Outbreak of Gastroenteritis in Adults Due to Rotavirus Genotype G12P[8]

Rotavirus infection in adults is poorly understood and few rotavirus outbreaks among US adults have been reported in the literature. We describe an outbreak due to genotype G12P[8] rotavirus among medical students, faculty, and guests who attended a formal dinner event in April 2013.

A web-based questionnaire was distributed to event attendees to collect symptom and exposure data. A clinical case was defined as a person who developed diarrhea after attending the formal event. A laboratory-confirmed case was defined as a clinical case who attended the formal event, with rotavirus detected in stool by enzyme immunoassay or reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay.

Among 334 dinner attendees, 136 (41%) completed the web-based questionnaire; 58 (43%) respondents reported illness. Symptom onset ranged from 1 to 8 days, with peak onset 3 days after the event. In addition to diarrhea, predominant symptoms included fever (91%), abdominal pain (84%), and vomiting (49%). The median duration of illness was 2.5 days. Thirteen (22%) of 58 cases sought medical attention; none were hospitalized. Analysis of food exposures among questionnaire respondents did not identify significant associations between any specific food or drink item and illness. Stool specimens were negative for bacterial pathogens by culture and negative for norovirus by RT-PCR assay; 4 specimens were positive for rotavirus by enzyme immunoassay or PCR. G12P[8]-R1-C1-M1-A1-N1-T1-E1-H1 was identified as the causative full-genome genotype.

Rotavirus outbreaks can occur among adults, including young adults. Health professionals should consider rotavirus as a cause of acute gastroenteritis in adults.