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Swab Sampling Method for the Detection of Human Norovirus on Surfaces
Published on: February 6, 2017
Systematic evaluation of the micro-volume PEG-enrichment pretreatment for norovirus detection across seven
Yuanling Chen1, Junshan Gao2, Yongqing Liu2
1State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, National Health Commission Science and Technology Innovation Platform for Nutrition and Safety of Microbial Food, Key Laboratory of Big Data Technologies for Food Microbiological Safety, State Administration for Market Regulation, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, China; Food and Drug Laboratory, Guangdong Detection Center of Microbiology, China; College of Food Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, Guangdong, China.
Abstract:
Norovirus (NoV) is a major cause of foodborne gastroenteritis worldwide. Filter-feeding bivalves can accumulate NoV from aquatic environments and are important vehicles of foodborne transmission. Our group previously developed a micro-volume PEG-enrichment pretreatment (MEP) method for viruses in bivalves based on ISO 15216; however, its applicability in various bivalve species remains unclear. Therefore, this study systematically compared the MEP and ISO methods for NoV detection in seven commercial bivalve species: Crassostrea gigas, Mytilus galloprovincialis, Meretrix meretrix, Argopecten irradians, Tegillarca granosa, Ruditapes philippinarum and Sinonovacula constricta. HNoV recovery ranged from 2.15% to 4.79% using ISO and increased to 13.96%-56.69% using MEP, with significant interspecies differences (p < 0.05). Recovery was highest in Mytilus galloprovincialis (56.69 ± 1.92%), followed by Sinonovacula constricta (24.81 ± 1.63%) and Meretrix meretrix (23.31 ± 1.89%), and lowest in Tegillarca granosa (13.96 ± 1.22%). Virus concentrations obtained using the MEP method were 4.36- to 22.23-fold those obtained using the ISO method. RT-qPCR amplification efficiencies ranged from 70.66% to 104.35% for the ISO and from 65.67% to 99.46% for MEP, with significant interspecies differences (p < 0.05). In commercial bivalve samples analyzed using the MEP, process recovery and RT-qPCR amplification efficiency ranged from 7.67% to 51.79% and from 50.25% to 126.31%, respectively. Although virus recovery using the MEP varied among bivalve species, it was consistently higher than that obtained using the ISO method. Overall, the MEP method provides a high-performance and broadly applicable pretreatment strategy for NoV detection in bivalves, with potential for routine monitoring and surveillance.
