Research Publications (Food Safety)

Summary

Disruption of the mucosal epithelium during lentivirus infections permits translocation of microbial products into circulation, causing immune activation and driving disease. Although the liver directly filters blood from the intestine and is the first line of defense against gut-derived antigens, the effects of microbial products on the liver are unclear.

Hydroponically grown microgreens are gaining in popularity, but there is a lack of information pertaining to their microbiological safety. The potential risks associated with virus contamination of crops within a hydroponic system have not been studied to date. Here a human norovirus (huNoV) surrogate (murine norovirus [MNV]) was evaluated for its ability to become internalized from roots to edible tissues of microgreens.

Eoin N. Leen, Frédéric Sorgeloos, Samantha Correia, Yasmin Chaudhry, Fabien Cannac, Chiara Pastore, Yingqi Xu, Stephen C. Graham, Stephen J. Matthews, Ian G. Goodfellow, Stephen Curry

Publication date: June 2016
, Volume 64

Author(s): Yuwei Wu, Sam Chang, Ramakrishna Nannapaneni, Randy Coker, Zee Haque, Barakat S.M. Mahmoud

Norovirus is the most common cause of sporadic gastroenteritis and outbreaks worldwide. The rapid identification of norovirus has important implications for infection prevention measures and may reduce the need for additional diagnostic testing. The Xpert Norovirus assay recently received FDA clearance for the detection and differentiation of norovirus genogroups I and II (GI and GII), which account for the vast majority of infections.

Acute febrile illness (AFI) is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality worldwide, yet an etiologic agent is often not identified. Convalescent-phase serology is impractical, blood culture is slow, and many pathogens are fastidious or impossible to cultivate.

Publication date: Available online 23 December 2015


Author(s): Jianmei Yang, Xiaoguang Dai, Hongjun Chen, Qiaoyang Teng, Xuesong Li, Guangyu Rong, Liping Yan, Qinfang Liu, Zejun Li

Foodborne outbreaks of human noroviruses (HuNoVs) are frequently associated with leafy greens. Because there is no effective method to eliminate HuNoV from postharvest leafy greens, understanding virus survival under preharvest conditions is crucial.

Acute gastroenteritis caused by human norovirus is a significant public health issue. Fresh produce and seafood are examples of high-risk foods associated with norovirus outbreaks. Food contact surfaces also have the potential to harbor noroviruses if exposed to fecal contamination, aerosolized vomitus, or infected food handlers. Currently, there is no effective measure to decontaminate norovirus on food contact surfaces.

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is an ancient and ubiquitous human pathogen recovered previously only from primates. The sole species of the genus Hepatovirus, existing in both enveloped and nonenveloped forms, and with a capsid structure intermediate between that of insect viruses and mammalian picornaviruses, HAV is enigmatic in its origins....

The History of HAV Earliest descriptions of epidemic liver disease, most likely due to hepatitis A virus (HAV), can be found in ancient Chinese literature, and similar observations, often in association with conflict and social disruption, have appeared on many occasions. However, evidence that the infection was of viral etiology...

Sara M. Pires, Christa L. Fischer-Walker, Claudio F. Lanata, Brecht Devleesschauwer, Aron J. Hall, Martyn D. Kirk, Ana S. R. Duarte, Robert E. Black, Frederick J. Angulo

Background

Abstract

We compared the innate immune response to a newly emerged swine-origin influenza A(H3N2) variant containing the M gene from 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1), termed "A(H3N2)vpM," to the immune responses to the 2010 swine-origin influenza A(H3N2) variant and seasonal influenza A(H3N2).

The performance of a norovirus antigen detection assay was assessed using monoclonal antibody NV23 and single-chain antibody HJT-R3-A9 to identify both virus-like particles and virus-containing fecal samples. The detection of 25 different norovirus genotypes as recombinant virus-like particles or in clinical samples was dependent on virus or antigen concentration.

Prince Antwi-Agyei, Sandy Cairncross, Anne Peasey, Vivien Price, Jane Bruce, Kelly Baker, Christine Moe, Joseph Ampofo, George Armah, Jeroen Ensink

Makoto Kumazaki, Shuzo Usuku

Avian influenza A(H9N2) is an agricultural and public health threat. We characterized an H9N2 virus from a pet market in Bangladesh and demonstrated replication in samples from pet birds, swine tissues, human airway and ocular cells, and ferrets. Results implicated pet birds in the potential dissemination and zoonotic transmission of this virus.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is a common acute hepatitis transmitted by the fecal-oral route. In developed countries, the virus has a zoonotic potential, and domestic pigs and wild boars are considered main reservoirs. To assess the prevalence of HEV-positive animals in the Calabria region (southern Italy) on a serological and molecular level, a total of 216 autochthonous healthy pigs (Apulo-Calabrese breed) were sampled. Both sera and feces were collected.

Publication date: March 2016
Source:LWT - Food Science and Technology, Volume 66

Author(s): Ji Yoon Yi, Na-Hye Lee, Myong-Soo Chung

Loss of ordered molecular structure in proteins is known to increase their adhesion to surfaces. The aim of this work was to study the stability of norovirus secondary and tertiary structures and its implications for viral adhesion to fresh foods and agrifood surfaces.

Abstract

Aims

To determine the cause of an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis that occurred on a cruise ship sailing along the Yangzi River from Chongqing to Nanjing, China.

Summary

Jessica Jenkins Broglie, Brittny Alston, Chang Yang, Lun Ma, Audrey F. Adcock, Wei Chen, Liju Yang