Scientists have defined the structure, down to the atomic level, of a virus that causes juvenile diarrhea. The findings could lead to the development of medications to block it before it becomes infectious. Among four small RNA viruses that typically infect people and animals, astrovirus is the only one whose atomic structure was not yet known. First visualized through electron microscopy in 1975, it became clear in subsequent studies that the virus plays a role in juvenile—and sometimes adult—outbreaks of diarrhea, as the second leading cause after rotavirus.
