rotavirus

American  

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

noun

• rotaviruses
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• rotaviruses
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of rotavirus

1974; < Latin rota wheel + virus

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rotavirus rotaviruses

For example, Denmark, which Kennedy has held up as a model, doesn’t pay for the rotavirus vaccine, “which prevents a virus that causes vomiting, diarrhea, and severe dehydration,” Offit says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

But those for hepatitis A and B, dengue, flu, Covid and rotavirus would be advised only for “high-risk” children, or else would to be left to “shared clinical decision-making” between doctors and parents.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced sweeping changes to the childhood vaccine schedule, removing broad recommendations for immunization against such diseases as flu, hepatitis A, rotavirus, and meningitis.

From Slate ● Jan. 9, 2026

Merck also makes a rotavirus vaccine, which is no longer recommended for all children in the U.S., though the Jefferies analyst expects that recommendation to have a “more minimal impact” on the drug giant.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 7, 2026

The third group of vaccines for Covid-19, influenza, and rotavirus has been left to parents and doctors to decide.

From BBC ● Jan. 5, 2026

While cholera is caused by bacteria, water transmits viruses too, including hepatitis A and E viruses, rotaviruses, noroviruses and polioviruses.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 1, 2022

Other viruses detected in the study that can infect people include influenza B, Norwalk, human parainfluenza virus 2, rotaviruses, and orthoreoviruses.

From Science Magazine ● Feb. 16, 2022

All the rotaviruses, gone, a great mercy to children in developing countries who die by the hundreds of thousands each year.

From National Geographic ● Jan. 14, 2021

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