any member of a genus of viruses that cause worldwide endemic infections. They occur in birds and mammals, cause diarrhoea in children, and are usually transmitted in food prepared with unwashed hands
Word origin
C20: from Latin rota wheel + virus
rotavirus in American English
(ˈroʊtəˌvaɪrəs)
noun
any of a genus (Rotavirus) of wheel-shaped reoviruses that cause gastroenteritis, esp. in infants