Evaluation of Norovirus Reduction in Environmentally Contaminated Pacific Oysters During Laboratory Controlled and Commercial Depuration

Norovirus contamination of oysters is the lead cause of non-bacterial gastroenteritis and a significant food safety concern for the oyster industry. Here, norovirus reduction from Pacific oysters ( Crassostrea gigas), contaminated in the marine environment, was studied in laboratory depuration trial...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Food and environmental virology 2021-06, Vol.13 (2), p.229-240
Main Authors: Rupnik, Agnieszka, Doré, William, Devilly, Leon, Fahy, James, Fitzpatrick, Amy, Schmidt, Wiebke, Hunt, Kevin, Butler, Francis, Keaveney, Sinéad
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biomedicine
Chemistry/Food Science
Contamination
Depuration
Food contamination
Food safety
Food Science
Gastroenteritis
Genomes
Laboratories
Marine environment
Marine pollution
Norovirus
Original Paper
Oysters
Polymerase chain reaction
Quantitation
Reduction
Risk management
Shellfish
Statistical analysis
Virology
Viruses
Water temperature
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Summary:Norovirus contamination of oysters is the lead cause of non-bacterial gastroenteritis and a significant food safety concern for the oyster industry. Here, norovirus reduction from Pacific oysters ( Crassostrea gigas), contaminated in the marine environment, was studied in laboratory depuration trials and in two commercial settings. Norovirus concentrations were measured in oyster digestive tissue before, during and post-depuration using the ISO 15216-1 quantitative real-time RT-PCR method. Results of the laboratory-based studies demonstrate that statistically significant reductions of up to 74% of the initial norovirus GII concentration was achieved after 3 days at 17–21 °C and after 4 days at 11–15 °C, compared to 44% reduction at 7–9 °C. In many trials norovirus GII concentrations were reduced to levels below 100 genome copies per gram (gcg −1 ; limit of quantitation; LOQ). Virus reduction was also assessed in commercial depuration systems, routinely used by two Irish oyster producers. Up to 68% reduction was recorded for norovirus GI and up to 90% for norovirus GII reducing the geometric mean virus concentration close to or below the LOQ. In both commercial settings there was a significant difference between the levels of reduction of norovirus GI compared to GII ( p  
ISSN:1867-0334
1867-0342
DOI:10.1007/s12560-021-09464-2