rotavirus

American  

[roh-tuh-vahy-ruhs] / ˈroʊ təˌvaɪ rəs /

noun

PLURAL

rotaviruses

1. a double-stranded RNA virus of the genus Rotavirus, family Reoviridae, that is a major cause of infant diarrhea.

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rotavirus British  

/ ˈrəʊtəˌvaɪrəs /

noun

1. any member of a genus of viruses that cause worldwide endemic infections. They occur in birds and mammals, cause diarrhoea in children, and are usually transmitted in food prepared with unwashed hands

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Etymology

Origin of rotavirus

1974; < Latin rota wheel + virus

Example Sentences

Dr. Paul Offit, a co-inventor of a rotavirus vaccine and director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, for years has sparred with Kennedy over vaccines.

From Salon

A child who has rotavirus once will have antibodies that offer protection against future infections.

From Los Angeles Times

For example, the first rotavirus vaccine was withdrawn in 1999 when researchers detected an increased risk of intussusception, a rare type of bowel obstruction, for children who received the vaccine.

From Salon

The rotavirus vaccine, for example, is an unmitigated success, but it can lead to intussusception — a life-threatening condition in which the intestine folds in on itself — in about 0.02 percent of children who are vaccinated.

From New York Times

"Robert F Kennedy Junior called me and he said that he needed my help," says the scientist, whose vaccine against rotavirus is estimated to save some two thousand lives a day in the developing world.

From BBC