title: Norovirus gastroenteritis outbreak with a secretor-independent susceptibility pattern, Sweden.
abstract: Norovirus (NoV) is recognized as the commonest cause of acute gastroenteritis among adults. Susceptibility to disease has been associated with histo-blood group antigens and secretor status; nonsecretors are almost completely resistant to disease. We report a foodborne outbreak of GI.3 NoV gastroenteritis that affected 33/83 (40%) persons. Symptomatic disease was as likely to develop in nonsecretors as in secretors (odds ratio [OR] 1.41, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.46-4.36 vs. OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.23-2.18, p = 0.57). Moreover, no statistical difference in susceptibility was found between persons of different Lewis or ABO phenotypes. The capsid gene of the outbreak strain shares high amino acid homology with the Kashiwa645 GI.3 strain, previously shown to recognize nonsecretor saliva, as well as synthetic Lewis a. This norovirus outbreak affected persons regardless of secretor status or Lewis or ABO phenotypes.
authors.affiliation: University of Linkoping, 581 85 Linkoping, Sweden.
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nordgren
authors.forename: Elin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kindberg
authors.forename: Per Eric
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Lindgren
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Matussek
authors.forename: Lennart
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Svensson
mesh_terms: D000017:ABO Blood-Group System; D000328:Adult; D001483:Base Sequence; D017250:Caliciviridae Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D007983:Lewis Blood Group Antigens; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D029322:Norovirus / Q000235:genetics; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010641:Phenotype; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012463:Saliva / Q000821:virology; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D017201:Virus Shedding / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D000017:ABO Blood-Group System; D007983:Lewis Blood Group Antigens