Vaccination against rotavirus infections: achievements, setbacks and prospects

Work on rotavirus vaccines has been going on for more than 15 years. A live -attenuated, tetravalent, rhesus rotavirus-based, human reassortant vaccine was licensed by the Food and Drug Administration in the United States of A merica in August 1998 and used until July 1999. The finding of an epidemiol ogical link between gut intussusception and rotavirus vaccination led to a temporary suspension of the vaccine in July 1999. In October 1999 the recom mendation to use the vaccine was revoked and the vaccine withdrawn. This is a very disappointing setback which, however, has directed attention to oth er candidate vaccines which are still in experimental stages of development . (C) 2000 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.