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A WATERBORNE OUTBREAK OF NORWALK-LIKE VIRUS AMONG SNOWMOBILERS - WYOMING, 2001
Citation:
Anderson, A. D., A. G. Heryford, J. P. Sarisky, C. Higgins, S. S. Monroe, S. R. Beard, C Newport, J L. Cashdollar, G S. Fout, D. Robbins, S. A. Seys, K. J. Musgrave, J. Bartkus, J. Vinje, J. S. Bresee, H. M. Mainzer, AND R. Glass. A WATERBORNE OUTBREAK OF NORWALK-LIKE VIRUS AMONG SNOWMOBILERS - WYOMING, 2001. JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES 187(2):303-306, (2003).
Impact/Purpose:
Overarching Objectives and Links to Multi-Year Planning
This task directly supports the 2003 Drinking Water Research Program Multi-Year Plan's long term goal 1 for "regulated contaminants" and long term goal 2 for "unregulated contaminants and innovative approaches" under GRPA Goal 2 (Clean and Safe Water). The overarching objective is to provide the Office of Water, Agency risk assessors and managers, academics, the scientific community, state regulators, water industry and industry spokes-groups the methods they need to measure occurrence of waterborne viral pathogens. The methods developed will improve the quality of risk-based assessments and tools used by the Agency to set regulations, policies and priorities for protecting human health and will allow the Agency to assure the public that the appropriate methods are being used to demonstrate that drinking water is safe from pathogenic agents.
Specific Subtask Objectives:
o Evaluate techniques for enhancement of growth of human enteric viruses in support of CCL #2 and #3 and for use in the UCMR (Subtask A; to be completed by 9/05 in support of LTG 2)
o Develop a multiplex RT-PCR method that incorporates internal controls for use in the UCMR (Subtask B; completed 9/03 in support of LTG 2)
o Develop and evaluate new molecular technologies for use in the UCMR. Included will be real-time RT-PCR methods for Norwalk virus and astroviruses, and integrated cell culture/molecular procedures for detection of infectious viruses (Subtask B; to be completed by 9/05 in support of LTG 2)
Description:
In February 2001, episodes of acute gastroenteritis were reported to the Wyoming Department of Health from persons who had recently vacationed at a snowmobile lodge in Wyoming. A retrospective cohort study found a significant association between water consumption and illness, and testing identified Norwalk-like virus (NLV) in 8 of 13 stool samples and 1 well. Nucleotide sequences from the positive well-water specimen and 6 of the positive stool samples were identical. This multistrain NLV outbreak investigation illustrates the importance of NLV as a cause of waterborne illness and should encourage monitoring for NLVs in drinking water.