Extraintestinal Involvement of Rotavirus Infection in Children

Rotaviruses (RVs), a member of Reoviridae family, are a major cause of severe diarrhea in children < 5 years of age worldwide, infecting mainly the gastrointestinal tract although recent findings have shown extraintestinal spread of RV infections. The RV is known to cause systemic infection in children with acute gastroenteritis (AGE). The systemic RV infection may lead to the virus reaching extraintestinal organs, therefore developing clinical symptoms. RV RNA, antigen, and infectious particles have been found in serum, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and extraintestinal tissues in children with acute gastroenteritis (AGE). According to previous studies on molecular genotyping of RV, no specific association has been yet found between antigenemia and RV G genotype. However, nucleotide changes and genotype discordance in RVs have been detected in paired stool and serum samples. In children, who show the evidence of antigenemia, RV genome is detectable in extraintestinal organs. Although, clinical significance of the laboratory findings remains to be determined.