[Impact of Rotavirus gastroenteritis requiring hospitalization or presenting to emergency room among children less than 5 years in France].

Background: In France, Rotavirus infections are responsible for approximately 300,000 cases of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) in children less than 5 years every year, 138,000 outpatient consultations and 18,000 hospitalizations. Surveillance for Rotavirus Infections in Hospitalized Kids (SHRIK) is a European prospective observational study conducted to assess the burden related to Rotavirus gastroenteritis (RVGE) in these children.

Methods: Patients less than 5 years visiting emergency rooms for AGE (U-AGE), who were hospitalized (H-AGE) or who developed RVGE 48 hours after hospitalization (N-AGE) were included in the study over a year.

Reactogenicity and immunogenicity of rotavirus WC3 vaccine in 5-12 month old infants.

Rotavirus is a major cause of acute gastroenteritis in infants worldwide and there is need for an effective vaccine. Rotavirus Wistar calf 3 (WC3) is a strain of bovine origin attenuated by 12 passages in cell culture. A lyophilized candidate vaccine containing 1 x 10(7) PFU of WC3 has been developed.

Epidemiology of human rotaviruses in a maternity unit as studied by electrophoresis of genomic RNA.

An epidemiological survey of Rotavirus infections in a maternity unit was carried out between May 1983 and August 1984. Rotaviruses have been detected throughout the survey in 184 of 528 fecal samples obtained from 3 and 6 day-old newborns. Rotavirus excretion could be detected neither from the mothers nor from the medical attendants.