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Ossio A, Flores-Rodríguez F, Heredia N, García S, Merino-Mascorro JA. Foodborne Viruses and Somatic Coliphages Occurrence in Fresh Produce at Retail from Northern Mexico. FOOD AND ENVIRONMENTAL VIROLOGY 2024; 16:109-119. [PMID: 38198031 DOI: 10.1007/s12560-023-09578-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
Foodborne disease outbreaks linked to consumption of vegetables have been often attributed to human enteric viruses, such as Norovirus (NoV), Hepatitis A virus (HAV), and Rotavirus (RoV). Information about the occurrence of these viruses is scarce in many fresh-producing countries. Viral contamination detection of indicators, such as somatic coliphages, could indirectly reflect the presence of viral pathogens, being a valuable tool for better viral risk assessment in food industry. This study aimed to establish the occurrence and correlation of foodborne viruses and somatic coliphages in leafy greens in northern Mexico. A total of 320 vegetable samples were collected, resulting in 80 composite rinses, 40 of lettuce and 40 of parsley. Somatic coliphages were determined using the EPA 1602 method, while foodborne viruses (HAV, RoV, NoV GI, and GII) were determined by qPCR. The occurrence of RoV was 22.5% (9/40, mean 2.11 log gc/g) in lettuce and 20% (8/40, mean 1.91 log gc/g) in parsley. NoV and HAV were not detected in any samples. Somatic coliphages were present in all lettuce and parsley samples, with mean levels of 1.85 log PFU/100 ml and 2.28 log PFU/100 ml, respectively. Spearman analysis established the correlation of somatic coliphages and genomic copies of RoV, resulting in an r2 value of - 0.026 in lettuce and 0.349 in parsley. Although NoV or HAV were undetected in the samples, the presence of RoV is a matter of concern as leafy greens are usually eaten raw, which poses a potential risk of infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Axel Ossio
- Laboratorio de Bioquímica y Genética de Microorganismos, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, 66455, San Nicolas de los Garza, N.L., Mexico
| | - Fernanda Flores-Rodríguez
- Laboratorio de Bioquímica y Genética de Microorganismos, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, 66455, San Nicolas de los Garza, N.L., Mexico
| | - Norma Heredia
- Laboratorio de Bioquímica y Genética de Microorganismos, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, 66455, San Nicolas de los Garza, N.L., Mexico
| | - Santos García
- Laboratorio de Bioquímica y Genética de Microorganismos, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, 66455, San Nicolas de los Garza, N.L., Mexico
| | - Jose Angel Merino-Mascorro
- Laboratorio de Bioquímica y Genética de Microorganismos, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, 66455, San Nicolas de los Garza, N.L., Mexico.
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Park S, Lee C, Cho K, Ko HY, Jang SJ, Ko G. Improved real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR detection of norovirus following removal of inhibitors. Heliyon 2021; 7:e07560. [PMID: 34345738 PMCID: PMC8319527 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2020] [Revised: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Human norovirus (HuNoV) is an important enteric virus that can cause large gastroenteritis outbreaks via the fecal-oral route from contaminated water and produce. Real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) is the only method to apply the routine detection of HuNoV in various samples, however, inhibitors present in the samples can affect the accuracy and sensitivity of RT-qPCR results. Here, we suggest an inhibitor-removal treatment for two types of noroviruses using two commercial kits. Two types of water sample (surface and seawater) and four types of produce (green onions, lettuces, radishes, and strawberries) were evaluated. The recovery efficiencies of noroviruses in water samples clearly increased in surface and seawater samples with the inhibitor-removal treatment compared to untreated samples. Moreover, murine norovirus-1 was well recovered from the four types of produce with the inhibitor-removal treatment. The mean recovery efficiencies of HuNoV genogroup II genotype 4 in lettuces and strawberries were also increased in the treated samples. Therefore, we suggest that the inhibitor-removal treatment could be useful for improving the accuracy and sensitivity of RT-qPCR methods for noroviruses in water and produce.
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Affiliation(s)
- SungJun Park
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,N-Bio, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Cheonghoon Lee
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,Institute of Health and Environment, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyuseon Cho
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hye Young Ko
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sung Jae Jang
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - GwangPyo Ko
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,N-Bio, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,Institute of Health and Environment, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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Lee J, Park S, Lee C, Cho K, Jeong YS, Kim YM, Park KS, Choi JD, Sin Y, Ko G. Male-Specific and Somatic Coliphage Profiles from Major Aquaculture Areas in Republic of Korea. FOOD AND ENVIRONMENTAL VIROLOGY 2020; 12:240-249. [PMID: 32666472 DOI: 10.1007/s12560-020-09438-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2020] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Human and animal feces are important sources of various types of microbial contamination in water. Especially, enteric viruses, the major agents of waterborne infection, can attain long-term survival in water environments due to their strong resistance to various environmental factors including pH, salinity, and temperature. Coliphages are promising viral indicators for fecal contamination in water environments. Here, we investigated the seasonal and spatial distribution of male-specific and somatic coliphages in surface water and seawater at three major aquaculture areas, including Goseong Bay, Aphae Island, and Gomso Bay, in Republic of Korea over a period of 1 year. We selected 6 surface water and 14 seawater sampling sites for each study area and collected a total of 480 water samples from March 2014 to February 2015. Overall, surface water samples contained higher occurrences of coliphages than seawater samples. The high coliphage concentrations were detected in spring (March to May 2014). The differences in geographical features and patterns in land usage of the three aquaculture areas may have affected the coliphage concentration and occurrence. Moreover, environmental factors such as cumulative precipitation were strongly correlated with coliphage concentrations. Therefore, we suggest that further longitudinal studies on coliphage concentrations and distributions should be performed to support the application of coliphages in tracking fecal contamination in water.
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Affiliation(s)
- JaeYoon Lee
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - SungJun Park
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- N-Bio, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Cheonghoon Lee
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
- Institute of Health and Environment, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
| | - Kyuseon Cho
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Yong Seok Jeong
- Department of Biology, College of Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Young-Mog Kim
- Marine-Integrated Bionics Research Center, Pukyong National University, Busan, Republic of Korea
- Department of Food Science and Technology, Pukyong National University, Busan, Republic of Korea
| | - Kwon-Sam Park
- Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Kunsan National University, Gunsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Jong Duck Choi
- Department of Seafood Science and Technology, Gyeongsang National University, Tongyeong, Republic of Korea
| | - Yongsik Sin
- Department of Environmental Engineering & Biotechnology, Mokpo National Maritime University, Mokpo, Republic of Korea
| | - GwangPyo Ko
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
- N-Bio, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
- Institute of Health and Environment, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
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Walker DI, Cross LJ, Stapleton TA, Jenkins CL, Lees DN, Lowther JA. Assessment of the Applicability of Capsid-Integrity Assays for Detecting Infectious Norovirus Inactivated by Heat or UV Irradiation. FOOD AND ENVIRONMENTAL VIROLOGY 2019; 11:229-237. [PMID: 31165999 DOI: 10.1007/s12560-019-09390-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2018] [Accepted: 05/25/2019] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Human noroviruses are the leading cause of viral gastroenteritis. In the absence of a practical culture technique for routine analysis of infectious noroviruses, several methods have been developed to discriminate between infectious and non-infectious viruses by removing non-viable viruses prior to analysis by RT-qPCR. In this study, two such methods (RNase and porcine gastric mucin) which were designed to remove viruses with compromised capsids (and therefore assumed to be non-viable), were assessed for their ability to quantify viable F-specific RNA bacteriophage (FRNAP) and human norovirus following inactivation by UV-C or heat. It was found that while both methods could remove a proportion of non-viable viruses, a large proportion of non-viable virus remained to be detected by RT-qPCR, leading to overestimations of the viable population. A model was then developed to determine the proportion of RT-qPCR detectable RNA from non-viable viruses that must be removed by such methods to reduce overestimation to acceptable levels. In most cases, nearly all non-viable virus must be removed to reduce the log overestimation of viability to within levels that might be considered acceptable (e.g. below 0.5 log10). This model could be applied when developing alternative pre-treatment methods to determine how well they should perform to be comparable to established infectivity assays.
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Affiliation(s)
- David I Walker
- Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), Weymouth, UK.
| | - Lisa J Cross
- Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), Weymouth, UK
| | - Tina A Stapleton
- Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), Weymouth, UK
| | - Connaire L Jenkins
- Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), Weymouth, UK
- School of Biosciences and Medicine, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK
| | - David N Lees
- Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), Weymouth, UK
| | - James A Lowther
- Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), Weymouth, UK
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