Which of the following agents causing acute infectious diarrhea can be paired with the pathogenic mechanism of destruction limited to the mature villus cells of small intestine?
High-Yield Explanation
Rotavirus, a double-stranded RNA virus, infects only the mature villous cells in the duodenum. The virus is a worldwide cause of acute enteritis in infants and children (6 months to 2 years of age). The small intestinal crypt cells and colonic epithelial cells remain intact. Typical symptoms include diarrhea, fever, and occasional vomiting. Interestingly, temporary lactose intolerance is observed in nearly half of the patients with rotavirus diarrhea. After penetration the virus becomes associated with lysosomes whose proteolytic enzymes digest the capsid protein. The virion RNA is transcribed to mRNA which becomes associated with the ribosomes. Ref: Ray C.G., Ryan K.J. (2010). Chapter 15. Viruses of Diarrhea. In C.G. Ray, K.J. Ryan (Eds), Sherris Medical Microbiology, 5e.