Environmental virology linked to waterborne diseases and foodborne pathogens: Human and animal food viruses

Abstract

Foodborne illnesses constitute a serious global one health issue. The transmission of foodborne viruses can occur due to inadequate hygiene of food, lack of basic sanitation, poor personal hygiene and consumption of raw or undercooked food. This study aims overview about environmental virology linked to waterborne diseases and foodborne pathogens in human and animal food viruses. Thus, epidemiological studies have proposed some emerging pathogens as possible transmitters of contaminated water ingestion based on biochemical properties and viral structures such as: Picornaviridae (polioviruses, enteroviruses, coxsakiviruses, hepatitis A viruses and echoviruses), Adenoviridae (adenoviruses), Caliciviridae (noroviruses, caliciviruses, astroviruses), and Reoviridae (reoviruses and rotaviruses). These viruses can cause gastrointestinal, liver and central nervous system disorders. In controlling foodborne infections, accurately identifying sources of contamination is a significant challenge, given the complexity of the food production chain. The lack of adequate monitoring and neglect of good health practices contribute to the spread of these infections. Large-scale immunization has contributed to the reduction of enteric outbreaks and eradication of cases in many regions of the world as a prevention of hepatitis A and poliomyelitis. However, challenges such as the lack of effectiveness in inspecting viruses in food increase the risk of outbreaks and epidemics, with emphasis on Noroviruses as the main causes of these infections today. Investment in vaccine research and development has been a fundamental strategy to reduce these statistics, especially in vulnerable groups. Moreover, the implementation molecular-based tools and wastewater-based epidemiology studies to high-throughput for aquatic biomonitoring should be up to date to avoid the risk and impact on public health and aquatic environments. Novel perspectives to control of waterborne viruses has been introduced in continuous surveillance programs for ecosystems monitoring.