Inactivation and elimination of human enteric viruses by Pacific oysters.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the comparative elimination of three different human enterically transmitted viruses [i.e. hepatitis A virus (HAV), norovirus (NoV) and poliovirus (PV)] and inactivation of HAV and PV by Pacific oysters.


RESULTS
New Zealand grown Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) were allowed to bioaccumulate HAV, NoV and PV. Samples of oyster gut, faeces and pseudofaeces were then analysed by using real-time RT-PCR to determine the amount of viral RNA and cell culture methods to identify changes in the number of plaque forming units. The results suggest that the majority of the PV present in the oyster gut and oyster faeces is noninfectious, while in contrast, most of the HAV detected in the oyster gut are infectious. Depuration experiments identified a large drop in the count of PV in the gut over a 23-h cleansing period, whereas the levels of HAV and NoV did not significantly decrease.


CONCLUSIONS
Human enterically transmitted viruses are eliminated and inactivated at different rates by Pacific oysters.


CONCLUSIONS
The research presented in this article has implications for risk management techniques that are used to improve the removal of infectious human enteric viruses from bivalve molluscs.
McLeod
C
C
School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand.
Hay
B
B
Grant
C
C
Greening
G
G
Day
D
D
D000818:Animals; D049896:Crassostrea / Q000502:physiology / Q000821:virology*; D030041:Hepatitis A virus; D006801:Humans; D009520:New Zealand; D029322:Norovirus; D017955:Poliovirus / Q000235:genetics; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012327:RNA Virus Infections / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D012758:Shellfish / Q000821:virology*; D038301:Virus Inactivation
D012367:RNA, Viral