Evidence that a novel rotavirus-like agent of rats can cause gastroenteritis in man.

A rotavirus-like agent known to cause gastroenteritis in rats was also found to be associated with diarrhoea in a human population. Serological studies indicated that infection with this virus is prevalent in children and adults living in Baltimore, Maryland. The virus is antigenically and genomically distinct from group A rotaviruses and this should be borne in mind in efforts to develop vaccines for protection against infantile gastroenteritis.