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A large outbreak of viral gastroenteritis occurred in which oysters eaten raw were the vehicle of infection. Laboratory findings indicated that a small round structured virus was the infecting agent. Adults of all ages were equally susceptible to infection with the virus. Investigation cast doubt on the efficacy of depuration as a method for rendering oysters free of virus, and hence the public should be warned of the hazard of eating raw shellfish.

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The clinical, epidemiological, and virological features of an outbreak of winter vomiting disease among London schoolchildren are described. Evidence is presented to support the view that this epidemic was caused by a human calicivirus, a virus not previously shown to be associated with this disease in man.

SUMMARY Ninety-eight patients were studied. Ninety were consecutive patients who were isolation-positive for adenovirus, and 8, who were associated with a hospital outbreak of adenovirus serotype 8 infection, developed characteristic features of infection but were isolation-negative. The ratio of males to females was 2 to 1, and most patients were aged 20 to 39. Adenovirus serotypes 3, 7, and 8 were isolated from 86% of patients, and serotypes 2, 4, 5, 11, 15, and EKC.35 In this paper we report epidemiological and clinical details of 98 cases in London of adenovirus keratoconjunctivitis caused by various serotypes.Correspondence to Professor S. Darougar, Institute of Ophthalmology, Judd Street, London WC1H 9QS. Patients and methodsNinety-eight patients were included in this study. Ninety of these were consecutive patients attending the Virus Clinic, Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, from whom adenovirus was isolated. A further 8 patients were included who were isolation-negative but had characteristic features of serotype 8 infection, and who were known to be associated with a small hospital outbreak of serotype 8 infection.The patient were examined by a Haag-Streit slitlamp. The clinical signs and symptoms were scored and recorded in accordance with the method described previously.6 LABORATORY INVESTIGATIONS Differential cytology. Conjunctival scrapings were taken from 89 patients with an aluminium spatula in accordance with the method described earlier.7 Scrapings were placed on glass slides, fixed with methanol, stained with Giemsa, and examined microscopically at a magnification of x400 for the presence of inflammatory cells.Virus isolation. A total of 210 specimens were on 11 May 2018 by guest. Protected by copyright.