Rotavirus A
This assay is only available as part of a panel and cannot be ordered individually.
Rotaviruses are a leading cause of life-threatening diarrheal disease among infants and young children.1,2 They are nonenveloped members of the Reoviridae family and contain a double-stranded RNA genome. Rotaviruses are classified into seven serogroups (A-G); however, only groups A, B and C are human pathogens. Group A rotaviruses are responsible for the majority of infections.3 In the EU, rotavirus is responsible for 20 to 60 percent of gastroenteritis requiring hospitalization, while in the U.S., an estimated one in every 73 children will have been hospitalized because of diarrhea due to rotavirus A during the first five years of life.2,4,5 Globally, rotavirus is estimated to cause more than 125 million cases of gastroenteritis in children each year.6 Rotavirus symptoms can include vomiting, watery diarrhea, and low-grade fever with infection occurring more commonly in colder months.6
References
1. Hyser JM, Estes MK. Rotavirus vaccines and pathogenesis: 2008. Curr Opin Gastroenterol. 2009 Jan:25(1):36-43.
2. Wilhelmi I, Roman E, Sanchez-Fauquier A. Viruses causing gastroenteritis. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2003 Apr:9(4):247-62.
3. Clark B, McKendrick M. A review of viral gastroenteritis. Curr Opin Infect Dis. 2004 Oct:17(5):461-9.
4. Schlenker C, Surawicz CM. Emerging infections of the gastrointestinal tract. Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol. 2009;23(1):89-99.
5. Navaneetham U, Giannella RA. Mechanisms of infectious diarrhea. Nat Clin Pract Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2008 Nov:5(11):637-47.
6. Meloni A, Locci D, Frau G, et al. Epidemiology and prevention of rotavirus infection: an underestimated issue? J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med. 2011 Oct:24 Suppl 2: 48-51.
Specimens are approved for testing in New York only when indicated in the Specimen Information field above.
The CPT codes provided are based on Viracor Eurofins' interpretation of the American Medical Association's Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes and are provided for general informational purposes only. CPT coding is the sole responsibility of the billing party. Questions regarding coding should be addressed to your local Medicare carrier. Viracor Eurofins assumes no responsibility for billing errors due to reliance on the CPT codes illustrated in this material.