[Hepatitis A virus detection in shellfish from Tunisia by reverse transcription-nested PCR--investigation of a correlation between viral and bacterial contamination].
OBJECTIVE
We aimed at evaluating the contamination by hepatitis A virus (HAV) of 54 shellfish samples collected from five Tunisian shellfish harvesting areas and finding a correlation between bacterial and viral contamination.


METHODS
Fifty-four shellfish samples were analysed in our study. Two methods of viral extraction were evaluated by reverse transcription-nested PCR. The first one was based on elution by glycine solution and the second one used a beef extract solution. Bacteriological determination (Samonella and E. coli) was carried out for all shellfish samples.


RESULTS
Glycine extraction showed a higher detection rate of HAV compared to the saline beef extraction method. The hepatitis A virus was detected in 32 % of shellfish samples analysed. None of the samples revealed the presence of Samonella. From 17 samples positive for HAV, we found six samples showing a number of E. coli below the European legislation.


CONCLUSIONS
An important HAV contamination was observed in our study. No correlation between bacterial and viral contamination was found.
Amri
I
I
CNSTN, laboratoire de microbiologie et biologie moléculaire, pôle technologique, 2020 Sidi Thabet, Tunisie.
Hmaïed
F
F
Loisy
F
F
Lebeau
B
B
Barkallah
I
I
Saidi
M
M
Slim
A
A
D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005516:Food Microbiology / Q000379:methods*; D030041:Hepatitis A virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012475:Salmonella / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012758:Shellfish / Q000821:virology*; D014416:Tunisia
D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004279:DNA, Viral