OBJECTIVETo better understand the clinical feature of viral gastroenteritis attributed to noroviruses and to summarize the experience on an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis through rapidly colleting and confirmation of related information regarding to noroviruses in hospitals.

METHODSInformation on an outbreaks involving 18 patients with acute gastroenteritis in one hospital regarding its epidemiological and clinical features and to perform bacteria culture for stool specimens on every patient. On 7 patients, rotavirus antigen were RNA tested together with norovirus nucleic acid were examined by ELISA and PAGE and RT-PCR.

RESULTS(1) Most of the patients were elderly with several chronic diseases. (2) Watery diarrhea (12/18, 66.67%) and few with mucous (3/18, 16.67%) were seen. Most stool examination was normal (10/18, 55.56%) but few stool specimen could be found with some leucocytes (3/18, 16.67%) and little occult blood (4/18, 22.22%). (3) All bacteria culture in stools showed negative. There was no rotavirus RNA identified but 3 specimen showed norovirus nucleic acid positive as 42.86% (3/7).

CONCLUSIONNorovirus was one of the important pathogens causing acute gastroenteritis outbreaks in hospitals attacking elderly with several chronic diseases in particular. Surveillance program targeting elderly inpatient with diarrhea should be enhanced, especially in autumn and winter.