Rotaviral enteritis is a mild to severe disease characterised by nausea, vomiting, watery diarrhoea and low-grade fever. Once a child is infected by the virus, there is an incubation period of about two days before symptoms appear. The period of illness is acute. Symptoms often start with vomiting followed by four to eight days of profuse diarrhoea. Dehydration is more common in<unk>  infection than in most of those caused by bacterial pathogens, and is the most common cause of death related to<unk>  infection.<unk>  A infections can occur throughout life: the first usually produces symptoms, but subsequent infections are typically mild or asymptomatic, as the immune system provides some protection. Consequently, symptomatic infection rates are highest in children under two years of age and decrease progressively towards 45 years of age. The most severe symptoms tend to occur in children six months to two years of age, the elderly, and those with immunodeficiency. Due to immunity acquired in childhood, most adults are not susceptible to<unk> ; gastroenteritis in adults usually has a cause other than<unk> , but asymptomatic infections in adults may maintain the transmission of infection in the community. There is some evidence to suggest blood group can impact on the susceptibility to infection by<unk> es.
Rotavirus
Norovirus
Campylobacter jejuni
Yersinia enterocolitica
Salmonella
Giardia
Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli
Shigella