Aims: To investigate the comparative elimination of three different human enterically transmitted viruses [i.e. hepatitis A virus (HAV), norovirus (NoV) and poliovirus (PV)] and inactivation of HAV and PV by Pacific oysters. Methods and Results: New Zealand grown Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) were allowed to bioaccumulate HAV, NoV and PV. Samples of oyster gut, faeces and pseudofaeces were then analysed by using real‐time RT‐PCR to determine the amount of viral RNA and cell culture methods to identify changes in the number of plaque forming units. The results suggest that the majority of the PV present in the oyster gut and oyster faeces is noninfectious, while in contrast, most of the HAV detected in the oyster gut are infectious. Depuration experiments identified a large drop in the count of PV in the gut over a 23‐h cleansing period, whereas the levels of HAV and NoV did not significantly decrease. Conclusions: Human enterically transmitted viruses are eliminated and inactivated at different rates by Pacific oysters. Significance and Impact of Study: The research presented in this article has implications for risk management techniques that are used to improve the removal of infectious human enteric viruses from bivalve molluscs.
Aims: To examine the uptake and tissue distribution of norovirus (NoV) and poliovirus (PV) experimentally bioaccumulated in feeding Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas). Methods and Results: Pacific oysters were allowed to bioaccumulated either PV or NoV under tidally synchronized feeding conditions in laboratory tanks. Oysters were then either fixed and paraffin wax embedded prior to localizing virus within tissues by immunohistochemistry (IHC), or they were dissected into digestive tract (stomach, intestine and digestive diverticula), gill and labial palp tissues, and the viral load determined by quantitative RT‐PCR. Both PV and NoV immunoreactivities were predominantly found in the lumen and within cells of the digestive tract tissues; however, PV was also found within cells of nondigestive tract tissues, and in the gills and labial palp. Quantitative RT‐PCR of tissue extracts corroborate the immunohistochemical data in that the major site for virus localization is the gut, but significant amounts of viral RNA were identified in the gills and labial palp. Conclusions: The human enteric viruses, PV and NoV, are readily bioaccumulated by feeding Pacific oysters and that some of the virus is internalized within cells of both digestive and nondigestive tissues. Significance and Impact of the Study: Oysters that have been virally contaminated even after depuration (cleaning) in uncontaminated seawater could pose a human health risk if consumed.
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