Detection of rotavirus in food associated with a gastroenteritis outbreak in a mother and child sanatorium

In the course of a rotavirus outbreak in a mother and child sanatorium 74 food samples from the sanatorium kitchen were taken and tested for rotavirus. Rotavirus particles were isolated from 25 g food samples by a simple method including ultrafiltration, originally designed for the detection of norovirus in various food matrices. Rotavirus was successfully detected in a sample of potato stew by conventional RT-seminested-PCR. Sequence comparison of the amplification products obtained from the potato stew and a stool sample from an infected child verified that the two viruses were identical.