Research Publications (Food Safety)

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.

Background Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) has become a major public health issue as one of the leading causes of liver disease and transplantation worldwide. The instrumental role of the gut microbiota is emerging but still under investigation. Endogenous ethanol (EtOH) production by gut bacteria and yeasts is an emerging putative mechanism.

Aflatoxins are liver carcinogens and are common contaminants in unpackaged peanut (UPP) oil. However, the health risks associated with consuming aflatoxins in UPP oil remain unclear. In this study, aflatoxin contamination in 143 UPP oil samples from Guangdong Province were assessed via liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS). We also recruited 168 human subjects, who consumed this oil, to measure their liver functions and lipid metabolism status.

Objective Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used for the treatment of chronic liver diseases for a long time, with proven safety and efficacy in clinical settings. Previous studies suggest that the therapeutic mechanism of TCM for hepatitis B cirrhosis may involve the gut microbiota. Nevertheless, the causal relationship between the gut microbiota, which is closely linked to TCM, and cirrhosis remains unknown.

Norovirus is one of the largest causes of gastroenteritis worldwide, and Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an emerging pathogen that has become the most dominant cause of acute viral hepatitis in recent years. The presence of norovirus and HEV has been reported within wastewater in many countries previously. Here we used amplicon deep sequencing (metabarcoding) to identify norovirus and HEV strains in wastewater samples from England collected in 2019 and 2020.

Summary Pestiviruses, including classical swine fever virus, remain a concern for global animal health and are responsible for major economic losses of livestock worldwide. Despite high levels of vaccination, currently available commercial vaccines are limited by safety concerns, moderate efficacy, and required high doses. The development of new vaccines is therefore essential. Vaccine efforts should focus on optimizing antigen presentation to enhance immune responses.

Norovirus (NoV) is an enteric virus with foodborne transmission. Bivalve shellfish are a main source of infections and outbreaks. In Italy a voluntary based monitoring plan to check the safety of bivalve shellfish was set up at provincial level. This study describes the occurrence and distribution of NoV in the Northern Adriatic Sea and in the Ligurian Sea.

Adenovirus serves as an excellent viral vector and is employed in vector vaccine research. Duck hepatitis A virus type 1 (DHAV1) and duck adenovirus type 3 (DAdV3) cause significant economic losses in the Chinese duck industry.

Given the urgent requirement for more laboratories to develop proficiency in detecting foodborne viruses, this case study charts the path to accreditation, demystifying the process of validating a method for detecting norovirus and hepatitis A virus in fresh produce. Securing accreditation is crucial to ensuring dependable and precise food analysis, particularly relevant for products frequently consumed raw, which are at risk of contamination by foodborne viruses.

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, Ahead of Print. The consumption of raw or undercooked meat products poses a serious risk for human hepatitis E virus (HEV) infections. In many high-income countries, domestic pigs and wild boars represent the main animal reservoirs for HEV and are usually identified by reverse transcription-PCR and antibody enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Abstract Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is the most common cause of acute viral hepatitis worldwide. In 2018–2022, we investigated the presence of HEV RNA in 1233 stool samples collected in the Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau, including humans (16), Tibetan pigs (624), yaks (312), sheep (267), and dogs (14). HEV RNA was only detected in Tibetan pig faecal samples (18.27%, 114/624).

by Yuji Yoshida, Masanori Atsukawa, Chisa Kondo, Michika Kitamura, Kaori Shioda-Koyano, Tadamichi Kawano, Hiroki Ono, Korenobu Hayama, Tomomi Okubo, Taeang Arai, Norio Itokawa, Katsuhiko Iwakiri Although eliminating HCV can prevent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), some patients develop HCC even after obtaining sustained virologic response (SVR). Previously, we developed a new formula to predict advanced liver fibrosis.

Human norovirus (HNoVs) and Salmonella are both very important foodborne pathogens with mixed infection of HNoV and Salmonella reported clinically.

Background: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a zoonotic pathogen. HEV has been found to be widely prevalent in rabbits. Its isolates are classified into HEV-3, rabbit subgenotype (HEV-3ra). The routes of human infection with HEV-3ra remain unclear; however, foodborne transmission is possible when asymptomatically infected animals enter the food chain. The prevalence of HEV infection in slaughtered rabbits and the presence of HEV in rabbit meat were evaluated in this study.

Abstract Ongoing challenges with reproducible human norovirus cultivable assays necessitate the use of surrogates, such as feline calicivirus (FCV‐F9) and Tulane virus (TV), during inactivation studies. Chlorine alternates used as control strategies include aqueous and gaseous ozone. This study aimed at determining the inactivation of FCV‐F9 and TV by a portable ozone‐generating device.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is the leading cause of acute viral hepatitis globally, with zoonotic potential, and pigs are considered the major reservoir. To determine the seroprevalence of HEV infection in pigs reared in backyard conditions in the northeastern region of India, blood samples were collected from 400 pigs from five northeastern states (80 samples from each state) and tested for IgG antibodies against HEV using an ELISA assay.

Abstract BACKGROUND Food safety risks (FSRs) are increasingly characterized by geographical complexity along with rapid urbanization, changing dietary pattern, and the modernization of the food industry. These factors pose challenges for food risk control in developing economies, more so during the global COVID‐19 pandemic. The accurate assessment of risk source and transfer path is a crucial step toward enhancing cross‐regional food safety management.

Hepatitis E caused by hepatitis E virus (HEV) is considered an emerging foodborne zoonosis in industrialized, non-endemic countries. Domestic pigs and wild boars are considered the main reservoir of HEV. However, HEV can also infect an ever-expanding host range of animals, but they exact role in transmitting the virus to other species or humans is mostly unknown.

Oysters are recognized as important vectors for human norovirus transmission in the environment. Whether norovirus binds to bacteria in oyster digestive tissues (ODTs) remains unknown. To shed light on this concern, ODT-54 and ODT-32, positive for histo-blood group antigen (HBGA) -like substances, were isolated from ODTs and identified as Pseudomonas composti and Enterobacter cloacae, respectively.

by Rayanne Henrique Santana da Silva, Mariana de Moura, Larissa de Paula, Kelly Carolina Arantes, Marina da Silva, Jaqueline de Amorim, Marina Pacheco Miguel, Danieli Brolo Martins, Daniela de Melo e Silva, Marília Martins Melo, Ana Flávia Machado Botelho Paracetamol (PAR) is a drug widely used in human and veterinary medicine as an analgesic and antipyretic, often involved in cases of intoxication.

Norovirus is a significant global cause of viral gastroenteritis, with raw oyster consumption often linked to such outbreaks due to their filter-feeding in harvest waters. National water quality and depuration/relaying times are often classified using Escherichia coli, a poor proxy for norovirus levels in shellfish. The current norovirus assay is limited to only the digestive tracts of oysters, meaning the total norovirus load of an oyster may differ from reported results.

Hugan tablet is a Chinese medicine preparation. It is composed of Bupleuri Radix, Artemisiae Scopariae Herba, Isatidis Radix, Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus, Suis Fellis Pulvis, and Vigna radiata L. It has the effects of dispersing stagnated liver qi, strengthening the spleen and eliminating food to be used for the treatment of chronic hepatitis and early cirrhosis.

Abstract Wild rats can host various zoonotic pathogens. Detection of these pathogens is commonly performed using molecular techniques targeting one or a few specific pathogens. However, this specific way of surveillance could lead to (emerging) zoonotic pathogens staying unnoticed. This problem may be overcome by using broader microbiome‐profiling techniques, which enable broad screening of a sample's bacterial or viral composition.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) represents an important public health concern in many developing countries, including Africa. Transmission of HEV to humans by contaminated drinking water is the most important mode of transmission in low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to assess the presence of HEV in the environment in Cameroon through molecular analysis of sewage samples.

Soft fruits are at particular risk of contamination with enteric viruses such as Hepatitis A virus (HAV), Hepatitis E Virus (HEV), Norovirus (NoV), Human Adenovirus (HAdV) and Sapovirus (SaV). The aim of this study was to investigate, for the first time, the presence of these biological agents in ready to eat (RTE) berries at point of retail in Ireland.