Rotavirus and antirotaviral therapeutics: trends and advances

Rotavirus (RV), a contagious viral disease of infants and young children, is characterized by diarrhea, fever, vomiting, abdominal pain, and other intestinal symptoms. It causes inflammation in the stomach and intestines. The global efforts of researchers to search for an effective RV treatment have led to the elucidation of anti-RV activities of many chemical compounds, immuno-therapeutics, nutraceuticals, potent plant extracts, probiotics, antioxidants, and metabolites of marine sponges and identification of a species-specific bacteria from intestinal microbiota. Though the treatment of RV is primarily aimed at restoring body fluid levels and electrolyte balance by fluid therapy, there are no approved specific antiviral drugs to treat RV infections so far. The current chapter converses the trends and advances in the specific therapeutic approaches being targeted against RV.