Viruses Associated with Gastroenteritis

According to the WHO, approximately 450.000 children under 5 years of age die of severe diarrheal diseases caused by viruses, mostly in low- and middle-income countries. Rotavirus and norovirus infections are undoubtedly the leading cause of this mortality and morbidity but viruses belonging to other families, namely adenoviruses, sapoviruses, and astroviruses, are also important etiological agents in this context.This Reprint includes eight articles covering different aspects of the pathogenesis, molecular epidemiology, and genome evolution of rotavirus, norovirus, adenovirus, and sapovirus in different regions of the world, as well as the potential impact of the host microbiome on disease outcome.The importance of raising awareness among policy decision makers regarding the urgent need for the continuous monitoring of genome evolution, the emergence of new variants with potential impact on the efficacy of currently available vaccines, and the implementation of effective preventive strategies is also highlighted in the studies included in this Reprint.