Detection of Hepatitis A Virus and Other Enteric Viruses in Shellfish Collected in the Gulf of Naples, Italy.

Giovanna Fusco,Barbara Cioffi,Giuseppina La Rosa,Federica Boccia,Pina M Fratamico,David H Kingsley,Aniello Anastasio,Maria Grazia Amoroso,Rachele Rossi,Tiziana Pepe

doi:10.3390/ijerph16142588

Abstract

To assess the quality of shellfish harvest areas, bivalve mollusk samples from three coastal areas of the Campania region in Southwest Italy were evaluated for viruses over a three-year period (2015–2017). Screening of 289 samples from shellfish farms and other locations by qPCR and RT-qPCR identified hepatitis A virus (HAV; 8.9%), norovirus GI (NoVGI; 10.8%) and GII (NoVGII; 39.7%), rotavirus (RV; 9.0%), astrovirus (AsV; 20.8%), sapovirus (SaV; 18.8%), aichivirus-1 (AiV-1; 5.6%), and adenovirus (AdV, 5.6%). Hepatitis E virus (HEV) was never detected. Sequence analysis identified HAV as genotype IA and AdV as type 41. This study demonstrates the presence of different enteric viruses within bivalve mollusks, highlighting the limitations of the current EU classification system for shellfish growing waters.

Highlights

The presence of enteric viruses in water, food, and the environment is a global concern, prompting countries to protect public health through the development of strategic plans aimed at reducing epidemic cases in their territories
The present study focuses on the detection of hepatitis A virus (HAV), NoV (GI and GII), AsV, RV, AiV, SaV, AdV, and Hepatitis E virus (HEV)
Results from this study confirmed the circulation of enteric viruses pathogenic for humans in mollusks

Summary

Introduction

The presence of enteric viruses in water, food, and the environment is a global concern, prompting countries to protect public health through the development of strategic plans aimed at reducing epidemic cases in their territories. Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is considered one of the most serious food-borne viruses. HAV is transmitted primarily through contact with infected individuals or through the consumption of contaminated water and foods, such as raw or undercooked shellfish [1,2]. Hepatitis) in 2015 to 2016 (http://www.epicentro.iss.it) [3,4]. Both genotype IA and IB are found throughout Italy, strain distribution is not homogeneous. In Southern Italy, most outbreaks of HAV have traditionally been from genotype IB strains, many of which are frequently associated with the consumption of raw seafood [5].

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Conclusion