Dataset Information

An outbreak of gastroenteritis caused by norovirus-contaminated groundwater at a waterpark in Korea.

ABSTRACT: In January 2008, an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis at a waterpark was reported to the Bundang-gu Public Health Center in Seongnam, Korea. To determine the etiological agent and mode of transmission, a retrospective cohort study was done using structured questionnaires and stool samples from patients who had current gastrointestinal symptoms and three food handlers were tested. A total of 67 (31.0%) students and teachers developed acute gastroenteritis. No food items were associated with an increased risk of the illness. Norovirus was detected in 3 stool specimens collected from 6 patients who had severe diarrhea using semi-nested RT-PCR. All the specimens contained the genogroup I strains of the norovirus. Norovirus was also detected in the groundwater samples from the waterpark. In the nucleotide sequencing analysis, all the genogroup I noroviruses from the patients and groundwater samples were identified as the norovirus genotype I-4 strain. They were indistinguishable by DNA sequencing with a 97% homology. We conclude the outbreak of acute gastroenteritis caused by the norovirus was closely related to the contaminated groundwater.

SUBMITTER: Koh SJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3012846 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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An outbreak of gastroenteritis caused by norovirus-contaminated groundwater at a waterpark in Korea.

Koh Seong-Joon SJ Cho Han Gil HG Kim Bo Hyun BH Choi Bo Youl BY

Journal of Korean medical science 20101222 1

In January 2008, an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis at a waterpark was reported to the Bundang-gu Public Health Center in Seongnam, Korea. To determine the etiological agent and mode of transmission, a retrospective cohort study was done using structured questionnaires and stool samples from patients who had current gastrointestinal symptoms and three food handlers were tested. A total of 67 (31.0%) students and teachers developed acute gastroenteritis. No food items were associated with an in ...[more]

PMID: 21218026

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Project description:ObjectivesMore than 900 students and teachers at many schools in Jiaxing city developed acute gastroenteritis in February 2014. An immediate epidemiological investigation was conducted to identify the pathogen, infection sources and route of transmission.MethodsThe probable cases and confirmed cases were defined as students or teachers with diarrhoea or vomiting present since the term began in February 2014. An active search was conducted for undiagnosed cases among students and teachers. Details such as demographic characteristics, gastrointestinal symptoms, and drinking water preference and frequency were collected via a uniform epidemiological questionnaire. A case-control study was implemented, and odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Rectal swabs from several patients, food handlers and barrelled water factory workers, as well as water and food samples, were collected to test for potential bacteria and viruses.ResultsA total of 924 cases fit the definition of the probable case, including 8 cases of laboratory-confirmed norovirus infection at 13 schools in Jiaxing city between February 12 and February 21, 2014. The case-control study demonstrated that barrelled water was a risk factor (OR: 20.15, 95% CI: 2.59-156.76) and that bottled water and boiled barrelled water were protective factors (OR: 0.31, 95% CI: 0.13-0.70, and OR: 0.36, 95% CI: 0.16-0.77). A total of 11 rectal samples and 8 barrelled water samples were detected as norovirus-positive, and the genotypes of viral strains were the same (GII). The norovirus that contaminated the barrelled water largely came from the asymptomatic workers.ConclusionsThis acute gastroenteritis outbreak was caused by barrelled water contaminated by norovirus. The outbreak was controlled after stopping the supply of barrelled water. The barrelled water supply in China represents a potential source of acute gastroenteritis outbreaks due to the lack of surveillance and supervision. Therefore, more attention should be paid to this area.

Project description:BackgroundAn outbreak of acute gastroenteritis occurred in a kindergarten located Shenzhen City on March 4, 2018. We were invited to investigate to the risk factors associated with this outbreak.MethodsWe conducted retrospective cohort-studies on three different groups of subjects in order to figure out the difference of incidence of acute gastroenteritis among subjects of different activities on March 2: group one consisted of people who attended the Lantern festival activities; group two consisted of children and employees who ate breakfast and bread provided by the kindergarten; and groups three consisted of children and employees who did not eat breakfast or bread provided by the kindergarten. Fecal, anal swabs, dishware swabs and hand swabs specimens were collected in the study. Bacteria known to cause acute gastroenteritis were cultured. Viruses associated with acute gastroenteritis were tested using real-time PCR. Capsid gene fragment of 557 bp of norovirus was amplified and sequenced. The phylogenetic tree was constructed with MEGA 7.0 using neighbor-joining method based on capsid gene fragment of norovirus.ResultsA total of 143 suspected cases were identified in this outbreak. Diarrhea happened more often in adults than in children while emesis and bellyache were more frequently found in children than in adults. Higher AGE incidence was observed in group 2, children and employees who had breakfast in the kindergarten on March 2, as well as in group 3, and among employees who eating bread involved in breakfast provided on March 2. Five anal swab specimens were positive for norovirus. All noroviruses belongs to group II.3 and have an identity more than 99%.ConclusionA chef, as an asymptomatic carrier with norovirus, was the infectious resource in this outbreak. He contaminated breakfast food provided on March 2. Although morning check is implemented in kindergartens of China, employees are often excluded in morning check. Our finding highlights the importance of morning check covering employees and periodical training for cooks.

Project description:ObjectivesWater-borne diseases caused by Vibrio parahemolyticus are often known to cause gastritis when raw or undercooked seafood is eaten. It is very rare that Vibrio gastritis caused by ingesting non-seafood products occurs on a large scale. On September 19, 2017, a large-scale Vibrio gastritis occurred after the city residents consumed food at a bazaar held in a welfare center in Jungnang-gu, Seoul.MethodsThe total number of visitors was approximately 299, and 237 (79.3%) of them showed symptoms. Among those who showed symptoms, 116 (48.9%) consulted the hospital, and 53 (45.6%) were hospitalized. Among the 299 exposed individuals, 174 (58.1%) responded to this survey: 163 (93.6%) with and 11 (6.4%) without symptoms. This study was retrospectively conducted by investigating the exposed individuals. To investigate the spread of infection, medical staff of hospitals in the epidemic area were interviewed, exposed individuals surveyed, microbiological testing conducted, and ingredient handling and cooking processes investigated.ResultsA total of 237 individuals, including 6 food handlers, were affected (prevalence, 79.2%). During the microbiological testing, V. parahemolyticus was found in 34 patients and 4 food handlers. In the consumption analysis, the relative risk of kimbap was 6.79 (confidence interval 1.10 to 41.69). In-depth investigation found that squid, an ingredient of Korean pancake, and egg sheets, an ingredient of kimbap, were prepared using the same cutting board and knife, which were thought to be the cause of cross-contamination that led to a large-scale outbreak of Vibrio gastritis.ConclusionsA recent large-scale outbreak of Vibrio gastritis occurred due to the cross-contamination with kimbap during the preparation process of squid rather than the actual consumption of seafood. Thus, a more stringent hygiene management is necessary during the processing and management of food to prevent infections associated with V. parahemolyticus.

Dataset Information

An outbreak of gastroenteritis caused by norovirus-contaminated groundwater at a waterpark in Korea.

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An outbreak of gastroenteritis caused by norovirus-contaminated groundwater at a waterpark in Korea.

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