title: An outbreak of group C rotavirus gastroenteritis among children attending a day-care centre in Belém, Brazil.
abstract: In August 1993, an outbreak of group C rotavirus-associated gastroenteritis occurred among children attending a day-care centre in Belém, Brazil. Of the 64 children, 21 (33%) became ill. Group C rotavirus was identified in faecal specimens from 8 (38%) children with diarrhoea by electron microscopy (EM) and an enzyme immunoassay (EIA), using antibodies specific to the Cowden strain of porcine group C rotavirus. By polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), a pattern similar to that of group C rotavirus was observed in 5 (62.5%) of the 8 EM- and EIA-positive samples. These 5 faecal samples were confirmed to be positive for group C rotavirus by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, using specific VP6 and VP7 primers. This is the first report of an outbreak of diarrhoea in North Brazil associated with group C rotavirus. These findings suggest that group C rotavirus may be an important aetiological agent of diarrhoea in this region, which requires further study.
authors.affiliation: Instituto Evandro Chagas, Fundação Nacional de Saúde, Belém, Pará, Brazil.
authors.forename: Y B
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Gabbay
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Mascarenhas
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Leite
authors.forename: R I
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Glass
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Linhares
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002656:Child Day Care Centers; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005243:Feces / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology