Surveillance of viral gastroenteritis in Japan: pediatric cases and outbreak incidents

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S Inouye1, K Yamashita, S Yamadera

  • 1Infectious Disease Surveillance Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan. sinouye@nih.go.jp.

The Journal of Infectious Diseases
|May 11, 2000
PubMed

Insights

Small round structured virus (SRSV) and rotavirus cause viral gastroenteritis in Japanese infants. SRSV infections now precede rotavirus, with contaminated food, especially raw oysters, being a major outbreak source.

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Epidemiology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Viral gastroenteritis is a significant public health concern in pediatric populations.
  • Small round structured viruses (SRSV) and rotavirus are common etiological agents.
  • Understanding seasonal trends and outbreak sources is crucial for prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To present surveillance data on pediatric viral gastroenteritis in Japan.
  • To analyze the changing seasonality of SRSV and rotavirus infections.
  • To identify common sources of SRSV-related outbreaks.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of surveillance data.
  • Case and outbreak investigations.
  • Pathogen identification in pediatric gastroenteritis cases.

Main Results:

  • Both SRSV and rotavirus were detected in infants during winter.
  • SRSV infections have increasingly preceded rotavirus infections in recent years.
  • >60% of nonbacterial gastroenteritis outbreaks were linked to SRSV, often from contaminated food.

Conclusions:

  • SRSV is a significant cause of pediatric gastroenteritis outbreaks in Japan.
  • Foodborne transmission is a primary route for SRSV outbreaks, with raw oysters implicated in smaller outbreaks.
  • Large outbreaks are frequently associated with food served in institutional settings like schools and hospitals.

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