Our understanding of rotavirus pathophysiology comes primarily
from animal models. Rotaviruses replicate in the nondividing
mature enterocytes near the tips of the villi, suggesting
that differentiated enterocytes express factors required for ef-
ficient infection and replication (13). The severity and localization
of rotavirus intestinal infection vary among animal species
and between studies; however, the pathological changes
are almost exclusively limited to the small intestine. In various
animal models, rotavirus infection is associated with virtually
no visible lesions; slight lesions, such as enterocyte vacuolization
and loss; or larger changes, such as villus blunting and
crypt hyperplasia. Inflammation is generally mild compared to
that for other intestinal pathogens. This picture of pathology
suggests that there is no absolute correlation between histological
lesions and disease symptoms