhesus rotavirus strain MMU 18006 have undergone extensive clinical trials and both have shown promising results.