Remarks on food-borne viral gastroenteritis outbreaks

The nature of food-borne illnesses has changed over the years, as a reflection of changes in food supply, lifestyles and mobility. New agents of gastrointestinal illness have been identified while unknown pathogens appear to account for a large number of food-borne illnesses and hospitalisations. To highlight the importance of viral pathogens as a cause of food-borne outbreaks with an impact on public health, a brief review on food-borne viruses and on their diagnostic methods is presented.