[Study of the method of transmission in an epidemic of gastroenteritis in an extended care service, Florida, 1989].

In January 1989 and outbreak of gastroenteritis (GE) occurred among the residents and the employees of the Extended Care Unit (ECU) of a Florida hospital. There were 14 cases (38.9%) among the 36 ECU patients and 10 (19.2%) among the 52 employees. The illness was characterized by watery diarrhea, fever, abdominal cramps and headache. Bacterial and viral investigations were negative. The incidence density rate of GE for patients in double occupancy room was nine times greater one to three days after a roommate had been ill than at any other time during the outbreak (p = 0.02). Patients who received higher level of nursing and medical care were five times more likely to develop GE than the other patients (p = 0.054). Health workers who reported contact with symptomatic patients were 2.5 times more likely to become cases than the other workers (p = 0.3). These data suggest that the infection was transmitted from patient to patient by contact with health care workers.