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Occurrence of Norovirus, Rotavirus, Hepatitis a Virus, and Enterovirus in Berries in Argentina

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Abstract

Berries have been implicated as the probable vehicle of infection in multiple outbreaks of norovirus and hepatitis A virus (HAV). These foods often receive minimal or no processing and may be exposed to virus contamination at each stage of production. In an increasingly globalized world, berries have a wide distribution and can give rise to the spread of diseases in distant parts of the world. With the aim of describing the virological quality of the berries cultivated in Argentina, a total of 184 soft fruits of different varieties (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, currants, pomegranate arils, cassis, and elder) were collected during the periods 2016–2018 and 2020. Viral particles were eluted and concentrated by polyethylene glycol precipitation according to ISO 15216-2:2019 guidelines. Genome detection of norovirus (NoV) genogroups I (GI) and II (GII), HAV, rotavirus, and enterovirus was performed by real-time RT-PCR with TaqMan probes. Positive samples were amplified by conventional RT-PCR and the amplicons were purified and sequenced in both directions. Phylogenetic analysis was performed using the Neighbor-Joining method based on the evolutionary model Kimura-2-parameters. NoV GII.6 was detected in 1/184 (0.5%) of the soft fruits, corresponding to a raspberry sample obtained during the fall of 2017. No presence of other human enteric viruses was found in the other berries analyzed. The collected data are the first in Argentina in relation to the prevalence of enteric viruses in berries and is useful as reference data for a risk assessment of soft fruits as vehicles of foodborne pathogenic viruses.

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Funding

This work was supported by the National Agency for Scientific and Technical Promotion (PICT 2018-04224). J.M.O. and P.B. are members of the researcher career program of CONICET, Argentina. V.E.P. is a recipient of a CONICET fellowship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratorio de Microbiología de los Alimentos, Centro de Investigación y Asistencia Técnica a la Industria (CIATI), Expedicionarios del Desierto 1310, 8309, Centenario, Neuquen, Argentina

    Juan Martín Oteiza, Dayana Pereyra, María Virginia Jaureguiberry & Patricia Angélica Barril

  2. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Juan Martín Oteiza, Verónica Emilse Prez & Patricia Angélica Barril

  3. Laboratorio de Gastroenteritis Virales, Instituto de Virología “Dr. J. M. Vanella”, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Enfermera Gordillo Gómez s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, 5016, Córdoba, Argentina

    Verónica Emilse Prez

  4. Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Faculty of Food Engineering, University of Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil

    Anderson S. Sant’Ana

  5. Departamento de Tecnologías de Conservación y Seguridad Alimentaria, Instituto de Agroquímica y Tecnología de Alimentos – Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IATA-CSIC), C/ Catedrático Agustín Escardino Benlloch 7, 46980, Paterna, Valencia, Spain

    Gloria Sánchez

  6. Laboratorio de Gastroenteritis Virales, Instituto de Virología “Dr. J. M. Vanella”, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Enfermera Gordillo Gómez s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, 5000, Córdoba, Argentina

    Verónica Emilse Prez

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  1. Juan Martín Oteiza
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  3. Dayana Pereyra
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  7. Patricia Angélica Barril
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Oteiza, J.M., Prez, V.E., Pereyra, D. et al. Occurrence of Norovirus, Rotavirus, Hepatitis a Virus, and Enterovirus in Berries in Argentina. Food Environ Virol 14, 170–177 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12560-022-09518-z

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