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Rotavirus infection is the most common cause of severe gastroenteritis in young children worldwide, leading to an estimated 453,000 deaths annually, but less is known about the burden in adults. Only four adult-centered outbreaks in the U.S have been reported in the literature. Overall, group A rotaviruses are most commonly implicated; within this group, five G- and P-type combinations (classified on the basis of surface proteins) make up about 90% of circulating strains.
In the winter and spring of 2011, outbreaks of rotavirus genotype G2P[4] infection occurred at two retirement communities located 9 miles apart in Cook County, Illinois. Eighty-four cases were identified among the 325 residents of facility A, and 90 cases among the 855 resi…