Synonyms
Stomach or gastric flu (although the condition is not related to the influenza virus)
Definition
Viral gastroenteritis is an infection caused by a variety of viruses. The most common viruses are rotavirus (so-called because of their wheel-like morphology on electron microscopic examination, belongs to the family of Reoviridae), adenoviruses (non-enveloped viruses composed of a nucleocapsid and a double-stranded linear DNA genome), noroviruses (a diverse group of single-stranded RNA viruses, belongs to the family of Caliciviridae, so-called because many strains have visible cup shaped depressions on electron microscopy), and picornaviruses (named because they are small and of RNA type). The infection results in inflammation. It involves both the stomach and the small intestine and sometimes the large intestine, resulting in a combination of nausea, vomiting, watery diarrhea, and abdominal pain which may be cramping. The disease may be associated with fever (rotavirus),...
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Geboes, K. (2017). Viral Gastroenteritis. In: Carneiro, F., Chaves, P., Ensari, A. (eds) Pathology of the Gastrointestinal Tract. Encyclopedia of Pathology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40560-5_1547
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40560-5_1547
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