Research Publications (Food Safety)

Hepatitis E infection is typically caused by contaminated water or food. In July and August 2022, an outbreak of hepatitis E was reported in a nursing home in Zhejiang Province, China. Local authorities and workers took immediate actions to confirm the outbreak, investigated the sources of infection and routes of transmission, took measures to terminate the outbreak, and summarized the lessons learned.

Fruits, vegetables, and shellfish are often associated with outbreaks of illness caused particularly by human norovirus (HuNoV) and hepatitis A virus (HAV), the leading causative agents of foodborne illness worldwide.

Norovirus (NoV) and hepatitis A virus (HAV) stand as the predominant agents associated with viral foodborne infections. Outbreaks have been documented to be caused by various types of food items, including fresh and/or frozen berries. Comprehensive data concerning crucial viral pathogens in berries remain limited and are not currently available in aggregate form. Consequently, the present study aimed to compile the existing information regarding the prevalence of NoV and HAV in this matrix.

Hepatitis E (HEV), a zoonotic virus, is the leading cause of acute viral hepatitis in Europe. The presence of HEV in domestic pigs can result in infections in humans through consumption of pork products which are undercooked or where processing methods are insufficient to inactivate the virus.

Zoonotic hepatitis E virus (HEV) genotype 3 infections are the predominant cause of acute viral hepatitis in Europe, mostly associated with the consumption of HEV contaminated pork meat. In this study we looked at the HEV RNA positivity rate of pork meat products readily available from Belgian supermarkets and evaluated the overall HEV consumer exposure in a Belgian context.

Berries are important vehicles for norovirus (NoV) and hepatitis A virus (HAV) foodborne outbreaks. Sensitive and quantitative detection of these viruses in food samples currently relies on RT-qPCR, but remains challenging due to their low concentration and the presence of RT-qPCR inhibitors. Moreover, quantification requires a standard curve.

Between 2016 and 2021, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) collected 4218 samples of fresh and frozen berries (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and mixed berries) and pomegranate arils at retail across 11 major cities in Canada and tested these samples for the presence of norovirus GI, norovirus GII and hepatitis A virus RNA.

Hepatitis E is caused by hepatitis E virus (HEV), one of the causes of acute viral hepatitis. Domestic pigs are considered as the main reservoir of HEV-3. The recently reported high prevalence of HEV in liver- and meat products on the Dutch market warranted a cross-sectional prevalence study on HEV infection among 5–6 months old pigs slaughtered in the Netherlands (n = 250).

Viruses are a leading cause of foodborne disease worldwide. Human norovirus and hepatitis viruses (hepatitis A (HAV) and hepatitis E (HEV)) are recognised to be the main viruses of importance to public health. The ISO 15216 procedure describes molecular methods for detecting HAV and norovirus in bottled water by using an electropositive filter to concentrate viruses.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an emerging pathogen in industrialized countries. HEV infections in humans are mainly related to the HEV-3 genotype, predominant in Europe and widespread in wild boars' food products.

Author(s): Eric Jubinville, Mathilde Trudel-Ferland, Janie Amyot, Julie Jean

Author(s): Mengxiao Song, Md. Iqbal Hossain, Soontag Jung, Daseul Yeo, Zhaoqi Wang, Ae Min, Ziwei Zhao, Sunho Park, Changsun Choi

Author(s): René A.M. Dirks, Claudia C.C. Jansen, Geke Hägele, Ans J.T. Zwartkruis-Nahuis, Aloys S.L. Tijsma, Ingeborg L.A. Boxman

Author(s): La'Chia Harrison, Thais De Melo Ramos, Xi Wu, Erin DiCaprio

Author(s): Guadalupe Di Cola, Anabella C. Fantilli, María Belén Pisano, Viviana E. Ré

Author(s): Catherine Hennechart-Collette, Océane Dehan, Michel Laurentie, Audrey Fraisse, Sandra Martin-Latil, Sylvie Perelle

Author(s): Ingeborg L.A. Boxman, Claudia C.C. Jansen, Ans J.T. Zwartkruis-Nahuis, Geke Hägele, Nils P. Sosef, René A.M. Dirks

Author(s): Xi Bai, Matteo Campagnoli, Sophie Butot, Thierry Putallaz, Lise Michot, Sophie Zuber

Author(s): Ewelina Bigoraj, Iwona Kozyra, Ewa Kwit, Artur Rzeżutka

Author(s): Ibrahim M. Sayed, Amal A. Elkhawaga, Mohamed A. El-Mokhtar

Author(s): Sofia Persson, Louise Nybogård, Magnus Simonsson, Ronnie Eriksson

Available online 6 September 2019

Author(s): Catherine Hennechart-Collette, Florian Niveau, Sandra Martin-Latil, Audrey Fraisse, Sylvie Perelle

Abstract

Food-borne viral infections are caused mainly by noroviruses (NoV) and the hepatitis A virus (HAV), which respectively cause gastroenteritis and hepatitis.

Available online 26 August 2019

Author(s): Valeria A. Torok, Kate R. Hodgson, Jessica Jolley, Alison Turnbull, Catherine McLeod