Research Publications (Food Safety)

Foodborne viral illnesses are frequent worldwide and costly for the society. Human norovirus is one of the most common causal agents. Although some norovirus genotypes can now be cultured, surrogates are still used for inactivation studies.

Human noroviruses (HuNoV) are the leading cause of gastrointestinal illness and environmental monitoring is crucial to prevent HuNoV outbreaks. The recent development of a HuNoV cell culture assay in human intestinal enteroids (HIEs) has enabled detection of infectious HuNoV. However, this complex approach requires adaptation of HIEs to facilitate HuNoV replication from environmental matrixes.

Norovirus is a major cause of foodborne-associated acute gastroenteritis (AGE) outbreaks worldwide. Usually, food products are contaminated either during harvesting or preparation, and the most common products associated to norovirus outbreaks are raw or undercooked bivalve shellfish, fruits (frozen berries) and ready-to-eat produce. In the present study, we investigated an AGE outbreak caused by norovirus associated with the consumption of ice pops in southern Brazil.

Biofilms can constitute permanent threats to food safety and public health. Bacteria and viruses lodged in biofilm can escape cleaning and sanitizing agents. The aim of this study was to compare Pseudomonas aeruginosa developing and mature biofilms produced on agri-food surfaces in terms of interaction with murine norovirus.

Journal of Applied Microbiology, EarlyView.

Human norovirus (HuNoV) is a highly contagious pathogenic virus that is transmitted through contaminated food, water, high-touch surfaces and aerosols. Globally, there are an estimated 685 million infections annually due to norovirus, including 200 million affecting children under the age of 5. HuNoV causes approximately 50, 000 child deaths per year and costs an estimated USD $60 billion annually in healthcare.

Background In the United States, norovirus is the leading cause of healthcare-associated gastroenteritis outbreaks. To inform prevention efforts, we describe the epidemiology of norovirus outbreaks in long-term care facilities (LTCFs). Methods The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) collect epidemiologic and laboratory data on norovirus outbreaks from US health departments through the National Outbreak Reporting System (NORS) and CaliciNet.

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

Human noroviruses are the leading cause of sporadic cases and outbreaks of viral acute gastroenteritis in all age groups worldwide. Background
Human noroviruses are the leading cause of sporadic cases and outbreaks of viral acute gastroenteritis in all age groups worldwide.

In the originally published version of this manuscript [Cannon LJ, Lopman BA, Payne DC, et al. Birth Cohort Studies Assessing Norovirus Infection and Immunity in Young Children: A Review.

Background Norovirus is the etiology for about 60% of foodborne outbreaks identified in Minnesota. Contamination of food during preparation by food handlers is by far the most common cause of these outbreaks. Norovirus outbreaks due to commercially distributed foods are rarely reported in the United States, and only 2 have been previously identified in Minnesota, both due to oysters.

Many recent pandemics have been recognized as zoonotic viral diseases. While their origins remain frequently unknown, environmental contamination may play an important role in emergence. Thus, being able to describe the viral diversity in environmental samples contributes to understand the key issues in zoonotic transmission.

Journal of Applied Microbiology, Accepted Article. Aims
To compare the heat stability of two globally prevalent human norovirus (HuNoV) strains (GII.2[P16] and GII.4[P16]) and a commonly used HuNoV surrogate, Tulane virus (TV).

Author(s): Yucheng Xu, Yuanzhao Zhu, Zhao Lei, Jia Rui, Zeyu Zhao, Shengnan Lin, Yao Wang, Jingwen Xu, Xingchun Liu, Meng Yang, Hongsheng Chen, Xuemei Pan, Wentao Lu, Yuzhong Du, Hui Li, Ling Fang, Meng Zhang, Lina Zhou, Fen Yang, Tianmu Chen

Author(s): Yanzhen Han, Jianchang Wang, Shuhong Zhang, Shuopeng Yang, Xiangji Wang, Yanqing Han, Zhixin Shen, Xiangdong Xu

Author(s): AnaCaroline Rodrigues Portela, Juliana Merces Hernandez, Renato Silva Bandeira, Edivaldo Costa Sousa Junior, Taynah Cohen de Melo, Maria Silvia Sousa Lucena, Dielle Monteiro Teixeira, Jones Anderson Monteiro Siqueira, Yvone Benchimol Gabbay, Luciana Damascena Silva

Background Acute gastroenteritis (AGE) burden, etiology, and severity in adults is not well characterized. We implemented a multisite AGE surveillance platform in 4 Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (Atlanta, Georgia; Bronx, New York; Houston, Texas; and Los Angeles, California), collectively serving >320 000 patients annually.

by Nicolas Roydon Smoll, Arifuzzman Khan, Jacina Walker, Jamie McMahon, Michael Kirk, Gulam Khandaker

Human noroviruses (HuNoVs) are increasingly becoming the main cause of transmissible gastroenteritis worldwide, with hundreds of thousands of deaths recorded annually. Yet, decades after their discovery, there is still no effective treatment or vaccine. Efforts aimed at developing vaccines or treatment will benefit from a greater understanding of norovirus-host interactions, including the host response to infection.

To observe the prevalence of contamination by hepatitis A virus (HAV) and norovirus (NoV) in different food types, 9242 samples were analyzed over a 6-year period (January 2014–December 2019). Samples were from routine official activities by Competent Authorities (CAs) and Food Business Operators, according to Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points plans. Analyses were performed in accordance with European and Italian regulations.

Background As children with isolated vomiting are rarely able to provide a specimen suitable for routine pathogen testing, we have limited knowledge about their infecting pathogens. Methods Between December 2014 and August 2018, children <18 years old with presumed acute gastroenteritis who presented to 2 emergency departments (EDs) in Alberta, Canada, were recruited.

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

Author(s): Omar Hernández Hernández, Ana L. Gutiérrez-Escolano, Cleo Cancio-Lonches, Montserrat H. Iturriaga, Juan Ramiro Pacheco-Aguilar, Rocío Morales-Rayas, Sofía M. Arvizu-Medrano A multiplex PCR method was developed for the simultaneous detection of murine norovirus (MNV-1) as a surrogate for human norovirus (HuNoV) GI and GII, Salmonella spp., Shigella spp., and Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in fresh produce.