腹瀉是肇因於輪狀病毒的多重活動。輪狀病毒主要複製於消化道[29],並感染腸絨毛的腸細胞(英語:Enterocyte),造成上皮組織結構和功能上的改變[30],遭到該病毒的破壞而導致吸收不良。產生腸毒素的病毒蛋白質NSP4製造了倚賴鈣離子的氯化分泌物,破壞了鈉-葡萄糖協同運輸蛋白1(sodium-glucose transport 1,SGLT1)載體[31]居中調節的水份再吸收,這個顯然降低了刷狀緣(brush border)薄膜雙醣酵素(disaccharidase)的活動,而且可能激化腸神經系統中依賴鈣離子的分泌(secretion)的反射作用[32][33]。健康的腸黏膜細胞會分泌乳糖酶進入小腸;所以因乳糖酶缺乏而造成的乳糖不耐症也是輪狀病毒感染經常出現的症狀[34][35],這個症狀可以持續數週[36]。乳糖不耐症的再次發生通常與牛奶再次引入兒童的日常飲食有關,因為細菌發酵了在肚子內的雙醣乳糖[37]。
輪狀病毒疫苗計劃(Rotavirus Vaccine Program)是一個適宜衛生科技組織(Program for Appropriate Technology in Health,簡寫為 PATH)、世界衛生組織與美國疾病控制與預防中心的合作計劃,該計劃由全球疫苗與免疫聯盟(GAVI Alliance)資助。該計劃的目的是藉由製造可以讓發展中國家使用的輪狀病毒疫苗,來降低兒童因為痢疾而產生的疾病與兒童死亡率[80]。
1974年,湯瑪斯·亨利·費留特(Thomas Henry Flewett)在通過電子顯微鏡觀察過這類病毒之後,建議將其命名為「輪狀病毒」(rotavirus),因為輪狀病毒的顆粒看起來很像輪子,而拉丁文中「rota」的意思即為「輪狀」[125][126];這個名稱四年後經由國際病毒分類委員會(International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses)正式認可[127]。1976年,相關類似的病毒也在許多其他種動物的研究上被描述到[123]。這些被報告描述的病毒,通通都會導致急性腸胃炎,並且被認定為影響全世界人類與動物的集體病原體[125]。輪狀病毒的血清型於1980年首次發表[128],而在隔年,來自人體的輪狀病毒藉由添加胰蛋白酶(一種發現於哺乳動物十二指腸的酶,目前已知是輪狀病毒複製所必須的物質)首次在從自然環境中猴子腎臟取得的細胞培養中成功栽培[129]。成功培養輪狀病毒的能力加速了研究的腳步,且在1980年代中期,首批候選的疫苗已經開始進行評估[130]。
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