Table 1.

Epidemiologic patterns of viruses causing acute gastroenteritis

	Endemic childhood disease	Outbreaks in closed communities	Other outbreaks	Immunocompromised patients
Viruses	Rotavirus (group A)	Caliciviruses	Caliciviruses	Cytomegalovirus
	Caliciviruses	Rotavirus (group A)	Rotavirus (group B)	Epstein–Barr virus
	Enteric adenoviruses	Astrovirus	Other rotaviruses	Astrovirus, adenovirus
	Astroviruses	Enteric adenoviruses	Astrovirus	Torovirus
Transmission	Unknown; contact?; fomites, droplets, aerosols or person–person	Food, water, contact?, droplets, aerosols	Food, water, ?	Reactivation, contact, food, water
Reservoir	Humans	Humans	Humans, reassortment with animal strains?	Unknown
Antibody	High prevalence by 5 years of age	Seroconversion in epidemic	Seroconversion in epidemic	Not examined
Immunity	Good	Short-term (calicivirus)	Short-term (calicivirus)	Not examined
Virus variation	Many reassortants, geographic limitation of genotypes/strains	Many antigenic variants of caliciviruses	Many antigenic variants of caliciviruses, new strains appear and spread globally	Wide range of agents
Control measures	Vaccine-RVa (group A), decrease contact with affected persons	Outbreak control; improved food safety and handling	Outbreak control, safe handling of food and water	Infection control

^aRV-rotavirus.