Investigation of an outbreak of acute diarrhea caused by Human calicivirus

Objective To survey a diarrhea outbreak in Guangan city and analyze the cause of the disease. Methods The population enrolled in the surveillance came from four different settings and was randomly sampled. Stool specimens collected from diarrhea patients were tested ordinarily for enteric bacteria and further examined for viral pathogens with PAGE, ELISA and RT PCR. Results In total, 4 567 persons were surveyed, among them 942 had acute diarrhea (prevalence 20.63%). The incidence was higher in rural area (28.6%) than in urban area (19.6%)(χ 2=22.29, P 0.005)with a peak in May 10 through 25. four human caliciviruses were detected from stool specimens by ELISA and RT PCR in specimens from 4 and 1 patients, respectively. Conclusion Human calicivirus probably was the cause of this diarrhea outbreak in Guangan city.