Abstract
Apart from causing the majority of episodes of gastroenteritis in children, rotaviruses
can also cause systemic illnesses such as encephalitis, hepatitis, and acute haemorrhagic
edema. Infectious rotavirus particles have been demonstrated in the blood and CSF
and more associations are to be expected. This case series present a new association
of encephalopathic state and vasculitic rash in 3 children who were found to have
rotavirus on stool testing. Rotavirus can mimic serious bacterial infections including
meningococcaemia and meningitis and any child presenting with vasculitic rash, encephalopathy
and gastroenteritis should have a stool sample examined for rotavirus. Awareness of
this association will help paediatricians provide a definitive diagnosis for some
children presenting with signs of meningococcal sepsis who test positive for rotavirus.
Keywords
Rotavirus - encephalopathy - vasculitis - systemic illness - meningococcal infection
