Viral Gastroenteritis: Pathogenesis and Laboratory Detection and Characterization in the Commonwealth of Virginia

Public health laboratories perform testing to identify and characterize cases and clusters of acute gastroenteritis (AGE). Viral pathogens, in particular norovirus, are reportedly the most common cause of AGE outbreaks. CaliciNet, a centralized database at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, collects and compares viral sequences for surveillance and outbreak tracking purposes. At the state level, viral agent testing supports epidemiologic investigations of AGE outbreaks. The resulting data are used to educate the public health and medical communities and to track mutations that may impact testing methods. A retrospective analysis of norovirus data generated by the Virginia State Laboratory between 2001 and 2009 assessed statewide trends compared to national data. The data demonstrate that Norovirus genogroup II outbreaks are the most prevalent cause of AGE outbreaks and that outbreaks exhibit a higher occurrence in the winter months and in adult care facilities in Virginia and nationally.