Food-borne outbreak of norovirus infection in a French military parachuting unit, April 2011

Euro Surveill. 2011 Jul 28;16(30):19930.

Abstract

On 13 April 2011 the medical service of a French military parachuting unit reported an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis involving 147 persons among the military personnel. Meals suspected to have caused the outbreak (pasta and some raw vegetables) were tested for norovirus by PCR. The same norovirus (genogroup I) was found in some of the food items consumed by the cases and in a cook who prepared the meals.

MeSH terms

  • Caliciviridae Infections / epidemiology*
  • Caliciviridae Infections / virology
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Disease Outbreaks*
  • Feces / virology
  • Female
  • Foodborne Diseases / epidemiology*
  • Foodborne Diseases / virology
  • France / epidemiology
  • Gastroenteritis / epidemiology*
  • Gastroenteritis / virology
  • Humans
  • Infection Control / methods
  • Male
  • Military Personnel*
  • Norovirus / genetics
  • Norovirus / isolation & purification*
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction