Investigation on norovirus outbreaks in California in 2012-2019

The FDA collaborates with health departments during foodborne outbreaks by performing microbiological analysis of suspected foods and coordinating recalls of implicated products. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) has the potential to enhance outbreak investigations and surveillance efforts through the analysis of the complete norovirus genome of 7,700 base pairs. This project seeks to fill the need for WGS research on norovirus by analyzing the genome sequences of 40 clinical specimens associated with 14 previous outbreaks of norovirus in Orange County, CA through a coordinated, multi-lab approach involving collaborators at the Orange County Public Health Laboratory, FDA Office of Regulatory Affairs, and FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. The sequence information generated with this project will be valuable for future research on the genetic evolution of norovirus, recombinant variants and disease pathogenesis.