| Description: | Under a high magnification of 446,428X, this negatively-stained transmission electron micrograph (TEM) revealed some of the ultrastructural morphology displayed by numbers of rotavirus particles. A Reoviridae family member with an RNA core surrounded by a three-layered icosahedral protein capsid, the rotavirus is not enveloped, and measures 76.5nm in diameter. Rotavirus is a virus that causes gastroenteritis (inflammation of the stomach and intestines). The rotavirus disease causes severe watery diarrhea, often with vomiting, fever, and abdominal pain. In babies and young children, it can lead to dehydration (loss of body fluids). Rotavirus is the leading cause of severe diarrhea in infants and young children worldwide. Globally, it causes more than a half a million deaths each year in children younger than 5 years of age. |
