PetriKey

Virus

Rotavirus

Segmented double-stranded RNA virus

ROH-tuh-vy-rus

virusrnadouble-strandedsegmentedgastroenteritisvaccine

High-yield clue

Segmented double-stranded RNA + wheel-like morphology clue.

Overview

A segmented double-stranded RNA virus used for pediatric gastroenteritis, wheel-like morphology, and vaccine vocabulary in coursework.

Classification

  • Nonenveloped virus
  • Double-stranded RNA
  • Segmented genome

Lab & identification clues

  • Antigen/PCR vocabulary
  • Wheel-like morphology concept
  • Pediatric GI-virus comparison

Associations

  • Infant diarrhea vocabulary
  • Vaccine concept
  • Reassortment vocabulary

Commonly confused with

  • Norovirus
  • Adenovirus GI types

Your notes

Original student-study summary. Sources checked: OpenStax Microbiology 2e, NCBI Bookshelf Medical Microbiology, and CDC topic pages where applicable; reviewed 2026-06. Educational only; no diagnosis, treatment, dosing, or specimen-handling guidance.

OpenStax: Microbiology 2e organism classification foundationssourceNCBI Bookshelf: Medical Microbiology organism chapterssourceCDC: CDC disease and public-health topic pagessource