Research Publications (Food Safety)

Contamination of fomites by human norovirus (HuNoV) can initiate and prolong outbreaks. Fomite swabbing is necessary to predict HuNoV exposure and target interventions. Historically, swab recovered HuNoV has been measured by molecular methods that detect viral RNA but not infectious HuNoV. The recent development of HuNoV cultivation in human intestinal enteroids (HIEs) enables detection of infectious HuNoV.

ABSTRACT Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is worldwide distributed and might cause acute or chronic hepatitis mainly in immunocompromised individuals. In previous studies we found a high prevalence of antibodies to HEV within blood donors in south Brazil and also within backyard-raised pigs.

To consistently disinfect fresh vegetables efficiently, the decay of disinfectants such as chlorine, electrolyzed oxidizing water (EOW), ozonated water, and plasma-activated water during the disinfection maintenance stage needs to be understood. The aim of our study was to evaluate the changes in the inactivation kinetics of slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW) against human norovirus (HuNoV), based on the cabbage-to-SAEW ratio.

Background Up-to-date estimates of the burden of norovirus, a leading cause of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) in the United States, are needed to assess the potential value of norovirus vaccines in development. We aimed to estimate the rates, annual counts, and healthcare charges of norovirus-associated ambulatory clinic encounters, emergency department (ED) visits, hospitalizations, and deaths in the United States.

Norovirus (NoV) is a main foodborne pathogen of acute gastroenteritis in the world. A preliminary quantitative risk assessment (QRA) was conducted to evaluate the health risk caused by this virus in shellfish in the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea of China. The QRA framework was established from the process of shellfish at retail through cooking at home to consumer consumption.

Human noroviruses (HuNoV) are the leading cause of gastrointestinal illness and environmental monitoring is crucial to prevent HuNoV outbreaks. The recent development of a HuNoV cell culture assay in human intestinal enteroids (HIEs) has enabled detection of infectious HuNoV. However, this complex approach requires adaptation of HIEs to facilitate HuNoV replication from environmental matrixes.

Roof-harvested rainwater (RHRW) is considered relatively clean water, even though the possible presence of pathogens in the water may pose human health risks. In this study, we investigated the occurrence of enteric viruses in the first flush (10 mm) of RHRW from a densely populated and low-income urbanized region of Rio de Janeiro. One hundred samples (5 L) were collected from 10 rainfall events between April 2015 and March 2017.

Letters in Applied Microbiology, Accepted Article. Norovirus (NoV) and human astrovirus (HAstV) are important causative agents of acute gastroenteritis in children and adults. They comprised of multiple genotypes and attention should be paid to genotype changes or emergence of new genetic variants. To study the prevalence and diversity of NoV GI, GII and HAstV circulating in eastern China, we conducted a three-year environmental surveillance in a coastal city of Yantai.

Norovirus, the leading cause of non-bacterial acute gastroenteritis (AGE) worldwide, is constantly mutating. Continuous monitoring of the evolution of epidemic genotypes and emergence of novel genotypes is, therefore, necessary. This study determined the prevalence and clinical characteristics of norovirus strains in AGE in Guangzhou, China in 2019/2020 season.

Author(s): Maja A. Zaczek-Moczydlowska, Azadeh Beizaei, Michael Dillion, Katrina Campbell

Objectives

To compare the safety, immunogenicity, and immune persistence of hepatitis A (HA) vaccines between HBs-Ag-positive and -negative participants.

Method

Author(s): Zezheng Liu, Qian Ye, Anchun. Cheng, Xuming. Ou, Sai Mao, Di Sun, Shaqiu. Zhang, Xinxin. Zhao, Qiao Yang, Ying Wu, Juan Huang, Qun Gao, Bin Tian, Mingshu Wang

Background Controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) is an ultrasound-based point-of-care method to quantify liver fat; however, the optimal threshold for CAP to detect pathologic liver fat among persons living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV; PLWH) is unknown.

Following increases in reported cases of hepatitis A, we assessed the impact of hepatitis A vaccine in Alaska Native persons. During 1996–2018, only 6 cases of hepatitis A were identified, all in unvaccinated adults. Populations can be protected against hepatitis A by achieving sufficient vaccination coverage over time.

Water and wastewater virological quality is a significant public health issue. Viral agents include emerging and re-emerging pathogens characterized by extremely small size, and high environmental stability.

The human noroviruses are major causes of nonbacterial gastroenteritis, and are transmitted by both food and water, as well as via a person-to-person route. Asymptomatic norovirus infection of food handlers may play a role in transmission. The outbreak of noroviruses infections has been recognized in PyeongChang Winter Olympics, starting with security staffs from February 3, 2018.

Author(s): Soo-Jeong Kye, Min-Ji Park, Na-Young Kim, Yu-Na Lee, Gyeong-Beom Heo, Yoon-Ki Baek, Jae-In Shin, Myoung-Heon Lee, Youn-Jeong Lee

Highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIVs) in gallinaceous poultry are associated with viral infection of the endothelium, the induction of a ‘cytokine storm, and severe disease. In contrast, in Pekin ducks, HPAIVs are rarely endothelial tropic, and a cytokine storm is not observed. To date, understanding these species-dependent differences in pathogenesis has been hampered by the absence of a pure culture of duck and chicken endothelial cells.

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) was detected in frozen strawberries which had been implicated in a large outbreak of hepatitis A in 1997. The sample was analysed after over 20 years of storage, following a standard method not available at the time of the outbreak. This is the first study in which the HAV associated with the 1997 outbreak of foodborne hepatitis has finally been detected.

Author(s): Wentao Song, Jin Guo, Xiansheng Ni, Jingwen Wu, Wen Xia, Fenglan He, Xi Wang, Guoyin Fan, Kun Zhou, Yuhang Wu, Shengen Chen, Haiying Chen

Author(s): Merlyn S. Thomas, Yaohua Feng

Toxoplasma gondii , hepatitis E virus (HEV) and Salmonella are zoonotic foodborne pathogens that may be transmitted to humans through the consumption of raw or undercooked pork.  The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of anti- Toxoplasma gondii , anti-HEV and anti- Salmonella antibodies from healthy pigs at slaughter in Switzerland.

Avian H9N2 influenza viruses in East Asia are genetically diversified and multiple genotypes (A-W) have been established in poultry. Genotype S strains are currently the most prevalent strains, have caused many human infections and pose a public health threat. In this study, human adaptation mutations in the PB2 polymerase in genotype S strains were identified by database screening.

A novel F-specific RNA bacteriophage (FRNAPH) YM1, affiliating to genogroup I (GI) of Levivirus, is isolated for the first time from human stool samples using double-layer agar plates with the Escherichia coli ATCC700891 as the host. The complete genomic sequence of YM1 is 3551 nt in length, obtained through next-generation sequencing, and contains four genes encoding for maturation protein, coat protein, lysis protein, and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp).

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) exposure have been recognized as independent risk factors for the occurrence and development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but their combined impacts and the potential metabolic mechanisms remain poorly characterized. Here, a comprehensive non-targeted metabolomic study was performed following AFB1 exposed to Hep3B cells at two different doses: 16 μM and 32 μM.