AN ACUTE GASTROENTERITIS OUTBREAK IN A KINDERGARTEN

Objective: To detect the etiological cause of an acute gastroenteritis outbreak at St. Anna kindergarten in the village of Resilovo, region Kyustendil. Materials and Methods: A total of 22 faecal specimens from children (n = 18) and staff (n = 4) were tested. Multiplex RT-PCR with specific primer pairs detecting the most common viral causes of gastroenteritis (noroviruses, rotaviruses, sapoviruses, intestinal adenoviruses and intestinal astroviruses) was applied to detect the viral causative agent. Noroviruses were detected and sequenced and subsequent phylogenetic analysis was carried out. Results: Genogroup II noroviruses were detected in five samples from children and one sample from staff (6/22) or in 27.3% of the specimens. According to WHO criteria, this proves that noroviruses have caused the epidemic outbreak. Detected noroviruses were subjected to sequencing and subsequent phylogenetic analysis, with data identifying genotype 17 (GII.17) as the causative agent. Conclusion: Norovirus genotype 17 (GII.17) was first detected in Bulgaria in 2015 as the causative agent of an outbreak in a secondary school in the town of Pravets. In 2016, the circulation of this genotype was again established in sporadic cases, and in 2022 it was found to be the cause of the epidemic gastroenteritis outbreak in a kindergarten in the village of Resilovo. To protect public health, continuous monitoring and targeted search for viral intestinal agents is essential, regardless of the transient and usually mild course of the disease.