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Rotavirus is an infectious agent belonging to the virus family Reoviridae, which are important human and veterinary gastrointestinal pathogens. These viruses, particularly rotavirus A, are a leading cause of severe dehydrating diarrhoea (commonly known as 'stomach flu') in infants and young children.
Electron cryomicroscopy and cryotomography studies reveal that rotaviruses attach to a target cell through the outer-layer protein VP4, which—following cleavage—rearranges to enable perforation of the membrane and delivery of the viral genome into the host cell.
A recent study found that constituents of the gut virome are negatively associated with seroconversion following rotavirus vaccination, possibly explaining the diminished effectiveness of rotavirus vaccines in low- and middle-income countries.
This study provides structural insights into how the rotavirus spike protein VP4 undergoes a conformational change to initiate host membrane disruption during infection.
A recent study provides new evidence that rotavirus-infected cells produce pancrine signals that uninfected cells respond to, leading to intercellular calcium waves and ultimately to diarrhoea.
This study shows that rotaviruses and noroviruses are transmitted in stool as clusters of viruses within vesicles, and that this mode of transmission provides a replication advantage.
