In the past few years, two live attenuated, orallyadministered rotavirus vaccines were available for Indian children immunized by pediatricians in private practice – a monovalent human rotavirus vaccine [RV1; Rotarix (GSK Biologicals, Rixensart, Belgium)] and a pentavalent bovine-human reassortant vaccine [RV5; RotaTeq (Merck and Co, Inc, Pennsylvania)] [1,2]. Initially, in 2006, these vaccines...

A human rotavirus complement-fixing (CF) antigen, prepared by purification of large volumes of fluid feces collected from children with winter diarrhea, was used to study the development and persistence of antibody in children with diarrhea and the prevalence of rotavirus antibody in Melbourne. In children with diarrhea, antibody rises were detectable within 4 to 6 weeks of the onset of illness...

Two distinct subtypes of human rotavirus serotype 4 were identified by using neutralizing monoclonal antibodies directed to the major outer capsid glycoprotein, VP7, of strains ST3 (subtype 4A) and VA70 (subtype 4B). Specimens containing serotype 4 rotavirus, obtained from different countries, were examined for subtyping by using solid-phase immune electron microscopy, enzyme-linked immunosorbe...

Two rotavirus vaccine strains representing VP7 serotypes 1 and 2 derived by reassortment between a rhesus rotavirus master strain, MMU18006, and either of two human rotavirus strains were administered simultaneously to infants and young children to assess potential interactions between strains. Children were observed in a day care setting for 10 days after vaccine administration for clinical sy...

Rotavirus is the leading causative agent of severe diarrhea among children.1 The rotavirus genome consists of 11 double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) segments enclosed in a double-shelled capsid. The outer shell is composed of a major glycoprotein (vp7), which defines the rotavirus serotype specificity. Nucleotide sequence analysis of vp7 cDNAs from different isolates indicates the presence of variable ...

In February 2006, a live, oral, human-bovine reassortant rotavirus vaccine (RotaTeq) was licensed for use among U.S. infants. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends routine vaccination of U.S. infants with 3 doses of this rotavirus vaccine administered orally at ages 2, 4, and 6 months. The first dose should be administered between ages 6-12 weeks. Subsequent doses should b...

On 12 December 1997, the FDA's Vaccine and Related Biologicals Products Advisory Committee unanimously concluded that RotaShield, the first vaccine for rotavirus-a highly contagious disease that causes life-threatening diarrhea in young children-is safe and effective, and recommended licensing. In the United States alone, rotavirus causes 3 million cases of childhood diarrhea, resulting in 500,...

BACKGROUND Rotavirus gastroenteritis is the major cause of morbidity and mortality in infants and young children worldwide. Safe and effective rotavirus vaccine is needed to have significant impact on severe rotavirus gastroenteritis. Currently, two live oral rotavirus vaccines have been licensed in many countries. Knowledge on distribution of human rotavirus of G and P types are essential befo...

Abstract Acute diarrhea with severe dehydration has been a major worldwide cause of death in children younger than 5 years of age. Etiological studies of gastroenteritis have shown that rotavirus causes 40–50% of acute diarrhea among infants and children in both developing and developed nations. Numerous epidemiologic studies in the US and the World Health Organization have docu...