R. Otsu, A MASS OUTBREAK OF GASTROENTERITIS ASSOCIATED WITH GROUP-C ROTAVIRAL INFECTION IN SCHOOLCHILDREN, Comparative immunology, microbiology and infectious diseases, 21(1), 1998, pp. 75-80
In 1988, a mass outbreak of epidemic diarrhea, i.e., consisting of 296
cases, occurred in Fukuoka Prefecture. Fecal samples from patients of
the outbreak were cultured for bacteria, but all samples were negativ
e. Although direct electron microscopy (DEM) revealed the existence of
rotavirus-like particles (diam. 60-70 nm) in the fecal samples, serol
ogical studies could not detect any antigenic relation to the ordinary
rotaviruses by the reverse passive hemagglutination (RPHA) and enzyme
-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests or immune elctron microscopy
(IEM) examination. The outbreak appeared to be caused by group C rota
viruses, based on the pattern of electrophoretic migration of RNA geno
me segments in polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). Furthermore,
IEM examination showed large aggregates of virus particles and antibo
dies when the virus particles were incubated with a reference serum sp
ecific for group C rotaviruses. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rig
hts reserved.