Viral prevalence and laboratory investigations of gastroenteritis in institutions for dependent people

Abstract Objectives Viruses are recognized as important agents of gastroenteritis outbreaks in institutions caring for dependent people. We aimed to define norovirus (NoV) and rotavirus (RV) immunochromatographic tests (ICT) and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) used in gastroenteritis investigations. Methods Fourteen sites were monitored from 2010 to 2015, with 360 laboratory investigations. Twenty-two outbreaks and 44 sporadic case patients were investigated with ICTs (114 NoVs and 80 RVs) and RT-PCRs (114 NoVs and 52 RVs). Results ICTs were useful during outbreaks (identification of NoVs and RVs in respectively 76.5% and 75.0% of episodes) despite the NoV sensitivity limit (55.1%) and the four RV false positive results observed for 10 samples. Given the NoV ICT performance and the observed variations of the NoV and RV prevalence (between 20.0% and 5.0%), ICTs are not appropriate to identify sporadic gastroenteritis case patients. Positive predictive values Conclusion On the basis of the ICT limits identified in this work, RT-PCR development seems essential to improve viral gastroenteritis investigations in institutions caring for dependent people.