Depuration of Mytilus galloprovincialis experimentally contaminated with hepatitis A virus.
Mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) were contaminated with known amounts of laboratory strains of hepatitis A virus and Poliovirus 1 and the effectiveness of a self-cleansing mechanism was studied using a pilot depuration system. Both viruses were rapidly bioaccumulated by mussels and the maximal concentration of about 10(4) TCID50/ml was reached within 1.5 hours. Depuration was carried out up to 24 h; infectivity titer decreased to 10(2) TCID50/ml and 10(3.2) TCID50/ml within 6 h in hepatitis A virus and Poliovirus 1 contaminated mussels, respectively, but only a very slight further decrease was obtained after 24 h. E. coli was used as a control; within 24 h the concentration decreased from 40 to 2 bacteria/ml of mussel (MPN). The elimination of bacteria is not a reliable parameter to control the effectiveness of viral depuration.
Franco
E
E
Department of Public Health, II University Tor Vegata, Rome, Italy.
Toti
L
L
Gabrieli
R
R
Croci
L
L
De Medici
D
D
Panà
A
A
D000818:Animals; D049872:Bivalvia / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000502:physiology; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000254:growth & development; D005516:Food Microbiology; D006507:Hepatovirus / Q000254:growth & development*; D017955:Poliovirus / Q000254:growth & development; D012623:Seawater