What is rotavirus?
Almost all kids have had a rotavirus infection by the time they're 5 years old. Rotavirus infection is most common in children between the ages of 6 months and 2 years. About 1 child in 10 who has rotavirus infection needs to be admitted to hospital. Rotavirus is one of the most common causes of diarrhea, and severe infection (rotavirus gastroenteritis) is the leading cause of severe, dehydrating diarrhea in infants and young children.
In the U.S., rotavirus infections are responsible for about 3 million cases of diarrhea and 55,000 hospitalizations for diarrhea and dehydration in children younger than 5 years old each year. Although these infections cause relatively few U.S. deaths, diarrhea caused by rotavirus causes more than half a million deaths worldwide every year. Adults can become infected too with rotavirus but the infection is usually very mild.
How is rotavirus spread?
Rotavirus is present in the gut (intestines) of an infected person and can pass out in their diarrhoea. It is easily spread from an infected person to another by close contact. This is often because the virus is on the infected person's hands after they have been to the toilet. For smaller children who wear nappies, it may be spread by the hands of the person changing the infected child's nappy. Surfaces or objects touched by the infected person can also allow the virus to spread. The virus can be passed on if the infected person prepares food. Outbreaks of rotavirus that affect many people can occur - for example, in nurseries or schools.
Signs and Symptoms
Kids with a rotavirus infection have fever, nausea, and vomiting, often followed by abdominal cramps and frequent, watery diarrhea. Kids may also have a cough and runny nose. As with all viruses, though, some rotavirus infections cause few or no symptoms, especially in adults.
Sometimes the diarrhea that accompanies a rotavirus infection is so severe that it can quickly lead to dehydration. Signs of dehydration include thirst, irritability, restlessness, lethargy, sunken eyes, a dry mouth and tongue, dry skin, fewer trips to the bathroom to pee, and (in infants) a dry diaper for several hours.
In the United States, rotavirus infection outbreaks are seasonal during the winter and spring months. It is particularly a problem in childcare centers and children's hospitals because rotavirus infection is very contagious.
The virus passes in the stool of infected people before and after they have symptoms of the illness. Kids can become infected if they put their fingers in their mouths after touching something that has been contaminated. Usually this happens when kids don't wash their hands often enough, especially before eating and after using the toilet.
People who care for kids, including health care and childcare workers, also can spread the virus, especially if they don't wash their hands after changing diapers.
Rotavirus antigen Rapid Test(Colloidal Gold) is used for detection of Rotavirus antigen in the specimens of feces, as an aid in the clinical assessment of Rotavirus infection.
Rotavirus infections are a major medical and public health issue worldwide. More than 95% of children are infected with rotavirus before five years of age, making it the leading cause of severe, dehydrating gastroenteritis and the most frequent pediatric vaccine preventable gastroenteric disease.
Principle of the Procedure:
Rotavirus Antigen Rapid Test(Colloidal Gold) is a qualitative membrane based double antibody sandwich method for the detection of Rotavirus antigen in the specimens of feces. During testing, Rotavirus antigen in the specimen reacts with the particle coated with monoclonal anti Rotavirus antibody 2. The mixture migrates upward on the membrane chromatographically by capillary action to react with monoclonal anti Rotavirus antibody 1 on the membrane and generate a colored line.The presence of this colored line in the test line region indicates a positive result, while its absence indicates a negative result.To serve as a procedural control, a colored line will always appear in the control line region, indicating that proper volume of specimen has been added and membrane wicking has occurred.This one step test is very sensitive and only takes about 15 minutes.Test results are read visually without any instrument.
Remove the test cassette from the sealed foil pouch and place the plate on flat desk.
1) To take a portion of feces (about 100mg), insert the sterile swab into a stool sample that presents the most secretion under visual inspection.
2) Open the sample collection tube and then insert the swab into the sample collection tube containing assay diluents.
3) Swirl the swab at least 10 times until the samples has been dissolved into the assay diluents and discard the swab while squeezing the swab against the wall of tube, replace the cap.
4) Deliver 100?l (2~3drops ) of diluted stool sample to the sample well of the test card.
5) Read the result in 5~10 minutes.