title: An outbreak of gastroenteritis caused by both rotavirus and Shigella sonnei in a private school in Rio de Janeiro.
abstract: In May 1980 an extensive outbreak of gastroenteritis occurred in a private school in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Examination of faeces and paired sera showed that this outbreak was caused by both rotavirus and a virulent strain of Shigella sonnei. In the first 19 stool samples collected seven (37%) had rotavirus only, six (32%) had Sh. sonnei only, while four (21%) had both agents. Examination of the second and third stool collections revealed only the presence of Sh. sonnei. The 18 paired sera showed seroconversion for rotavirus in four cases (22%) and in seven cases (39%) for Sh. sonnei. The overall attack rate of the disease was approximately 75%, the nursery and kindergarten having higher attack rates. Students in all grades became sick at the same time, and the unimodal curve of the onset dates of symptoms indicates a common source outbreak. Evidence suggested a contaminated water supply.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001938:Brazil; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004405:Dysentery, Bacillary / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000635:transmission; D006801:Humans; D012088:Reoviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012574:Schools; D012764:Shigella sonnei / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014871:Water Microbiology