Outbreak of Norwalk virus in a Caribbean island resort: application of molecular diagnostics to ascertain the vehicle of infection

In 1998, an outbreak of gastroenteritis affected at least 448 persons inclu ding 122 staff at a resort hotel in Bermuda. A survey among staff indicated that gastroenteritis was associated with eating or drinking at the hotel ( OR = 6(.)0, 95% CI = 2(.)4-15(.)1). Multiple specimens of drinking water ha d elevated faecal coliform levels and Escherichia coli present, suggestive of faecal contamination. Stools from 18 of the 19 persons with gastroenteri tis that were tested were positive for genogroup-II Norwalk-like viruses (N LVs). RT-PCR analysis of a 31 specimen of water produced a genogroup-II NLV genome with a sequence identical to that of NLVs in the stools of three il l persons. This outbreak shows the value of new molecular diagnostics to li nk illness with a contaminated source through the use of sequence analysis. The risk of outbreaks such as these could be reduced in tourism dependent regions like Bermuda and the Caribbean by regular evaluation of data from t he inspection and monitoring of drinking water supplies and waste water sys tems, by ensuring the chlorination of supplemental drinking water supplies and by establishing food-safety initiatives.