[Diagnosis of human rotavirus infection by the dot hybridization method]

The use of the dot-hybridization assay for the diagnosis of human rotavirus infection was shown to be principally possible. 32P-labeled RNA segments of porcine rotavirus transcribed in an in vitro system by activation of endogenous RNA-dependent RNA-polymerase were used as hybridization probes. The transcripts were synthesized to all 11 segments of the parental virus genome. The method proved to be highly specific and very sensitive detecting 10 picograms of viral RNA in fecal filtrates of the patients.