title: Thermal inactivation of infectious hepatitis E virus in experimentally contaminated food.
abstract: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection of zoonotic origin is an emerging concern in industrialized countries. In the past few years, several cases of zoonotic hepatitis E have been identified and the consumption of food products derived from pork liver have been associated with clusters of human cases. More specifically, raw or undercooked pork products have been incriminated. Few data on the effect of heating on HEV inactivation in food products are available. In the present study, the various times and temperatures that are used during industrial processing of pork products were applied to experimentally contaminated food preparations. After treatment, the presence of residual infectious virus particles was investigated using real-time reverse transcription-PCR and an in vivo experimental model in pigs. Results show that heating the food to an internal temperature of 71°C for 20 min is necessary to completely inactivate HEV. These results are very important for determining processing methods to ensure food safety in regard to food-borne hepatitis E.
authors.affiliation: UMR 1161 Virology, Anses, Laboratoire de Santé Animale, Maisons-Alfort, France.
authors.forename: Elodie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Barnaud
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rogée
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Garry
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rose
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pavio
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001681:Biological Assay; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000517:prevention & control*; D059022:Food Safety / Q000379:methods*; D016752:Hepatitis E virus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D006358:Hot Temperature; D008099:Liver / Q000821:virology; D008460:Meat / Q000821:virology*; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D034421:Sus scrofa; D038301:Virus Inactivation
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D012367:RNA, Viral