Detection of norovirus in air samples in a non-vomiting patient: implications of testing saliva for norovirus in an immunocompromised host

Abstract

Norovirus is a highly contagious infectious disease which is transmitted from person to person via faecal–oral or vomitus–oral routes, or indirectly via contaminated food or the environment. Airborne transmission of norovirus was implicated in an epidemiological study during an outbreak in a hotel restaurant [1], but only recently was detection of norovirus RNA demonstrated in air samples collected in patients' rooms and at the nurse's station during hospital outbreaks [2], presumably due to projectile vomiting of patients, toilet flushing or floor cleaning, as described previously [3,4].