Neonatal Rotavirus Infection

ABSTRACT

Rotavirus (RV) is the most common cause of severe gastroenteritis and one of the most common causes of hospital infections in infants and young children worldwide. RV vaccines, administered first at 6 weeks of age, have been developed by 2 pharmaceutical companies in the United States and United Kingdom. They were approved for safety and efficacy in 2006 and were recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) to be included in all national immunization programs in 2009. Since then, the incidence of RV infections has been decreasing. However, RV vaccines are not indicated for newborns, and therefore, the vaccines cannot be used to protect newborns from RV infections. Neonatal RV strains are different from those in other age groups. Although neonatal RV strains primarily cause asymptomatic infections, they can also lead to serious complications such as severe diarrhea, dehydration, metabolic acidosis, necrotizing enterocolitis, and even death. Additionally, they can cause serious outbreaks in newborn nurseries, neonatal intensive care units, and postpartum care facilities. I reviewed the literature, including our own study, on neonatal RV infections to determine the characteristics of neonatal RV infection and its prevention in newborns.