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Human coronavirus OC43 causes influenza-like illness in residents and staff of aged-care facilities in Melbourne, Australia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 December 2004

C. J. BIRCH ,
H. J. CLOTHIER ,
A. SECCULL ,
T. TRAN ,
M. C. CATTON ,
S. B. LAMBERT  and
J. D. DRUCE
C. J. BIRCH
Affiliation:
Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, North Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
H. J. CLOTHIER
Affiliation:
Communicable Diseases Section, Rural and Regional Health and Aged Care Services Division, Department of Human Services, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Master of Applied Epidemiology Program, National Centre of Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
A. SECCULL
Affiliation:
Communicable Diseases Section, Rural and Regional Health and Aged Care Services Division, Department of Human Services, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
T. TRAN
Affiliation:
Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, North Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
M. C. CATTON
Affiliation:
Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, North Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
S. B. LAMBERT
Affiliation:
Master of Applied Epidemiology Program, National Centre of Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia Vaccine and Immunisation Research Group, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute and the School of Population Health, University of Melbourne, Australia
J. D. DRUCE
Affiliation:
Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, North Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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Abstract

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Three outbreaks of respiratory illness associated with human coronavirus HCoV-OC43 infection occurred in geographically unrelated aged-care facilities in Melbourne, Australia during August and September 2002. On clinical and epidemiological grounds the outbreaks were first thought to be caused by influenza virus. HCoV-OC43 was detected by RT–PCR in 16 out of 27 (59%) specimens and was the only virus detected at the time of sampling. Common clinical manifestations were cough (74%), rhinorrhoea (59%) and sore throat (53%). Attack rates and symptoms were similar in residents and staff across the facilities. HCoV-OC43 was also detected in surveillance and diagnostic respiratory samples in the same months. These outbreaks establish this virus as a cause of morbidity in aged-care facilities and add to increasing evidence of the significance of coronavirus infections.

Type
Research Article
Information
Epidemiology & Infection , Volume 133 , Issue 2 , April 2005 , pp. 273 - 277
Copyright
© 2004 Cambridge University Press