title: A Food Handler-Associated, Foodborne Norovirus GII.4 Sydney 2012-Outbreak Following a Wedding Dinner, Austria, October 2012.
abstract: On October 12, 2012, the provincial public health directorate of Salzburg reported a suspected norovirus (NV) outbreak among guests of a wedding-reception. The investigation aimed to confirm the causative agent, to identify the mode of transmission and to implement appropriate preventive measures. A probable outbreak case was defined as a wedding guest with diarrhoea or vomiting with disease onset from 7 to 10 October 2012 and who consumed food at the wedding dinner prepared by a hotel in the province Salzburg on 6 October 2012. A confirmed outbreak case fulfilled the criteria of a probable outbreak case and had a laboratory-confirmed NV infection. We conducted a cohort-investigation among the wedding guests. The case definitions were fulfilled in 26 wedding guests (25 %) including 2 confirmed cases. Females were 3.2 times more likely to develop disease (95 % CI 1.4-7.2) as compared to males. A mushroom dish was found to be associated with disease risk among females (risk ratio 2.3, 95 % CI 1.2-4.3). Two of 2 tested case-patients and 6 of 14 kitchen workers tested were positive for NV GII.4 Sydney. One kitchen staff-member worked during the wedding dinner despite diarrhoea. No food safety training was documented for the employees and the kitchen staff's restroom was lacking operational facilities for hand hygiene. We report the first investigated outbreak due to GII.4 Sydney, which was likely due to a symptomatic kitchen worker. Gender-specific eating behaviour may have posed female guests at higher risk of NV infection.
authors.affiliation: Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES), Währingerstraße 25a, 1096, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maritschnik
authors.forename: Elisabeth Eva
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Kanitz
authors.forename: Erica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Simons
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Höhne
authors.forename: Heidelinde
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Neumann
authors.forename: Franz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Allerberger
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schmid
authors.forename: Ingeborg
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lederer
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