Value of a reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction assay for Norwalk-like viruses in the investigation of institutional gastroenteritis outbreaks

摘要

This article reports two outbreaks of gastroenteritis which occurred in nursing homes in South Eastern Sydney during November 1998 in which an assay, developed by the South Eastern Area Laboratory Services (SEALS) Enteric and Virology Laboratories, was used to confirm the aetiological agent as Norwalk-like viruses (NLVs).