Research Publications (Food Safety)

Infections of hepatotropic viruses cause a wide array of liver diseases including acute hepatitis, chronic hepatitis and the consequently developed cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Among the five classical hepatotropic viruses, hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) usually infect human persistently and cause chronic hepatitis, leading to major troubles to humanity.

Timely antiviral therapy is critical in chronic hepatitis B cirrhosis to prevent further liver complications. Among a national cohort of US Veterans with chronic hepatitis B cirrhosis, only 52% were initiated on antiviral therapy; treatment was significantly lower among patients of non-Asian ethnicity, high-risk alcohol use, and in rural settings.

Background Tuberculosis (TB) is a public health threat, with >80% of active TB in the United States occurring due to reactivation of latent TB infection (LTBI). We may be underscreening those with high risk for LTBI and overtesting those at lower risk. A better understanding of gaps in current LTBI testing practices in relation to LTBI test positivity is needed.

by Gracián Camps, Sheila Maestro, Laura Torella, Diego Herrero, Carla Usai, Martin Bilbao-Arribas, Ana Aldaz, Cristina Olagüe, Africa Vales, Lester Suárez-Amarán, Rafael Aldabe, Gloria Gonzalez-Aseguinolaza

3D food printers facilitate novel customization of the physicochemical properties of food. This study aimed to investigate the impact of storage conditions on the inactivation of the human norovirus surrogate, Tulane virus (TuV), within 3D printed foods. TuV-inoculated protein cookie food ink (∽ 4 log PFU/g) was distributed into 18 3D food printer capsules (50 g each); half immediately underwent extrusion.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infects roughly 20 million people worldwide, causing self-limiting acute hepatic disease that can evolve into a chronic course. HEV-3, HEV-4, and HEV-7 genotypes are zoonotic and transmitted to humans by consuming raw or undercooked meat. Here, we developed an indirect ELISA based on the recombinant HEV-3 capsid and performed a seroprevalence study on domestic swine in northeastern Brazil.

Accurate detection, identification, and subsequent confirmation of pathogens causing foodborne illness are essential for the prevention and investigation of foodborne outbreaks. This is particularly true when the causative agent is an enteric virus that has a very low infectious dose and is likely to be present at or near the limit of detection.

BackgroundClassical swine fever virus (CSFV) remains one of the most important pathogens in animal health. Pathogen detection relies on viral RNA extraction followed by RT-qPCR. Novel technologies are required to improve diagnosis at the point of care.MethodsA loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) PCR technique was developed, with primers designed considering all reported CSFV genotypes.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an emerging zoonotic pathogen that exhibits great host diversity. The primary means of transmission of the virus in low- and middle-income countries is contaminated water, often due to a lack of access to proper sanitation, which leads to faecal contamination of water sources. Environmental surveillance is an important tool that can be used to monitor virus circulation and as an early warning system for outbreaks.

Unravelling the ‘Quadruple Whammy’: This research delves into the profound impact of Brexit, COVID‐19, conflicts and natural disasters on the European food supply chain. Analysing challenges and proposing strategies, it emphasises the imperative form of resilience and proactive planning in the face of unprecedented disruptions.

The host-specific infection of Avian Astrovirus (AAstVs) has posed significant challenges to the poultry industry, resulting in substantial economic losses. However, few reports exist on the functional consequences of genome diversity, cross-species infectivity and mechanisms governing virus replication of AAstVs, making it difficult to develop measures to control astrovirus transmission.

Diarrhea poses a major threat to bovine calves leading to mortality and economic losses. Among the causes of calf diarrhea, bovine rotavirus is a major etiological agent and may result in dysbiosis of gut micr...

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) has caused massive foodborne disease and economic losses in the world and remains a public health problem. ISO 15216–2:2019 is currently the universal standard for the extraction and concentration of HAV detection in food. Nevertheless, the salted food substrate and low viral content often result in low recovery rates or detection sensitivities using the standard ISO method (ISM) and the modified method with PEG(MPM).

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding conserved molecules with lengths varying between 18-25nt. Plants miRNAs are very stable, and probably they might have been transferred across kingdoms via food intake. Such miRNAs are also called exogenous miRNAs, which regulate the gene expression in host organisms.

CrAssphages are human gut bacteriophages with potential use as an indicator of human fecal contamination in water and other environmental systems. We determined the prevalence and abundance of crAssphages in water, food, and fecal samples and compared these estimates with the prevalence of norovirus. Samples were tested using two crAssphage-specific qPCR assays (CPQ056 and TN201-203) and for norovirus using TaqMan realtime RT-PCR.

Fowl adenovirus serotype 11 (FAdV-11) is one of the primary causative agents of inclusion body hepatitis (IBH), which causes substantial economic losses in the world poultry industry. In this study, we characterized the genome of the fowl adenovirus serotype 11 (FAdV-11) isolate FJSW/2021. The full genome of FJSW/2021 was 44, 154 base pairs (bp) in length and had a similar organization to that of previously reported FAdV-11 isolates.

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.

by Takuma Ariizumi, Koshiro Tabata, Yukari Itakura, Hiroko Kobayashi, William W. Hall, Michihito Sasaki, Hirofumi Sawa, Keita Matsuno, Yasuko Orba

In March 2019, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare and Finnish Food Authority started an outbreak investigation after a notification of food business operators’ recall of frozen bilberries due to a norovirus finding. A retrospective search was conducted in the food and waterborne outbreak notification system to identify the notifications linked to norovirus and consumption of bilberries in January–March 2019.

Waterfowl astroviruses are mainly duck astroviruses and goose astroviruses, of which duck astroviruses (DAstV-3, -4), goose astroviruses (GoAstV-1, -2) are the four new waterfowl 21 astroviruses in recent years, which can lead to enteritis, viral hepatitis, gout and reduce the growth performance of waterfowl, affecting the healthy development of the waterfowl farming industry.

Norovirus is the leading cause of viral gastroenteritis globally. While person-to-person transmission is most commonly reported route of infection, human norovirus is frequently associated with foodborne transmission, including through consumption of contaminated bivalve molluscan shellfish.

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.

This study aimed to assess two homogenization methods to recover norovirus from Minas artisanal cheese (MAC) made with raw bovine milk obtained from four microregions of the Minas Gerais state, Brazil, with different ripening times and geographical and abiotic characteristics. For this purpose, 33 fiscal samples were artificially contaminated with norovirus GI and GII, and Mengovirus (MgV), used as an internal process control (IPC).

Flavonoids, a diverse group of polyphenolic compounds found in various plant-based foods, have garnered attention for their potential in combating Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infection. Flavonoids have demonstrated promising anti-HBV activities by interfering with multiple stages of the HBV life cycle, making them promising candidates for novel antiviral agents.

Controlled environment agriculture (CEA), or indoor agriculture, encompasses non-traditional farming methods that occur inside climate-controlled structures (e.g., greenhouses, warehouses, high tunnels) allowing for year-round production of fresh produce such as leaf lettuce. However, recent outbreaks and recalls associated with hydroponically grown lettuce contaminated with human pathogens have raised concerns.