Abstract

OLIVEIRA, Consuelo Silva de; LINHARES, Alexandre da Costa  and  BATISTA, Nildo Alves. Review of a tetravalent vaccine (RRT-TV) for prevention of gastroenteritis caused by rotavirus. Rev Pan-Amaz Saude [online]. 2010, vol.1, n.1, pp.173-179. ISSN 2176-6215.  http://dx.doi.org/10.5123/S2176-62232010000100024.

Rotaviruses are considered the leading cause of severe gastroenteritis in children under five years of age, especially in developing countries. Vaccination in the first months is the most effective public health action for the control and prevention of infections by such agents. Despite the recent licensing of two vaccines for use in infants (Rotarix^® and Rota Teq^®), researchers continue to seek new alternatives for prevention and treatment. Herein, we provide a review of the Rhesus-Human Reassortant Rotavirus Tetravalent Vaccine (RRV-TV), with an emphasis on its clinical efficacy as regards clinical parameters, the most prevalent serotypes in the region, the occurrence of severe adverse events (e.g., intussusception), and selective protection in the most severe cases. The clinical and epidemiological data were obtained from medical records pertaining to 91 episodes of diarrhea among children in a previous investigation conducted in Belém, Pará State, Brazil. Clinical patterns and a scoring system commonly used in studies on the efficacy of RRV-TV were considered as indicators of severity. The most impressive results of this study, such as a significant protection (p < 0.05) by RRV-TV in five of the seven clinical conditions assessed, the cumulative efficacy rate of 100% against episodes with a clinical score of >14 related to serotype G2, a 75% efficacy rate against severe episodes, and the non-occurrence of intussusception, are discussed in the context of current knowledge on this issue.

Keywords : Rotavirus Vaccines; Gastroenteritis; Rotavirus Infections.

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