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A farm-to-consumption quantitative microbiological risk assessment for hepatitis E in pigs
Neil Wilkins1, Matteo Crotta1, Pachka Hammami2
1Department of Epidemiological Sciences, Animal and Plant Health Agency, Surrey, UK.
Summary
A quantitative risk assessment for hepatitis E virus (HEV) in pork products found sliced liver poses the highest infection risk. The study highlights the importance of using infectious HEV, not just HEV RNA, for accurate consumer risk evaluation.
Area of Science:
- Food safety
- Microbiology
- Risk assessment
Background:
- Foodborne transmission is a significant route for human hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection in Europe.
- Pork products are a common source of HEV infection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a quantitative microbiological risk assessment (QMRA) for HEV infection from consuming pork products.
- To model HEV transmission from farm to human consumption, including cross-contamination and thermal inactivation.
Main Methods:
- Developed a detailed QMRA model for HEV infection from liver pâté, minced meat, and sliced liver.
- Incorporated within-farm transmission dynamics and microbiological processes.
- Used HEV RNA and infectious HEV, with adjustment factors where data were lacking.
Main Results:
- Sliced liver presented the highest risk of HEV infection in France.
- Minced meat posed a lower risk, with significantly fewer predicted human cases.
- Liver pâté showed no risk of infectious HEV despite detectable HEV RNA, emphasizing the need for accurate microbiological variables.
Conclusions:
- The QMRA model is a valuable tool for assessing HEV risk in pork products.
- Accurate assessment requires using infectious HEV levels, not just HEV RNA.
- The model can inform control strategies along the pork supply chain to mitigate HEV transmission.
