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Research Publications (Food Safety)

This page tracks research articles published in national and international peer-reviewed journals. Recent articles are available ahead of print and searchable by Journal, Article Title, and Category. Research publications are tracked across six categories: Bacterial Pathogens, Chemical Contaminants, Natural Toxins, Parasites, Produce Safety, and Viruses. Articles produced by USDA Grant Funding Agencies (requires login) and FDA Grant Funding Agencies (requires login) are also tracked in Scopus.

Displaying 1 - 25 of 41

  1. Amplicon-Based High-Throughput Sequencing Method for Genotypic Characterization of Norovirus in Oysters

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Ahead of Print. Norovirus is a highly diverse RNA virus often implicated in foodborne outbreaks, particularly those associated with shellfish. Shellfish are filter feeders, and when harvested in bays exposed to wastewater overflow or storm overflows, they can harbor various pathogens, including human-pathogenic viruses.

      • Viruses
      • Norovirus
  2. The Efficacy of Commercial Surface Sanitizers against Norovirus on Formica Surfaces with and without Inclusion of a Wiping Step

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Ahead of Print. Commonly used surface sanitizers often lack activity against human noroviruses (hNoVs). The impact of inactivation versus removal when these products are applied via wiping is poorly characterized.

      • Viruses
      • Norovirus
  3. Detection of Rotavirus Vaccine Strains in Oysters and Sewage and Their Relationship with the Gastroenteritis Epidemic

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Rotavirus is one of the major causes of infectious gastroenteritis among infants and children, and live attenuated vaccines for rotavirus A (RVA), namely, Rotarix and RotaTeq, have recently become available in Japan. Rotavirus is known to be excreted from patients and accumulated in oysters similar to norovirus; however, the vaccine strains in aquatic environments or oysters have not yet been analyzed.

      • Viruses
      • Norovirus
  4. Pairing of Parental Noroviruses with Unequal Competitiveness Provides a Clear Advantage for Emergence of Progeny Recombinants

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Genetic recombination plays a pivotal role in the appearance of human norovirus recombinants that cause global epidemics. However, the factors responsible for the appearance of these recombinants remains largely unknown. In this study, we revealed a selective pressure that restricts parental combinations leading to the emergence of norovirus recombinants.

      • Viruses
      • Norovirus
  5. Variations among Viruses in Influent Water and Effluent Water at a Wastewater Plant over One Year as Assessed by Quantitative PCR and Metagenomics

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Influent wastewater and effluent wastewater at the Rya treatment plant in Gothenburg, Sweden, were continuously monitored for enteric viruses by quantitative PCR (qPCR) during 1 year. Viruses in effluent wastewater were also identified by next-generation sequencing (NGS) in samples collected during spring, early summer, and winter. Samples of incoming wastewater were collected every second week.

      • Norovirus
      • Hepatitis
      • Viruses
      • Seasonal Produce
      • Produce Safety
  6. The Basis of Peracetic Acid Inactivation Mechanisms for Rotavirus and Tulane Virus under Conditions Relevant for Vegetable Sanitation

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • We determined the disinfection efficacy and inactivation mechanisms of peracetic acid (PAA)-based sanitizer using pH values relevant for vegetable sanitation against rotavirus (RV) and Tulane virus (TV; a human norovirus surrogate). TV was significantly more resistant to PAA disinfection than RV: for a 2-log10 reduction of virus titer, RV required 1 mg/liter PAA for 3.5 min of exposure, while TV required 10 mg/liter PAA for 30 min.

      • Viruses
      • Norovirus
  7. A Somatic Coliphage Threshold Approach To Improve the Management of Activated Sludge Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluents in Resource-Limited Regions

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Effective wastewater management is crucial to ensure the safety of water reuse projects and effluent discharge into surface waters. Multiple studies have demonstrated that municipal wastewater treatment with conventional activated sludge processes is inefficient for the removal of a wide spectrum of viruses in sewage.

      • Norovirus
      • Hepatitis
      • Viruses
  8. F-Specific RNA Bacteriophages Model the Behavior of Human Noroviruses during Purification of Oysters: the Main Mechanism Is Probably Inactivation Rather than Release

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Noroviruses (NoV) are responsible for many shellfish outbreaks. Purification processes may be applied to oysters before marketing to decrease potential fecal pollution. This step is rapidly highly effective in reducing Escherichia coli; nevertheless, the elimination of virus genomes has been described to be much slower. It is therefore important to identify (i) the purification conditions that optimize virus removal and (ii) the mechanism involved.

      • Norovirus
      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Viruses
  9. UV Inactivation of Rotavirus and Tulane Virus Targets Different Components of the Virions

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Enteric viruses are shed in fecal material by humans and other animals and are common contaminants in wastewater and surface water. Wastewater treatment plants often disinfect this effluent with low-pressure and medium-pressure UV lamps, which emit 254-nm and 220- to 280-nm irradiation, respectively. It is not known whether this treatment is efficacious against enteric viruses or how such treatments may inactivate these enteric viruses.

      • Norovirus
      • Viruses
  10. Free-Chlorine Disinfection as a Selection Pressure on Norovirus [Public and Environmental Health Microbiology]

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Human noroviruses are excreted in feces from infected individuals and included in wastewater. It is critical to remove/inactivate them in wastewater treatment processes, particularly in the disinfection step, before release to aquatic environments. However, the high mutation rates of human noroviruses raise concerns about the emergence of strains that are less susceptible to disinfectants and can survive even after wastewater treatment.

      • Norovirus
      • Viruses
  11. Tissue Distribution and Visualization of Internalized Human Norovirus in Leafy Greens [Food Microbiology]

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Lettuce has been implicated in human norovirus (HuNoV) outbreaks. The virus is stable on the leaf surface for at least 2 weeks; however, the dynamics of virus internalization have not been fully investigated. The purpose of this study was to assess the internalization and distribution of HuNoV and two surrogate viruses, porcine sapovirus (SaV) and Tulane virus (TV), in lettuce and spinach.

      • Norovirus
      • Viruses
  12. Efficacy of Silver Dihydrogen Citrate and Steam Vapor against a Human Norovirus Surrogate, Feline Calicivirus, in Suspension, on Glass, and on Carpet [Public and Environmental Health Microbiology]

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Carpets and other soft surfaces have been associated with prolonged and reoccurring human norovirus (HuNoV) outbreaks. Environmental hygiene programs are important to prevent and control HuNoV outbreaks. Despite our knowledge of HuNoV transmission via soft surfaces, no commercially available disinfectants have been evaluated on carpets.

      • Norovirus
      • Viruses
  13. F-Specific RNA Bacteriophages, Especially Members of Subgroup II, Should Be Reconsidered as Good Indicators of Viral Pollution of Oysters [Environmental Microbiology]

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Norovirus (NoV) is the leading cause of gastroenteritis outbreaks linked to oyster consumption. In this study, we investigated the potential of F-specific RNA bacteriophages (FRNAPH) as indicators of viral contamination in oysters by focusing especially on FRNAPH subgroup II (FRNAPH-II). These viral indicators have been neglected because their behavior is sometimes different from that of NoV in shellfish, especially during the depuration processes usually performed before marketing.

      • Norovirus
      • Viruses
  14. Evaluation of Chlorine Treatment Levels for Inactivation of Human Norovirus and MS2 Bacteriophage during Sewage Treatment [Public and Environmental Health Microbiology]

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • This study examined the inactivation of human norovirus (HuNoV) GI.1 and GII.4 by chlorine under conditions mimicking sewage treatment. Using a porcine gastric mucin-magnetic bead (PGM-MB) assay, no statistically significant loss in HuNoV binding (inactivation) was observed for secondary effluent treatments of ≤25 ppm total chlorine; for both strains, 50 and 100 ppm treatments resulted in ≤0.8-log10 unit and ≥3.9-log10 unit reductions, respectively.

      • Norovirus
      • Viruses
  15. Inactivation of Human Norovirus Genogroups I and II and Surrogates by Free Chlorine in Postharvest Leafy Green Wash Water [Food Microbiology]

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • 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.

      • Norovirus
      • Viruses
  16. Recovery Optimization and Survival of the Human Norovirus Surrogates Feline Calicivirus and Murine Norovirus on Carpet [Public and Environmental Health Microbiology]

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Carpets have been implicated in prolonged and reoccurring outbreaks of human noroviruses (HuNoV), the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis worldwide. Viral recovery from environmental surfaces, such as carpet, remains undeveloped. Our aim was to determine survival of HuNoV surrogates on an understudied environmental surface, carpet.

      • Norovirus
      • Viruses
  17. Efficacy of Neutral Electrolyzed Water for Inactivation of Human Norovirus [Food Microbiology]

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Human norovirus (NoV) is the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis worldwide. Persistence on surfaces and resistance to many conventional disinfectants contribute to widespread transmission of norovirus. We examined the efficacy of neutral electrolyzed water (NEW; pH 7) for inactivation of human NoV GII.4 Sydney in suspension (ASTM method 1052-11) and on stainless steel surfaces (ASTM method 1053-11) with and without an additional soil load.

      • Norovirus
      • Viruses
  18. Environmental Surveillance of Norovirus Genogroups I and II for Sensitive Detection of Epidemic Variants [Environmental Microbiology]

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Sewage samples have been investigated to study the norovirus concentrations in sewage or the genotypes of noroviruses circulating in human populations. However, the statistical relationship between the concentration of the virus and the number of infected individuals and the clinical importance of genotypes or strains detected in sewage are unclear. In this study, we carried out both environmental and clinical surveillance of noroviruses for 3 years, 2013 to 2016.

      • Norovirus
      • Viruses
  19. Cross-Comparison of Human Wastewater-Associated Molecular Markers in Relation to Fecal Indicator Bacteria and Enteric Viruses in Recreational Beach Waters [Public and Environmental Health Microbiology]

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Detection of human wastewater contamination in recreational waters is of critical importance to regulators due to the risks posed to public health. To identify such risks, human wastewater-associated microbial source tracking (MST) markers have been developed. At present, however, a greater understanding of the suitability of these markers for the detection of diluted human wastewater in environmental waters is necessary to predict risk.

      • Norovirus
      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Viruses
  20. Waterborne Viruses and F-Specific Coliphages in Mixed-Use Watersheds: Microbial Associations, Host Specificities, and Affinities with Environmental/Land Use Factors [Public and Environmental Health Microbiology]

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • From the years 2008 to 2014, a total of 1,155 water samples were collected (spring to fall) from 24 surface water sampling sites located in a mixed-used but predominantly agricultural (i.e., dairy livestock production) river basin in eastern Ontario, Canada.

      • Norovirus
      • Hepatitis
      • Viruses
  21. Variable High-Pressure-Processing Sensitivities for Genogroup II Human Noroviruses [Food Microbiology]

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Human norovirus (HuNoV) is a leading cause of foodborne diseases worldwide. High-pressure processing (HPP) is one of the most promising nonthermal technologies for the decontamination of viral pathogens in foods. However, the survival of HuNoVs after HPP is poorly understood because these viruses cannot be propagated in vitro. In this study, we estimated the survival of different HuNoV strains within genogroup II (GII) after HPP treatment using viral receptor-binding ability as an indicator.

      • Viruses
      • Norovirus
  22. Recognition of Histo-Blood Group Antigen-Like Carbohydrates in Lettuce by Human GII.4 Norovirus [Food Microbiology]

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Human norovirus (HuNoV) genogroup II genotype 4 (GII.4) strains account for about 80% of the gastroenteritis outbreaks in the United States. Contaminated food is a major transmission vehicle for this virus. In humans, pigs, and oysters, histo-blood group antigens (HBGAs) act as attachment factors for HuNoVs. In lettuce, although the virus-like particles (VLPs) of a GII.4 HuNoV were found to bind to cell wall carbohydrates, the exact binding site has not been investigated.

      • Viruses
      • Norovirus
  23. Thermal Inactivation of Enteric Viruses and Bioaccumulation of Enteric Foodborne Viruses in Live Oysters (Crassostrea virginica) [Food Microbiology]

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Human enteric viruses are among the main causative agents of shellfish-associated outbreaks. In this study, the kinetics of viral bioaccumulation in live oysters and the heat stabilities of the predominant enteric viruses were determined both in tissue culture and in oyster tissues.

      • Norovirus
      • Hepatitis
      • Viruses
  24. Survival and Transfer of Murine Norovirus within a Hydroponic System during Kale and Mustard Microgreen Harvesting [Food Microbiology]

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • 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.

      • Norovirus
      • Viruses
  25. Abiotic Stress and Phyllosphere Bacteria Influence the Survival of Human Norovirus and Its Surrogates on Preharvest Leafy Greens [Food Microbiology]

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • 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.

      • Norovirus
      • Viruses