Rapid and sensitive method to assess human viral pollution in shellfish using infectious F-specific RNA bacteriophages: Application to marketed products.

In this study, an integrated cell culture real-time RT-PCR method has been developed to investigate infectious FRNAPH subgroup prevalence in oysters. This rapid screening method appears more sensitive than E. coli or NoV genome detection, and allows an FRNAPH subgroup present in low concentrations (0.05 PFU/g of oyster) to be detected in the presence of another 1000 times more concentrated, without any dissection step. Its application to marketed oysters (n = 135) over a 1-year period has allowed to identify the winter peak classically described for NoV or FRNAPH accumulation. Infectious FRNAPH were detected in 34% of batches, and 7% were suspected of having a human origin. This approach may be helpful to evaluate oyster's depuration processes, based on an infectious viral parameter. PMID: 28040176 [PubMed - in process]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28040176?dopt=Abstract

Source: Food Microbiology - January 5, 2017 Category: Food Science Authors: Hartard C, Banas S, Rivet R, Boudaud N, Gantzer C Tags: Food Microbiol Source Type: research