Occurrence of hepatitis A and E and norovirus GI and GII in ready-to-eat vegetables in Italy

Terio, Valentina; Bottaro, Marilisa; Pavoni, Enrico; Losio, Marina Nadia; Serraino, Andrea; Giacometti, Federica; Martella, Vito; Mottola, Anna; Pinto, Angela Di; Tantillo, Giuseppina

doi:10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2017.03.008

Cited by 69 publications

(57 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…Ingestion of contaminated water or meat products is considered the main route of HEV transmission in humans (Pavio et al, ) and probably also in NHPs (Spahr, Knauf‐Witzens, Dähnert, et al, ). However, since the diet of these species is mainly herbivore and the virus has also been detected in fruit and vegetables (Kokkinos et al, ; Terio et al, ), they should be considered possible sources of infection.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Survey for Hepatitis E virus infection in non‐human primates in zoos in Spain

Caballero‐Gómez

Rivero‐Juárez

Cano‐Terriza

et al. 2019

Transbound Emerg Dis

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Summary Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an emerging zoonotic pathogen that has been detected in different animal species. A survey study was carried out to assess HEV infection in non‐human primates (NHPs) housed in zoos in Spain. Anti‐HEV antibodies were detected in eight of the 181 NHPs tested (4.4%; 95%CI: 1.4–7.4). At least one seropositive animal was detected in five of the 33 species sampled (15.2%). This is the first report of seropositivity in black‐and‐white ruffed lemurs (Varecia variegata), common chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), and Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus). Anti‐HEV antibodies were found in six of the eight zoos included in the study (75.0%). Seroconversion was detected in one chimpanzee, which confirms HEV circulation in one zoo between 2015 and 2016. Seropositivity was significantly higher in hominids than in other NHP families. HEV RNA was not detected in any of the serum samples tested. The results indicate susceptibility of NHPs to HEV infection. Further studies are required to elucidate the role of these species in the epidemiology of HEV.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Survey for Hepatitis E virus infection in non‐human primates in zoos in Spain

Caballero‐Gómez

Rivero‐Juárez

Cano‐Terriza

et al. 2019

Transbound Emerg Dis

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“…Surrogate infectivity versus molecular reductions. Viruses are a known public health concern associated with the consumption of leafy green vegetables (5,(37)(38)(39)(40), and a number of studies have been performed investigating the reduction of viruses on leafy greens during postharvest processing (11,(41)(42)(43)(44)(45). Baert and colleagues have also shown that viruses can persist in leafy green wash water for long periods of time when left untreated after they observed no meaningful reduction of MNV in industrial spinach wash water for up 6 days (43) and in shredded lettuce wash water for up to 40 h (42).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inactivation of Human Norovirus Genogroups I and II and Surrogates by Free Chlorine in Postharvest Leafy Green Wash Water

Dunkin

Weng

Jacangelo

et al. 2017

Appl Environ Microbiol

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Human noroviruses (hNoVs) are a known public health concern associated with the consumption of leafy green vegetables. While a number of studies have investigated pathogen reduction on the surfaces of leafy greens during the postharvest washing process, there remains a paucity of data on the level of treatment needed to inactivate viruses in the wash water, which is critical for preventing cross-contamination. The objective of this study was to quantify the susceptibility of hNoV genotype I (GI), hNoV GII, murine norovirus (MNV), and bacteriophage MS2 to free chlorine in whole leaf, chopped romaine, and shredded iceberg lettuce industrial leafy green wash waters, each sampled three times over a 4-month period. A suite of kinetic inactivation models was fit to the viral reduction data to aid in quantification of concentration-time (CT) values. Results indicate that 3-log infectivity reduction was achieved at CT values of less than 0.2 mg · min/liter for MNV and 2.5 mg · min/liter for MS2 in all wash water types. CT values for 2-log molecular reduction of hNoV GI in whole leaf and chopped romaine wash waters were 1.5 and 0.9 mg · min/liter, respectively. For hNoV GII, CT values were 13.0 and 7.5 mg · min/liter, respectively. In shredded iceberg wash water, 3-log molecular reduction was not observed for any virus over the time course of experiments. These findings demonstrate that noroviruses may exhibit genogroup-dependent resistance to free chlorine and emphasize the importance of distinguishing between genogroups in hNoV persistence studies. Postharvest washing of millions of pounds of leafy greens is performed daily in industrial processing facilities with the intention of removing dirt, debris, and pathogenic microorganisms prior to packaging. Modest inactivation of pathogenic microorganisms (less than 2 log) is known to occur on the surfaces of leafy greens during washing. Therefore, the primary purpose of the sanitizing agent is to maintain microbial quality of postharvest processing water in order to limit cross-contamination. This study modeled viral inactivation data and quantified the free-chlorine CT values that processing facilities must meet in order to achieve the desired level of hNoV GI and GII reduction. Disinfection experiments were conducted in industrial leafy green wash water collected from a full-scale fresh produce processing facility in the United States, and hNoV GI and GII results were compared with surrogate molecular and infectivity data.

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“…Although not yet reported in SA, further potential sources of HEV in our study area may include seafood and raw vegetables. HEV has been detected in seafood [15] and vegetables [16] in the UK and Italy, respectively. Finally, blood donor safety needs further consideration.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hepatitis E in pig-derived food products in Cape Town, South Africa, 2014

et al. 2019

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Background. Hepatitis E virus (HEV) genotypes 3 and 4 are zoonoses, with domestic pigs being the most important reservoir. A high anti-HEV IgG seroprevalence of 26 -28% has been found in humans in Cape Town, South Africa (SA). Studies in industrialised countries have indicated a high prevalence of HEV in pigs and their associated food products. Objectives. To determine whether HEV could be found in pig-derived food products in Cape Town. Methods. Pork-containing food products were purchased from supermarkets and butcheries around the Cape Town metropolitan area. HEV detection by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed, and an amplified viral genome fragment was sequenced from positive samples. Phylogenetic analysis was done on the sequenced fragment. Results. HEV was detected by PCR in 2/144 food samples -both were liver spread samples. One genome fragment sequence was obtained, which was closely related to HEV sequences obtained from humans in Cape Town. Conclusions. HEV can be found in pork-containing meat products available for sale in Cape Town, suggesting that these products could be a potential source of HEV transmission in our geographical area.

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Occurrence of hepatitis A and E and norovirus GI and GII in ready-to-eat vegetables in Italy

Cited by 69 publications

References 53 publications

Survey for Hepatitis E virus infection in non‐human primates in zoos in Spain

Survey for Hepatitis E virus infection in non‐human primates in zoos in Spain

Inactivation of Human Norovirus Genogroups I and II and Surrogates by Free Chlorine in Postharvest Leafy Green Wash Water

Hepatitis E in pig-derived food products in Cape Town, South Africa, 2014

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