Complement-fixing antibody response to rotavirus infection

Abstract

A human rotavirus complement-fixing (CF) antigen, prepared by purification of large volumes of fluid feces collected from children with winter diarrhea, was used to study the development and persistence of antibody in children with diarrhea and the prevalence of rotavirus antibody in Melbourne [Australia]. In children with diarrhea, antibody rises were detectable within 4-6 wk of the onset of illness, and the titers usually remained elevated for the next 1-2 yr. CF antibody did not develop in 2 children with proven rotavirus infection aged < 6 mo., an age at which poor CF responses to other viruses are also observed. A study of CF antibody levels in the general community showed that in Melbourne, most children are infected with human rotavirus by the age of 3 yr.