Sub-direcció Regional a Barcelona del Departament de Salut, Barcelona, Spain.
Laboratori de l'Agència de Salut Pública de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
J Hosp Infect. 2020 May;105(1):3-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jhin.2020.02.011. Epub 2020 Feb 21.
Environmental surfaces are a potential vehicle for the transmission of norovirus outbreaks in closed and semi-closed settings. Testing of environmental samples may help control outbreaks.
To assess the level of environmental contamination by norovirus in acute gastroenteritis outbreaks in closed or semi-closed settings (nursing homes, schools, kindergartens, youth accommodations, hospitals and social health centres) in the Barcelona region between January 2017 and March 2019.
A prospective surveillance study was carried out. Environmental samples (529) were collected in 46 of the 50 outbreaks of acute norovirus gastroenteritis from environmental surfaces of common areas, bathrooms and kitchens in closed and semi-closed settings when the outbreak was notified and 10 days later. Instructions for taking environmental samples were distributed to public health inspectors. Norovirus was detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction.
Environmental samples were positive for norovirus in 31 (67.4%) outbreaks. Norovirus was most frequently detected on elevator buttons (4/17, 24%), toilet handles (16/66, 24%) and handrail bars (7/34, 21%). Positive samples from the first sampling were mainly found in bathrooms and greater viral persistence in the second sampling was found on elevator buttons and TV remote controls. Nursing homes were the setting with the most types of environmental surfaces contaminated (82% in first samples and 55% in second samples).
The probability of virus detection is independent of the time between notification of the outbreak or symptom onset and sample collection. Our results suggest possible defects in cleaning protocols and disinfection in closed and semi-closed settings.
环境表面是在封闭和半封闭环境中传播诺如病毒暴发的潜在媒介。对环境样本进行检测有助于控制暴发。
评估 2017 年 1 月至 2019 年 3 月期间巴塞罗那地区封闭或半封闭环境（疗养院、学校、幼儿园、青年宿舍、医院和社会卫生中心）发生的急性胃肠炎暴发中诺如病毒的环境污染水平。
开展了一项前瞻性监测研究。在暴发通知时和 10 天后，从封闭和半封闭环境中公共区域、浴室和厨房的环境表面采集了 46 起急性诺如病毒胃肠炎暴发的 529 份环境样本。向公共卫生检查员分发了采集环境样本的说明。通过逆转录聚合酶链反应检测诺如病毒。
31 起（67.4%）暴发的环境样本诺如病毒检测呈阳性。电梯按钮（4/17，24%）、马桶手柄（16/66，24%）和扶手杆（7/34，21%）上最常检测到诺如病毒。首次采样的阳性样本主要来自浴室，而在第二次采样中，电梯按钮和电视遥控器上的病毒持续时间更长。疗养院是受污染环境表面种类最多的环境（第一次采样中为 82%，第二次采样中为 55%）。
病毒检测的概率与暴发通知或症状出现与样本采集之间的时间无关。我们的研究结果表明，在封闭和半封闭环境中，清洁方案和消毒可能存在缺陷。
