Food- and
waterborne transmission play an important role in the spread of norovirus
(NV, previously named Norwalk-like viruses) throughout Europe. NV are
ubiquitous, highly contagious, and cause large international outbreaks
of gastro-enteritis. This is of concern: current quality control for
food and water in Europe measures bacterial contamination, and does
not monitor viral contamination. Therefore, food can pass microbiological
quality control, but still contain viruses. Matched with the virtual
absence of a surveillance system for detection of common-source outbreaks
of illness due to enteric viruses, this highlights a weak spot in European
infectious disease control. The NV in fact serve as sentinels: when
present, common-source outbreaks will relatively easily be detected
due to the high attack rate and short incubation period. More insidious,
however, are the enteroviruses and fecally-transmitted hepatitis viruses
with a high proportion of asymptomatic infection after an incubation
period of up to 2 months. These viruses cause illnesses like hepatitis
(hepatitis A and E viruses) and infections of the central nervous system
(enteroviruses). Signaling common source outbreaks with these viruses
is virtually impossible without a strong (molecular) laboratory component
to underpin the epidemiological investigations, aided by international
exchange of laboratory data.
The work in this proposal
aims at providing the laboratory tools needed for successful (epidemiological)
surveillance networks on food-borne outbreaks, hepatitis A viruses,
and rare and emerging diseases (attributable to enteric viruses) that
are being developed under DG Sanco’s Communicable Disease Surveillance
Network. We build on information gathered through a previously funded
(FP5) research network, in collaboration with coordinators of surveillance
networks in DG Sanco, to help put the research findings into practical
use for the above mentioned activities.
