title: A waterborne outbreak of gastroenteritis with secondary person-to-person spread. Association with a viral agent.
abstract: In December, 1976, an outbreak of gastroenteritis occurred at a resort camp in Colorado. Data obtained by questionnaire from 760 persons indicated that 418 (55%) had had gastroenteritis at the camp or within a week of leaving it, with peak onset within a two-day period. Symptoms included vomiting (81%), diarrhoea (65%), and fever (49%); median duration of illness was twenty-four hours. The attack-rate increased with consumption of water or ice-containing beverages. The camp water supply was found to be inadequately chlorinated and contaminated by a leaking septic tank. Although routine laboratory tests did not reveal bacterial, viral, or parasitic pathogens, immune electron microscopy detected virus-like particles in two of five diarrhoeal stool filtrates. Oral administration of one of these bacteria-free filtrates to two volunteers induced a gastrointestinal illness similar to that observed in the camp visitors.
mesh_terms: D002165:Camping; D003120:Colorado; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission; D014871:Water Microbiology; D014881:Water Supply