rotavirus

noun

ro·ta·vi·rus | \ ˈrō-tə-ˌvī-rəs

Definition of rotavirus

: any of a genus (Rotavirus) of reoviruses that have a three-layered protein capsid with no outer lipid envelope when mature and that include one (species Rotavirus A) causing epidemics of severe and sometimes fatal diarrhea in infants and young children

Examples of rotavirus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Veterinarians regularly inoculate animals—both pets and those in natural habitats—against a range of diseases, including rabies, hepatitis and the rotavirus. — Georgi Kantchev, WSJ, 27 May 2021 Eventually, two newer rotavirus vaccines with a lower risk of complications were developed. — Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 14 Apr. 2021 Examples of vaccines that can be lyophilized include shots for preventing shingles or rotavirus. — Jared S. Hopkins, WSJ, 30 Mar. 2021 According to the Centers for Disease Control, four to 10 years after the 2006 introduction of a rotavirus vaccine in the U.S., the number of positive tests for the disease fell by as much as 74 to 90 percent . — Stacey Mckenna, Scientific American, 18 Jan. 2021 Second-generation rotavirus vaccines were later licensed and deployed, and post-marketing safety evaluations found no increases in risk of intestinal obstruction. — Wayne C. Koff And Michelle A. Williams, STAT, 23 Dec. 2020 Not a roseola, not a pink eye or a rotavirus, not a hand, foot or mouth disease. — Georgia Garvey, chicagotribune.com, 7 Dec. 2020 However, developing vaccines based on viral proteins takes anywhere from years, such as for the human papilloma virus, to several decades, such as for rotavirus. — Sanjay Mishra, The Conversation, 21 May 2020 The rotavirus vaccine was approved after 26 years of testing, offers Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and co-creator of that vaccine. — Olivia Goldhill, Quartz, 8 May 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rotavirus.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Rotavirus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rotavirus. Accessed 28 Jan. 2022.

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More Definitions for rotavirus

rotavirus

noun

ro·ta·vi·rus | \ ˈrōt-ə-ˌvī-rəs

Medical Definition of rotavirus

1 capitalized : a genus of reoviruses that are causative agents of gastroenteritis and that include one (species Rotavirus A) causing epidemics of severe and sometimes fatal diarrhea in infants and young children

Note: Viruses of the genus Rotavirus have a virion with a three-layered protein capsid lacking an outer lipid envelope when mature and a core of 11 discrete segments of double-stranded RNA.

2 : any virus of the genus Rotavirus