Rotavirus cases are rising sharply this spring, and a new development from Washington University Medicine may point toward the first real treatment for the virus -- not just a vaccine.
Rotavirus is one of the most common causes of diarrhea and vomiting in babies and children. Wash U Medicine's Dr. Siyuan Ding says it kills up to 200,000 kids a year - mostly in developing nations -- but is on the rise here.
"It mostly affects kids of a very young age, under the age of 2. The kids who get it will develop a fever, diarrhea and dehydration."
It is a big killer of babies in developing countries, but not so much in the United States and Europe.
Last fall, Dr. Ding's lab identified a specific enzyme that enables rotavirus to infect cells. Disabling this enzyme prevented infection -- suggesting possible new treatments against rotavirus and other pathogens that rely on similar mechanisms.
Rotavirus causes severe dehydration in infants and young children -- it is a big killer of babies in developing countries but not as much in the United States and Europe.
Rotavirus causes severe dehydration in infants and young children -- it is a big killer of babies in developing countries but not as much in the United States and Europe.
