Persistence of Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus in Goat and Cow Milks Under Different Storage Conditions and Following Thermal Inactivation.

Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is a neuroinvasive arbovirus that is primarily transmitted to humans through the bites of Ixodes ricinus ticks. Consumption of unpasteurised milk and dairy products from infected ruminants can also cause infection in humans. In the majority of food-borne TBE (FB-TBE) cases, goat milk and/or cheese has been identified as the source of infection.

Clustered Cases of Waterborne Hepatitis E Virus Infection, France.

The identification of seven cases of hepatitis E virus infection in a French rural hamlet in April 2015 led to investigations confirming the clustering and identifying the source of the infection. Laboratories and general practitioners in the area actively searched for other cases based on RT-PCR and serological tests. The environment, including water sources, was also checked for HEV RNA.

Evaluation of a Proteinase K-Based Extraction Method to Detect Hepatitis A Virus, Hepatitis E Virus and Norovirus in Artificially Contaminated Dairy Products.

Human norovirus and hepatitis viruses (hepatitis A (HAV) and hepatitis E (HEV)) are leading causes of foodborne disease worldwide. Among the various food products, different types of dairy products can be implicated in viral foodborne outbreaks and contamination can occur at different stages, such as preparation, contact with contaminated equipment or via other foods. The aim of this study was to characterise a proteinase K method adapted from the ISO 15216 method for the detection of HAV, HEV and norovirus in artificially contaminated dairy products, based on the recent international standard of ISO 16140-4.

Development of an Extraction Method to Detect Hepatitis A Virus, Hepatitis E Virus, and Noroviruses in Fish Products.

Viruses are a leading cause of foodborne disease worldwide. Hepatitis viruses (hepatitis A (HAV) and hepatitis E (HEV)) and human norovirus are recognized as the main viruses of public health concern in food hygiene. ISO 15216 approved procedures are not validated for detection of HAV and human norovirus in foodstuffs, such as fishes, leading to an inability to ensure the safety of these products.

Method for detecting norovirus, hepatitis A and hepatitis E viruses in tap and bottled drinking water.

Viruses are a leading cause of foodborne disease worldwide. Human norovirus and hepatitis viruses (hepatitis A (HAV) and hepatitis E (HEV)) are recognised to be the main viruses of importance to public health. The ISO 15216 procedure describes molecular methods for detecting HAV and norovirus in bottled water by using an electropositive filter to concentrate viruses.

A One-Health Approach to Investigating an Outbreak of Alimentary Tick-Borne Encephalitis in a Non-endemic Area in France (Ain, Eastern France): A Longitudinal Serological Study in Livestock, Detection in Ticks, and the First Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus Isolation and Molecular Characterisation.

Tick-borne encephalitis virus' (TBEV) geographic range and the human incidence are increasing throughout Europe, putting a number of non-endemic regions and countries at risk of outbreaks. In spring 2020, there was an outbreak of tick-born encephalitis (TBE) in Ain, Eastern France, where the virus had never been detected before. All patients but one had consumed traditional unpasteurised raw goat cheese from a local producer.

Method for tick-borne encephalitis virus detection in raw milk products.

The transmission of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) through food is rare, but can occur through the consumption of raw milk products from animals infected by tick bites. In 2020, France faced a TBEV outbreak linked to the consumption of unpasteurized goat cheese. The aim of this study was to develop and characterize a molecular method for the detection of TBEV in raw milk products based on the recent international standard PR ISO/DIS 16140-4.

Detection of norovirus, hepatitis A and hepatitis E viruses in multicomponent foodstuffs.

Among the enteric viruses implicated in foodborne outbreaks, the human norovirus and hepatitis viruses A and E (HAV and HEV) represent a serious public health concern. International standard ISO 15216 proposes methods for detecting HAV and norovirus (genogroups I and II) RNA from soft fruit, leaf, stem and bulb vegetables, bottled water or food surfaces. These methods had not previously been validated for detecting the targeted viruses in other foodstuffs such as multicomponent foods, nor for detecting other viruses in foodstuffs.

Evaluation of three different filters and two methods for recovering viruses from drinking water.

Among the enteric viruses implicated in waterborne outbreaks, human norovirus and hepatitis A virus (HAV) are a serious public health issue. Most foodborne viruses are difficult or currently unlikely to cultivate. Because of the lack of a cell culture method, real-time reverse transcriptase PCR is commonly used for the detection of norovirus in foodstuffs and environmental samples.

Virological analyses in collective catering outbreaks in France between 2012 and 2017.

Enteric viruses cause the majority of foodborne illnesses and common symptoms of many foodborne illnesses include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and fever. Among the enteric viruses, human Norovirus (NoV) and hepatitis virus (HAV and HEV) are the main viruses suspected to cause foodborne outbreaks and represent a serious public health. The study presents survey tools of viruses in a wide variety of foodstuffs and results obtained during 56 foodborne outbreaks investigation in France between 2012 and 2017.

Development of an extraction method to detect enteric viruses in dressed vegetables.

Food-borne viral infections are caused mainly by noroviruses (NoV) and the hepatitis A virus (HAV), which respectively cause gastroenteritis and hepatitis. Various foods have been implicated in viral outbreaks, including vegetables that are consumed in a variety of forms, often with salad dressing. NF EN ISO procedures (15216-1:2017) propose standard methods for quantifying NoV and HAV in high-risk food categories, such as vegetables, based on viral elution and PEG concentration methods, but these methods are not suitable for composite meals like salads dressed with oily, fatty or emulsified food ingredients.

Evaluation of methods for elution of HEV particles in naturally contaminated sausage, figatellu and pig liver.

Foodborne transmission of HEV is a growing public health concern in industrialised countries, where the disease is mainly autochthonous, caused by zoonotic HEV of either genotype 3 or 4. Foodstuffs containing pig's liver were suspected on several occasions to be the cause of autochthonous cases of HEV infection, while the transmission was associated with animal contact and the ingestion of raw or uncooked meat, especially liver. In assessing the risk related to the presence of HEV in food, detection methods were previously developed but HEV detection rates seem to vary with the type of samples and methods.

Development of a Real-Time Cell Analysis (RTCA) Method as a Fast and Accurate Method for Detecting Infectious Particles of the Adapted Strain of Hepatitis A Virus.

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is one of the most common agents causing acute liver disease worldwide. HAV has been increasingly reported as the cause of foodborne disease outbreaks. The standard method currently available for detection of the genome of HAV in vulnerable foodstuffs is by RT-qPCR (ISO 15216).

Discrimination of infectious and heat-treated norovirus by combining platinum compounds and real-time RT-PCR.

Human noroviruses (NoV) are major agents of foodborne outbreaks. Because of the lack of a standardized cell culture method, real-time reverse transcriptase PCR is now commonly used for the detection of NoV in foodstuffs and environmental samples. However, this approach detects the viral nucleic acids of both infectious and non-infectious viruses and needs to be optimized to predict infectivity for public health risk assessment.

Digital RT-PCR method for hepatitis A virus and norovirus quantification in soft berries.

Raw fruits may harbour many pathogens of public health concern including enteric viruses, which are the leading cause of foodborne outbreaks. Recently, consumption of soft berries has been associated with increasing reports of norovirus and hepatitis A virus outbreaks in Europe. Due to their low infectious doses and low concentrations in food samples, an efficient and sensitive analytical method is required for virus detection.

Comparison of three extraction methods to detect noroviruses in dairy products.

Noroviruses (NoV) are currently the most common cause of viral foodborne diseases and RT-qPCR is widely used for their detection in food because of its sensitivity, specificity and rapidity. The ISO/TS (15216-1, 15216-2) procedures for detecting NoV and HAV in high-risk food categories such as shellfish, bottled water and vegetables were published in 2013. Milk products are less implicated in foodborne viral outbreaks but they can be contaminated with fruit added to these products or by the food handler.

Quantification of Hepatitis E Virus in Naturally-Contaminated Pig Liver Products.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV), the cause of self-limiting acute hepatitis in humans, is widespread and endemic in many parts of the world. The foodborne transmission of HEV has become of concern due to the identification of undercooked pork products as a risk factor for infection. Foodborne enteric viruses are conventionally processed by quantitative RT-PCR (RT-qPCR), which gives sensitive and quantitative detection results.

Determination of which virus to use as a process control when testing for the presence of hepatitis A virus and norovirus in food and water.

Noroviruses (genogroup I (NoV GI) and genogroup II (NoV GII)) and the hepatitis A virus (HAV) are frequently involved in foodborne infections worldwide. They are mainly transmitted via the fecal-oral route, direct person-to-person contact or consumption of contaminated water and foods. In food virology, detection methods are currently based on identifying viral genomes using real-time reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-qPCR).

Method for HEV detection in raw pig liver products and its implementation for naturally contaminated food.

It is now recognized that Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is not confined to developing countries. HEV infection is a growing public health concern in industrialized countries where the disease is mainly autochthonous, caused by HEV genotypes 3 and 4 and is today considered to be zoonotic. HEV causes acute hepatitis in humans, predominantly through contamination of food and water.

Duplex RT-qPCR for the detection of hepatitis E virus in water, using a process control.

Human hepatitis E virus (HEV) causes acute hepatitis in humans, predominantly by contamination of food and water. HEV, in particular genotype III, is currently considered to be an emerging pathogen in industrialized countries. Because of the low infectious dose, an efficient and rapid virus concentration method is required to detect low amounts of HEV in food and water samples for routine control.

Comparison of two extraction methods for the detection of hepatitis A virus in semi-dried tomatoes and murine norovirus as a process control by duplex RT-qPCR.

Enteric viruses are important agents of foodborne diseases. Due to their low infectious doses and low concentrations in food samples, an efficient and rapid virus concentration method is required for routine control. Because of the absence of a reliable cell culture method for most of the enteric viruses involved in outbreaks, reverse transcription quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) is now widely used for the detection of RNA viruses in food samples.

Duplex real-time qRT-PCR for the detection of hepatitis A virus in water and raspberries using the MS2 bacteriophage as a process control.

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection is the leading worldwide cause of acute viral hepatitis. An important aspect of viral control is rapid diagnosis. Epidemiological studies have linked hepatitis A outbreaks to the consumption of drinking water or soft fruits exposed to faecal contamination.

Use of a robotic RNA purification protocol based on the NucliSens easyMAG for real-time RT-PCR detection of hepatitis A virus in bottled water.

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection is the leading cause of acute viral hepatitis throughout the world. An important part of viral control is rapid detection of HAV in drinking water contaminated with feces. One critical step in HAV detection methods is sample preparation.