title: Mixed genogroup SRSV infections among a party of canoeists exposed to contaminated recreational water.
abstract: Samples of faeces collected from a party of canoeists involved in a gastroenteritis outbreak were examined by electron microscopy and RT-PCR for evidence of infection with SRSVs. A broadly reactive primer pair was used to detect SRSVs followed by application of genogroup-specific primers to SRSV-positive specimens. Exposure data were collected by means of a questionnaire. SRSVs were detected in 1/4 specimens examined by EM and 3/4 by RT-PCR. Genogrouping, and sequencing of PCR products revealed two distinct strains: a genogroup I strain, related to the Desert Shield virus, and a genogroup II strain, related to the Lordsdale virus to be associated with the outbreak. Exposure data indicated that capsising and eating food before getting changed were associated with an increased risk of gastroenteritis and was consistent with infection following the consumption of contaminated water. This study confirms the greater sensitivity of RT-PCR for the diagnosis of SRSV infections and its utility, when incorporating genogroup-specific primers, in establishing more complex epidemiological data.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Microbiology and Public Health Laboratory, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Gray
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cunliffe
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gallimore
authors.forename: J V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Neal
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001483:Base Sequence; D017250:Caliciviridae Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009663:Norwalk virus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D013177:Sports; D006113:United Kingdom; D014773:Virology / Q000379:methods; D014871:Water Microbiology
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes