Ice-associated norovirus outbreak predominantly caused by GII.17 in Taiwan, 2015.

BACKGROUND: On 5 March 2015, Taiwan Centers for Disease Control was notified of more than 200 students with gastroenteritis at a senior high school during excursion to Kenting. We conducted an outbreak investigation to identify the causative agent and possible vehicle of the pathogen. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study by using a structured questionnaire to interview all students for consumed food items during their stay at the resort. Students were defined as a gastroenteritis case while having vomiting or diarrhea after the breakfast on 4 March. We inspected the environment to identify possible contamination route. We collected stool or vomitus samples from ill students, food handlers and environmental specimens for bacterial culture for common enteropathogens, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for norovirus and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for rotavirus. Norovirus PCR-positive products were then sequenced and genotyped. RESULTS: Of 267 students enrolled, 144 (54%) met our case definition. Regression analysis revealed elevated risk associated with iced tea, which was made from tea powder mixed with hot water and self-made ice (risk ratio 1.54, 95% confidence interval 1.22-1.98). Ice used for beverages, water before and after water filter of the ice machine and 16 stool and vomitus samples from ill students were tested positive for norovirus; Multiple genotypes were identified including GI.2, GI.4 and GII.17. GII.17 was the predominant genotype and phylogenetic analyses showed that noroviruses identified in ice, water and human samples were clustered into the same genotypes. Environmental investigation revealed the ice was made by inadequate-filtered and un-boiled water. CONCLUSIONS: We identified the ice made by norovirus-contaminated un-boiled water caused the outbreak and the predominant genotype was GII.17. Adequately filtered or boiled water should be strongly recommended for making ice to avoid possible contamination.

Strain Compensation and Trade-Off Design Result in Exciton Emission at 306 nm from AlGaN LEDs at Temperatures up to 368 K.

In this study, we suppressed the parasitic emission caused by electron overflow found in typical ultraviolet B (UVB) and ultraviolet C (UVC) light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The modulation of the p-layer structure and aluminum composition as well as a trade-off in the structure to ensure strain compensation allowed us to increase the p-AlGaN doping efficiency and hole numbers in the p-neutral region. This approach led to greater matching of the electron and hole numbers in the UVB and UVC emission quantum wells. Our UVB LED (sample A) exhibited clear exciton emission, with its peak near 306 nm, and a band-to-band emission at 303 nm. The relative intensity of the exciton emission of sample A decreased as a result of the thermal energy effect of the temperature increase. Nevertheless, sample A displayed its exciton emission at temperatures of up to 368 K. In contrast, our corresponding UVC LED (sample B) only exhibited a Gaussian peak emission at a wavelength of approximately 272 nm.