Enteral immunoglobulins for treatment of protracted rotaviral diarrhea.

Rotaviral diarrhea is generally of short duration and self-limiting but it may be more prolonged and severe, especially in immunodeficient children. No effective drug is presently available against the virus. A protec­tive role of colostrum and breast milk, which contain anti-rotaviral imrnunoglobulins, has been suggested. We descrihe two cbildren with diarrhea of long duration and rotavirus shedding, lasting, respectively, 7 and 4 months and requiring prolonged total paren­ teral nutrition (TPN). Neither patient had evidence of irnmunodeficiency and recovered after duodenal administration of a single dose of human serum im­munoglobulins (HSJG).