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Norovirus GII.Pe Genotype: Tracking a Foodborne Outbreak on a Cruise Ship Through Molecular Epidemiology, Brazil, 2014

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Abstract

Norovirus (NoV) is recognized as the most common cause of foodborne outbreaks. In 2014, an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis occurred on a cruise ship in Brazil, and NoV became the suspected etiology. Here we present the molecular identification of the NoV strains and the use of sequence analysis to determine modes of virus transmission. Food (cream cheese, tuna salad, grilled fish, orange mousse, and vegetables soup) and clinical samples were analyzed by ELISA, conventional RT-PCR, qRT-PCR, and sequencing. Genogroup GII NoV was identified by ELISA and conventional RT-PCR in fecal samples from 5 of 12 patients tested (41.7%), and in the orange mousse food sample by conventional RT-PCR and qRT-PCR. Two fecal GII NoV samples and the orange mousse GII NoV sample were successfully genotyped as GII.Pe (ORF 1), revealed 98.0–98.8% identities among them, and shared phylogenetically distinct cluster. Establishing the source of a NoV outbreak can be a challenging task. In this report, the molecular analysis of the partial RdRp NoV gene provided a powerful tool for genotyping (GII.Pe) and tracking of outbreak-related samples. In addition, the same fast and simple extraction methods applied to clinical samples could be successfully used for complex food matrices, and have the potential to be introduced in routine laboratories for screening foods for presence of NoV.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Enteric Diseases Laboratory of Adolfo Lutz staff, Antonio Erculiani Junior for technical assistance with the sequencing reaction, and Sirlene Henrique Rodrigues Silva for laboratorial technical assistance. The authors are grateful to the Centers for Surveillance (CVE), São Paulo State Health Department; and the Brazilian National Agency of Sanitary Surveillance (ANVISA) for assistance in sample collection and epidemiological data.

Authors’ contribution

S.G.M., A.L., and M.C.S.T.T. conceived and designed the study; SGM performed the ELISA, RNA extraction, and RT-PCR assays; S.G.M., A.L., and A.C. performed the molecular typing of the strains; A.L. and A.C. performed the sequencing edition and phylogenetic analysis; S.G.M., A.L., A.C., and R.C.C. analyzed the data; A.L wrote the manuscript. All authors contributed to the preparation and revision of the manuscript, read and approved the final version. S.G.M., A.L., and M.C.S.T.T. are guarantors of the paper.

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Enteric Diseases Laboratory, Virology Center, Adolfo Lutz Institute, Avenida Dr Arnaldo, No 355, São Paulo, SP, CEP 01246-902, Brazil

      Simone Guadagnucci Morillo, Adriana Luchs, Audrey Cilli, Cibele Daniel Ribeiro, Rita de Cássia Compagnoli Carmona & Maria do Carmo Sampaio Tavares Timenetsky

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    1. Simone Guadagnucci Morillo
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    2. Adriana Luchs
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    3. Audrey Cilli
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    4. Cibele Daniel Ribeiro
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    5. Rita de Cássia Compagnoli Carmona
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    6. Maria do Carmo Sampaio Tavares Timenetsky
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    Correspondence to Simone Guadagnucci Morillo, Adriana Luchs or Maria do Carmo Sampaio Tavares Timenetsky.

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    This study was carried out in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki as revised in 2000, and approved by the Ethics Committee of the Adolfo Lutz Institute, São Paulo, Brazil (88D/2009). Study participants were not required to provide informed consent as this study was considered by the Ethics Committee to be part of routine surveillance activities.

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    Simone Guadagnucci Morillo and Adriana Luchs have contributed equally to this work.

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    Morillo, S.G., Luchs, A., Cilli, A. et al. Norovirus GII.Pe Genotype: Tracking a Foodborne Outbreak on a Cruise Ship Through Molecular Epidemiology, Brazil, 2014. Food Environ Virol 9, 142–148 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12560-016-9272-2

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