A MASS OUTBREAK OF GASTROENTERITIS ASSOCIATED WITH GROUP-C ROTAVIRAL INFECTION IN SCHOOLCHILDREN

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.