Between May 1, 1976, and May 14, 1977, 343 (32.5%) of 1056 5-day-old babies in newborn nurseries excreted rotaviruses. The infection-rate was highest during winter (49%). 76% of infected babies at this time were bottle-fed. 41% of neonates excreted low amounts of virus (less than or equal to 10(8) particles/g faeces); older children tended to excrete greater than 10(10) particles/g faeces. Infected breast-fed babies excreted less virus than those who were bottle-fed. Stools of breast-fed babies often contained clumps of complete "smooth" rotavirus particles. When the newborn nurseries were transferred to a newly built hospital wing, infection appeared in the new wards, including those admitting only new patients, within a short period. Infection was either mild (8%) or symptomless (92%), and even babies with symptoms required no treatment.

Enteric virus infections were studied in two children with congenital T-cell immunodeficiency. One patient (LC) with cartilage hair hypoplasia developed persistent diarrhea and malabsorption following acute gastroenteritis. Electron microscope (EM) examination of feces revealed excretion of rotavirus for more than 450 days with concurrent astrovirus infection for at least 225 days, associated with the persistent diarrhea. Prolonged infection with poliovirus type 2 following vaccination had previously been noted in this patient. The second patient (DT), with the CHARGE association and DiGeorge syndrome, had two episodes of loose stools. EM of fecal extracts demonstrated rotavirus excretion for at least 66 days following the initial episode. Virus-specific immune responses were assayed in these two patients. LC showed a poor serum neutralizing antibody response to polio vaccination, no detectable antibody response (by immune EM and ELISA) to rotavirus, and no detectable antibody response to astrovirus (by immune EM). Rotavirus specific cell mediated immunity was also not detectable. DT showed no detectable serum antibody response to rotavirus (by ELISA). Rotavirus isolates from both patients were found to be group A viruses and were further analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Atypical genome profiles, with multiple additional bands between segments 3-7 of the normal rotavirus profile, were obtained throughout the course of each illness, including the earliest specimens available (day 41, LC; day 7, DT). These results indicate that chronic virus infection of the gut can occur in patients with T-cell immunodeficiency. Such chronic infection may be associated with persistent diarrhea and can cause considerable problems of management.

specimens, 58 being positive after centrifugation at 3000g and a further 7 after centrifugation at 10000g. Antigenwas first detected 6 hours after inoculation of specimens, maximum levels being detected at 24 hours.

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