Rotavirus is considered to be the most important and common cause of severe diarrhea in children. Recent research has identified that rotavirus enters the cells through the carbohydrate receptors existing on the intestinal cells of children.
According to the senior author, Mark Von Itzstein, a professor at the Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University in Queensland, Australia; the study helps scientists to understand the previously elusive route through which rotavirus attacks cells and forms the bedrock for the discovery and development of drugs for the treatment of rotavirus-caused diarrhea.
The researchers reveal that not all human rotaviruses recognize the same sugar receptor. The findings of this study enable scientists to better understand how to target the virus to stop attacking the intestinal cells and also would help in developing a new vaccine.
The study appeared in the Journal of Nature Communications.