Extraction of rotavirus from human feces by treatment with lithium dodecyl sulfate

A procedure has been developed for the isolation of rotavirus from human fecal specimens based on the resistance of the virus to treatment with cold 1% lithium dodecyl sulfate at neutral pH. A single detergent treatment of fecal material followed by low- and high-speed centrifugations yielded a virus suspension of sufficient purity for viral ribonucleic acid to be analyzed directly by electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gels.