Identifying International Foodborne Norovirus Outbreaks
Author Information
Author(s): Verhoef Linda, Kouyos Roger D., Vennema Harry, Kroneman Annelies, Siebenga Joukje, van Pelt Wilfrid, Koopmans Marion
Primary Institution: National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM)
Hypothesis
Can combined molecular and epidemiologic data improve the identification of international foodborne norovirus outbreaks?
Conclusion
The study found that 7% of norovirus outbreaks reported were likely linked to international sources, significantly higher than the 0.4% identified through standard methods.
Supporting Evidence
- 7% of outbreaks reported to the Foodborne Viruses in Europe database were part of an international event.
- Standard epidemiologic investigations identified only 0.4% of outbreaks as international.
- The study suggests that real-time data sharing could improve outbreak recognition.
Takeaway
This study shows that many norovirus outbreaks might be connected to the same food source across countries, and better data sharing could help find them.
Methodology
The study used retrospective analysis of norovirus outbreak data from 1999 to 2008, combining molecular sequencing and epidemiologic data to identify potential common-source outbreaks.
Potential Biases
Underreporting of foodborne outbreaks may have affected the data quality.
Limitations
The study was retrospective and could not collect additional data to verify suspected clusters.
Participant Demographics
Data included outbreaks reported from multiple European countries.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.02
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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