Foodborne spread of hepatitis A: Recent studies on virus survival, transfer and inactivation

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is responsible for considerable morbidity and economic losses worldwide, and is the only reportable, foodborne viral pathogen in Canada. Outbreaks caused by it occur more frequently in settings such as hospitals, daycare centres, schools, and in association with foods and food service establishments. In recent years, the incidence of hepatitis A has increased in Canada. Many factors, including changing lifestyles and demographics, faster and more frequent travel, and enhanced importation of foods from hepatitis A-endemic regions, may be behind this increase. Despite its increasing significance as a human pathogen, not much was known until recently about the survival and inactivation of HAV, and even less was understood about the effectiveness of measures to prevent and control its foodborne spread. Studies conducted in the past decade have shown that HAV can survive for several hours on human hands and for several days on environmental surfaces indoors. The virus can also retain its infectivity for several days on fruits and vegetables which are often consumed raw, and such imported items have already been incriminated in disease outbreaks. Casual contact between contaminated hands and clean food items can readily lead to a transfer of as much as 10% of the infectious virus. HAV is also relatively resistant to inactivation by heat, gamma irradiation and chemical germicides. In view of these findings, better approaches to prevent the contamination of foods with HAV and more effective methods for its inactivation in foods, on environmental surfaces and on the hands of food handlers are needed.