US health inspectors are investigating an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness that made more than 200 people sick on a cruise ship.

Passengers and crew aboard the Carnival Fascination reported abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhoea and other symptoms during the trip to the Bahamas.

It is the third cruise liner out of Florida to be affected by such an outbreak in recent weeks.

The shipping company said they suspect it was an outbreak of the Norwalk virus - a non-deadly germ which is spread through food and water and close contact with infected people.

Carnival Cruise Line President Bob Dickinson said about 190 of the 2,428 passengers and 13 crew members had fallen ill during the voyage.

One passenger described the trip as the cruise from hell after a dozen of his friends spent most of the journey being ill.

The ship was given a thorough scrubbing

Officials from the US Centre for Disease Control (CDC) boarded the vessel on Monday and the ship was given a thorough scrubbing.

Afterwards, it left on a four-day trip to the Caribbean.

The new passengers were informed about the previous outbreak and some decided to take up the company's offer of a refund or a trip on another of their vessels.

Bout of illness

Carnival Fascination is one of several cruise ships to be affected by an outbreak of sickness in recent weeks.

On another, the 700-passenger Seven Seas Mariner, 14 crew and four passengers fell victim.

Viruses can spread easily where people gather

The owners reported the outbreak to the US health authorities, but it was not thought to be the Norwalk-like virus.

Last week, Disney Cruise Line had to cancel a voyage by its liner Disney Magic, in order to disinfect the ship after more than 450 people made complaints about Norwalk-like symptoms during two trips.

Holland America cruise company also had to disinfect one of its cruise ships, Amsterdam, after more than 500 people on board reported illnesses.

'Common virus'

CDC experts said Norwalk-like virus was common and outbreaks are frequent in places where people gather, such as nursing homes, schools, camps and even casinos.

The number of gastrointestinal illnesses on cruise ships has declined since 1990, although there are no exact numbers, CDC spokeswoman Bernadette Burden said.

The CDC experts obtained lab samples from the Fascination and its passengers to determine the nature of the outbreak. Test results were expected within five days.

The virus - named after an outbreak 30 years ago in Norwalk, Ohio - and a group of similar ones among several common micro-organisms that can cause diarrhoea, stomach pain and vomiting for 24 to 48 hours.