Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
The most clinically significant species in Class Reoviridae is rotavirus.
In 2004, rotavirus infections accounted for about a half million deaths in
young children, from severe diarrhea [5]. Most of the deaths occurred in
developing countries. The death rate is expected to decline, due to the recent
introduction of an apparently safe and effective vaccine [5]. Rotavirus, when
observed with transmission electron microscopy, resembles a wagon wheel.
It was formerly known as gastroenteritis virus type B. It is passed from
human to human by fecal
oral route.
Aside from rotavirus, there are three genera that infect humans, two of
which produce disease. The Orothoreoviruses infect vertebrates, including
humans, but no disease has been linked to the infections. The two disease-
producing infectious genera are Coltivirus and Orbivirus.
Colorado tick fever is endemic in the Rocky Mountains (in contradistinc-
tion to Rocky Mountain spotted fever, a rickettsial infection, discussed in
Chapter 5, that has no restricted affinity for the Rocky Mountains).
Coltivirus takes its name from the disease (i.e., COLorado TIck fever
VIRUS). As the name suggests, Colorado tick fever is carried by a tick (in
this case, Dermacentor andersoni) and produces a fever. The fever is often
accompanied by myalgia, headache, and photophobia. In a small percentage
of children with Colorado tick fever, encephalitis may follow.
Orbiviruses have been implicated in several rather obscure fever-associated
conditions: Kemerovo fever, found in Western Siberia and transmitted by
ticks; Orungo fever, found in Central African and transmitted by mosquitoes;
and Changuinola fever, found in northern South America and transmitted by
sand flies of Class Phlebotomus.
Infectious species:
Human rotavirus (gastroenteritis, diarrhea)
Coltivirus (Colorado tick fever)
Orbivirus species (Colorado tick fever, Kemerovo fever, Orungo
fever, Changuinola fever, and other midge-, mosquito-, or tick-borne
geographically-confined viral syndromes)
