Human coronavirus OC43 causes influenza-like illness in residents and staff of aged-care facilities in Melbourne, Australia.
Three outbreaks of respiratory illness associated with human coronavirus HCoV-OC43 infection occurred in geographically unrelated aged-care facilities in Melbourne, Australia during August and September 2002. On clinical and epidemiological grounds the outbreaks were first thought to be caused by influenza virus. HCoV-OC43 was detected by RT-PCR in 16 out of 27 (59%) specimens and was the only virus detected at the time of sampling. Common clinical manifestations were cough (74%), rhinorrhoea (59%) and sore throat (53%). Attack rates and symptoms were similar in residents and staff across the facilities. HCoV-OC43 was also detected in surveillance and diagnostic respiratory samples in the same months. These outbreaks establish this virus as a cause of morbidity in aged-care facilities and add to increasing evidence of the significance of coronavirus infections.
Birch
C J
CJ
Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, North Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Clothier
H J
HJ
Seccull
A
A
Tran
T
T
Catton
M C
MC
Lambert
S B
SB
Druce
J D
JD
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D018352:Coronavirus Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D028962:Coronavirus OC43, Human / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005260:Female; D005843:Geography; D006801:Humans; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000175:diagnosis; D008297:Male; D009735:Nursing Homes; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012621:Seasons; D014739:Victoria / Q000453:epidemiology