Epidemiology and molecular analysis of norovirus outbreaks in Ireland

Project start date: 1 July 2004
Project status: Completed
Project type: Food safety
Discipline: Microbiology and food hygiene
Author/s: Dr Maureen Lynch and Dr Sinead Kelly, Mater Misericordiae Hospital, Dublin
Collaborator/s: Dr Paul McKeown, National Disease Surveillance Centre, Dublin, Dr Margaret Fitzgerald, Eastern Regional Health Authority, Dublin, Dr Suzie Coughlan, Prof William Hall, & Prof Seamus Fanning, University College Dublin, Dr Brian Smyth, Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre, Belfast, Dr Hugh O’ Neill & Dr Peter Coyle, Regional Virus Reference Laboratory, Belfast

Research objective

The project's primary aim was to conduct surveillance of norovirus outbreaks across the island of Ireland. This involved compiling epidemiological and molecular data into a unified database to examine the evidence for various transmission pathways, such as person-to-person and foodborne transmission.

Outputs

Research report

Title: Unpublished.
Date: 11 September 2008
Summary: PhD thesis is available on request and can be accessed through the University of Ulster. See below for peer reviewed articles.

Other outputs

Peer reviewed articles

Kelly S, Foley B, Dunford L, Coughlan S, Tuite G, Duffy M, Mitchell S, Smyth B, O'Neill H, McKeown P, Hall W, Lynch M. “Establishment of a national database to link epidemiological and molecular data from norovirus outbreaks in Ireland”. Epidemiol Infect. 2008 Nov; 136(11):1472-9.

Kroneman A, Harris J, Vennema H, Duizer E, van Duynhoven Y, Gray J, Iturriza M, Böttiger B, Falkenhorst G, Johnsen C, von Bonsdorff CH, Maunula L, Kuusi M, Pothier P, Gallay A, Schreier E, Koch J, Szücs G, Reuter G, Krisztalovics K, Lynch M, McKeown P, Foley B, Coughlan S, Ruggeri FM, Di Bartolo I, Vainio K, Isakbaeva E, Poljsak-Prijatelj M, Grom AH, Bosch A, Buesa J, Fauquier AS, Hernandéz-Pezzi G, Hedlund KO, Koopmans M. “Data quality of 5 years of central norovirus outbreak reporting in the European Network for food-borne viruses”. J Public Health (Oxf). 2008 Mar; 30(1):82-90.

Kroneman A, Verhoef L, Harris J, Vennema H, Duizer E, Koopmans M. “Foodborne viruses in Europe Network: Analysis of integrated virological and epidemiological reports of norovirus outbreaks collected within the foodborne viruses in Europe Network from 1 July 2001 to 30 June 2006”. J Clin Microbiol. (2008) Sep;46(9):2959-65.

Verhoef LP, Kroneman A, van Duynhoven Y, Boshuizen H, van Pelt W, Koopmans M. “Foodborne Viruses in Europe Network. Selection tool for foodborne norovirus outbreaks”. Emerg Infect Dis. (2009) Jan; 15(1):31-8.

Verhoef L, Vennema H, van Pelt W, Lees D, Boshuizen H, Henshilwood K, Koopmans M. “Food-Borne Viruses in Europe Network: Use of norovirus genotype profiles to differentiate origins of foodborne outbreaks”. Emerg Infect Dis. (2010) Apr; 16(4):617-24.