Abstract
Consumption of shellfish has been implicated in more than 100 viral gastroenteritis and hepatitis A outbreaks in the United States. Methods for virus detection in marine shellfish have been recently developed. However recent interest in the establishment of freshwater clam fisheries requires the development of methods capable of detecting viral contamination in these species. In this study, freshwater clam homogenates were seeded with poliovirus and detection efficiencies were determined by the adsorption-elution method. Adsorption of poliovirus to clam homogenates was >99·9% at pH 4·5. Recovery efficiency using elution conditions of pH 9·5 and 8000 mg l −1 sodium chloride averaged 55%. Addition of 3% beef extract to the eluent increased overall recoveries to 83%. In summary, the recovery of seeded poliovirus from freshwater clams requires the same basic methodology used for marine species with minor modifications.
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