The outbreak, believed to be related to the winter vomiting virus, affected more than half of the 120 guests invited to Dawn Anthoney and Graham Murray’s wedding reception at the Drumossie Hotel, although it is understood the newlyweds escaped without infection and were able to leave for their honeymoon in Croatia as planned.

However, dozens of guests complained of severe stomach cramps, fever and headache coupled with sickness and diarrhoea in the days after the wedding.

Environmental health inspectors distributed kits to collect samples for analysis at Raigmore Hospital’s microbiology laboratory, tested the kitchens at the Drumossie Hotel and took samples of the hotel’s water supply to check if there was any risk of wider infection but both were given a clean bill of health.

The control team, chaired by Dr Duncan McCormick, a specialist registrar at Raigmore Hospital, considered whether a public health warning should be issued but concluded the infection had been contained and any danger to the wider populaton had passed.

“The illness has been short lived and many of those affected have already made a good recovery, “ an NHS Highland spokesman said. “There have been no reports of serious illness and no admissions to hospital.”

Based on the symptoms shown by sufferers and the lack of bacterial infection, experts concluded they were dealing with a form of Norovirus, the most famous of which is the winter vomiting virus.

Drumossie Hotel - given the all clear by health experts.

This family of viruses, described by infection control expert Professor Hugh Pennington as “the Mike Tyson of the virus world”, is notorious for the short-lived but spectacular symptoms it produces, spreading rapidly in large groups of people.

Infections do not normally have serious consequences as long as the sufferer takes enough fluids.

Drumossie Hotel manager Andy Burgess stressed none of his staff had been affected by the virus, suggesting they could be ruled out as the source of the infection after the wedding reception on Saturday 16th June.

“We have worked closely with the environmental health officer who has conducted thorough checks in our kitchens and found no direct link or cause for concern,” he said.

“This is consistent with the high standards the hotel insists upon. The hotel continues to operate normally.”

Dr McCormick said the hotel had given its full co-operation.

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