Enteric viruses in molluscan shellfish
Gabrieli, R.; Macaluso, A.; Lanni, L.; Saccares, S.; Di Giamberardino, F.; Cencioni, B.; Petrinca, A.R.; Divizia, M.
New Microbiologica 30(4): 471-475
2007
ISSN/ISBN: 1121-7138 PMID: 18080684 Document Number: 609046
One hundred and thirty-seven bivalves were collected for environmental monitoring and the market; all the samples were analysed by RT-PCR test. Bacteriological counts meeting the European Union shellfish criteria were reached by 69.5% of all the samples, whereas the overall positive values for enteric virus presence were: 25.5%, 18.2%, 8.0% and 2.1% for Rotavirus, Astrovirus, Enteroviruses, Norovirus, respectively. Mussels appear to be the most contaminated bivalves, with 64.8% of positive samples, 55.7% and 22.7% respectively for clams and oysters, whereas in the bivalves collected for human consumption 50.7% were enteric virus positive, as compared to 56.4% of the samples collected for growing-area classification. The overall positive sample was 54.0%.