Norovirus is the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis in the United States (1). In April 2020, the incidence of norovirus outbreaks in the United States declined substantially, likely because of implementation of COVID-19-related nonpharmaceutical interventions, such as facility closures, social distancing, and increased hand hygiene (2). Similar declines were observed in other countries (3,4). Norovirus outbreaks in the United States increased rapidly starting in January 2022, approaching prepandemic (i.e., 2012-2019) levels. Norovirus transmission can be prevented by thorough handwashing and proper cleaning and disinfection of contaminated surfaces.In 2012, CDC established the Norovirus Sentinel Testing and Tracking Network (NoroSTAT) to improve timeliness and completeness of surveillance for norovirus outbreaks that occur in the United States. NoroSTAT is a collaboration between CDC and 12 state health departments.* Outbreaks are defined as two or more cases of illness associated with a common exposure. NoroSTAT-participating states report a minimum set of data elements † to the National Outbreak Reporting System § for all confirmed norovirus outbreaks (i.e., outbreaks with two or more laboratory-confirmed norovirus cases) and suspected norovirus outbreaks (i.e., outbreaks with fewer than two laboratory-confirmed norovirus cases) within 7 business days of notification. These states also upload typing information for norovirus-positive outbreak specimens to CaliciNet, ¶ the national norovirus laboratory surveillance network, within 7 business days of receipt of two *
Cryptosporidium is an enteric pathogen that is transmitted through animal-to-person or person-to-person contact or through ingestion of contaminated water or food. In the United States, Cryptosporidium affects an estimated 750,000 persons each year; however, only approximately 11,000 cases are reported nationally (1,2). Persons infected with Cryptosporidium typically develop symptoms within 2 to 10 days after exposure. Common symptoms include watery diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, or fever, which can last 1 to 2 weeks. Cryptosporidiosis is a nationally notifiable disease in the United States. Nebraska presents a unique setting for the evaluation of this pathogen because, compared with other states, Nebraska has a greater reliance on agriculture and a higher proportion of the population residing and working in rural communities. Cryptosporidium species and subtypes are generally indistinguishable using conventional diagnostic methods. Using molecular characterization, Nebraska evaluated the genetic diversity of Cryptosporidium and found a dichotomy in the distribution of cases of cryptosporidiosis caused by Cryptosporidium parvum and Cryptosporidium hominis among rural and urban settings. Characterizing clusters of C. hominis cases revealed that several child care facilities were affected by the same subtype, suggesting community-wide transmission and indicating a need for effective exclusion policies. Several cases of cryptosporidiosis caused by non-C. parvum or non-C. hominis species and genotypes indicated unique animal exposures that were previously unidentified. This study enhanced epidemiologic data by validating known Cryptosporidium sources, confirming outbreaks, and, through repeat interviews, providing additional information to inform cryptosporidiosis prevention and control efforts. During September 2015-December 2017, a total of 630 Cryptosporidium-positive stool specimens were reported to public health agencies by clinical laboratories, which most commonly used culture independent diagnostic testing (CIDT) and enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) for detection; among these 630 positive stool specimens, 149 (24%) were sent to the Nebraska Public Health Laboratory (NPHL), and subsequently to CDC, where genotyping was conducted using nested polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis and DNA sequencing of the 18S rRNA gene and the gp60 gene (3,4). Epidemiologic data on cases with genotyped and subtyped Cryptosporidium stool specimens were exported
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