TY - JOUR
T1 - Detection of multiple enteric virus strains within a foodborne outbreak of gastroenteritis
T2 - An indication of the source of contamination
AU - Gallimore, Christopher
AU - Pipkin, C.
AU - Shrimpton, H.
AU - Green, A. D.
AU - Pickford, Y.
AU - McCartney, C.
AU - Sutherland, G.
AU - Brown, David
AU - Gray, J. J.
PY - 2005/2
Y1 - 2005/2
N2 - An outbreak of acute gastroenteritis of suspected viral aetiology occurred in April 2003 in the British Royal Fleet Auxillary ship (RFA) Argus deployed in the Northern Arabian Gulf. There were 37 cases amongst a crew of 400 personnel. Of 13 samples examined from cases amongst the crew, six enteric viruses were detected by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Five different viruses were identified including, three norovirus genotypes, a sapovirus and a rotavirus. No multiple infections were detected. A common food source was implicated in the outbreak and epidemiological analysis showed a statistically significant association with salad as the source of the outbreak, with a relative risk of 3.41 (95% confidence interval of 1.7-6.81) of eating salad on a particular date prior to the onset of symptoms. Faecal contamination of the salad at source was the most probable explanation for the diversity of viruses detected and characterized.
AB - An outbreak of acute gastroenteritis of suspected viral aetiology occurred in April 2003 in the British Royal Fleet Auxillary ship (RFA) Argus deployed in the Northern Arabian Gulf. There were 37 cases amongst a crew of 400 personnel. Of 13 samples examined from cases amongst the crew, six enteric viruses were detected by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Five different viruses were identified including, three norovirus genotypes, a sapovirus and a rotavirus. No multiple infections were detected. A common food source was implicated in the outbreak and epidemiological analysis showed a statistically significant association with salad as the source of the outbreak, with a relative risk of 3.41 (95% confidence interval of 1.7-6.81) of eating salad on a particular date prior to the onset of symptoms. Faecal contamination of the salad at source was the most probable explanation for the diversity of viruses detected and characterized.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=14044250029&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1017/S0950268804003218
DO - 10.1017/S0950268804003218
M3 - Article
C2 - 15724709
AN - SCOPUS:14044250029
SN - 0950-2688
VL - 133
SP - 41
EP - 47
JO - Epidemiology and Infection
JF - Epidemiology and Infection
IS - 1
ER -
