Incidence of Medically-Attended Norovirus-Associated Acute Gastroenteritis in Four Veteran's Affairs Medical Center Populations in the United States, 2011-2012

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Scott P. Grytdal, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; David Rimland, Emory University; S. Hannah Shirley, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Maria C. Rodriguez-Barradas, Baylor College of Medicine; Matthew Bidwell Goetz, University of California Los Angeles; Sheldon T. Brown, James J. Peters VA Medical Center; Cynthia Lucero-Obusan, VA Office of Public Health Washington; Mark Holodniy, VA Office of Public Health Washington; Christopher Graber, University of California Los Angeles; Umesh Parashar, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Jan Vinje, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Benjamin Lopman, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2015-05-21
• Publisher: Public Library of Science
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2015, Public Library of Science. All rights reserved.
• License: Creative Commons Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0126733
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: PLoS ONE
• ISSN: 1932-6203
• Volume: 10
• Issue: 5
• Start Page: e0126733
• End Page: e0126733
• Grant/Funding Information: The funders participated in the study design, data analysis, decision to publish, and preparation of the manuscript.; Funding provided by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• Keywords: Multidisciplinary Sciences; DEATHS; COMMUNITY; Science & Technology; ENGLAND; INFECTIOUS INTESTINAL DISEASE; SURVEILLANCE; Science & Technology - Other Topics

Abstract

An estimated 179 million acute gastroenteritis (AGE) illnesses occur annually in the United States. The role of noroviruses in hospital-related AGE has not been well-documented in the U. S. We estimated the population incidence of community- acquired outpatient and inpatient norovirus AGE encounters, as well as hospital-acquired inpatient norovirus AGE among inpatients at four Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Centers (VAMCs). Fifty (4%) of 1,160 stool specimens collected ≤7 days from symptom onset tested positive for norovirus. During a one year period, the estimated incidence of outpatient, community- and hospital-acquired inpatient norovirus AGE was 188 cases, 11 cases, and 54 cases/ 100,000 patients, respectively. This study demonstrates the incidence of outpatient and community- and hospital-acquired inpatient norovirus AGE among the VA population seeking care at these four VAMCs.