Hepatitis A virus infections associated with berry and pomegranate mix

An outbreak of hepatitis A virus (HAV) infections in eight US states has been attributed to consumption of Townsend Farms Organic Anti-Oxidant Blend frozen berry and pomegranate mix purchased from Costco markets. Since March 2013, 118 individuals have acquired the infection and 80% report having eaten this fruit product. Townsend Farms has recalled some lots of this product because, according to the producer, one of the ingredients of the blend, “pomegranate seeds processed in Turkey, may be linked to an illness outbreak outside of the United States”. The Food and Drug Administration will soon begin testing for the presence of hepatitis A virus in the berry mix. Hepatitis A virus is a member of the picornavirus family, which also contains poliovirus and rhinovirus. The virion is a naked, icosahedral particle containing a single strand of positive-sense RNA. Infection is typically acquired by ingestion of food contaminated by feces containing the virus. In one scenario, food is contaminated by an HAV-infected food handler who does not practice good hand hygiene. After ingestion, the virus enters the gastrointestinal tract and then passes to the blood. It then replicates in the liver leading to jaundice and elevated serum levels of liver enzymes. After replicating in the liver, HAV passes into the intestine via the bile canaliculi and is then shed in feces. The incubation period of the disease is on average 4 weeks, but infectious particles are present in feces ab...
Source: virology blog - Category: Virology Authors: Tags: Basic virology Information HAV hepatitis a virus icteric jaundice Townsend Farms Organic Anti-Oxidant Blend frozen berry and pomegranate mix viral Source Type: blogs