Other viruses with etiologic roles in childhood gastroenteritis

Rotaviruses and Norwalk-like viruses are the two groups of viruses most frequently associated with gastroenteritis, but as outlined in this review several other viral agents have also been associated with acute gastroenteritis. The gastroenteritis viruses are generally fastidious, and thus traditional cell culture isolation and detection procedures are not applicable; therefore electron microscopy and immunoelectron microscopy remain among the most powerful techniques for studying these viruses. The in vitro cultivation of these viral agents will facilitate the development of diagnostic reagents and the development and evaluation of vaccines. The main need in this area is for suitable cell culture systems for isolating and growing the candidate gastroenteritis viruses.