Rotavirus-associated traveler's diarrhea: neutralizing antibody in asymptomatic infections.

The sera of patients with traveler's diarrhea were assayed for rotavirus-specific immunoglobulins in enzyme-linked immunosorbent and micro-neutralization assays. The antigenically related simian rotavirus SA-11 was used in both assays. Although similar titers of rotavirus-specific binding immunoglobulin G and A were observed in the sera of both symptomatic and asymptomatic subjects, clinical illness appeared to correlate with the failure to detect increased (greater than or equal to fourfold) titers of neutralizing antibodies in the post- as compared with the pretravel sera.