Calicivirus

An extremely common cause of foodborne acute gastroenteritis, usually with more vomiting than diarrhea, that resolves within 2-3 days. Also called Norwalk-like virus (NLV). Clinical criteria for the diagnosis include: (1) an incubation period of 12-36 hours; (2) an illness characterized by acute onset of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramping, and, in some cases, fever and malaise; and (3) an illness of 12-60 hours duration. The virus is spread primarily from one infected person to another (by the fecal-oral route). Infected kitchen workers can contaminate a salad or sandwich as they prepare it, if they have the virus on their hands. Infected fishermen have contaminated oysters as they harvested them. Calicivirus is so named for its characteristic "Star of David" shape with cup-shaped (chalice) indentations.

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A genus in the family Caliciviridae that is associated with gastroenteritis. See hepatitis E virus, Norwalk agent. [G. kalyx, cup, + virus]

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cal·i·ci·vi·rus kə-'lis-ə-.vī-rəs, -'lē-sē-, -'lē-chē- n any of the family Caliciviridae of single-stranded RNA viruses

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Ca·li·ci·vi·rus (kə-lisґĭ-vi″rəs) [L. calix, gen. calicis cup + virus] a former genus of the family Caliciviridae whose species are now assigned to other genera.