Winter seasonality and rotavirus diarrhoea in adults

We investigated the aetiological role of group A rotavirus in adults with a cute diarrhoea in a 4-year prospective study. Of 683 patients with acute di arrhoea, 97 (14%) shed rotavirus as a sole agent, whereas six (5%) of 115 p atients without diarrhoea shed rotavirus. Half of patients with rotavirus d iarrhoea required admission to hospital. Unlike rotavirus diarrhoea In chil dren, the occurrence of rotavirus-positive cases did not show a significant winter seasonality. Rotavirus infection should be included in the differen tial diagnosis of diarrhoeal diseases in adults.