Diagnosis of Rotavirus Infection by Cell Culture

Regional Virus Laboratory, East Birmingham Hospital, Birmingham, B9 5ST 1 Requests for reprints should be sent to T. H. F. Received May 26, 1976 Accepted June 17, 1976 Rotaviruses were detected by electronmicroscopy in 35 of 84 specimens of faeces from infants with diarrhoea, and in 31 by fluorescent staining of tissue cultures infected with the help of centrifugation. LLC-MK2 cells were found to be the most sensitive, although primary and secondary human-embryo-kidney and primary calf-kidney cells could also be used. A micromodification of the tissue-culture method provides a relatively simple technique for the diagnosis of rotavirus infection, for the titration of virus infectivity and for estimating neutralising antibodies in serum. * Present address: Division of Electron Microscopy, Clinical Research Centre, Watford Road, Harrow HA1 3UJ.