Norovirus cannot be cultured in the laboratory despite many efforts to do so.

Workshop considers public health impact from norovirus

Key priorities for research on foodborne viruses have been highlighted in a new report.

In the Summary Report of Joint Scientific Workshop on Foodborne Viruses, researchers describe the outcome of a workshop held jointly by the Food Standards Agency and the European Safety Authority.

The workshop brought together academics, clinicians, veterinary surgeons and food industry regulators to consider public health impact from norovirus, hepatitis A and hepatitis E.

It also considered the feasibility of research to deliver benefits as the main criteria when deciding on the top research priorities.

“Addressing these research areas identified by the experts at the workshop would make an important contribution to assessing as well as managing risk posed by these viruses in foodstuffs,” said Dr Paul Cook, FSA head of microbiological risk assessment.

“This is a particular challenge for norovirus, which cannot be cultured in the laboratory despite many efforts to do so; hepatitis E virus has also proved difficult to culture,” he adds.

The five main research priorities identified at the workshop were:

• The development and validation of direct and indirect methods for assessment of hepatitis E virus infectivity;
• Establishing how the detection of norovirus in foodstuffs relates to public health risks;
• Development of methods to evaluate norovirus and hepatitis A infectivity from food samples;
• Development of standard methods and ISO methods for detection of hepatitis E virus in meat and meat products;
• Establishing the burden of hepatitis E virus infections in humans in Europe.
  

“We need to move beyond just identifying if a virus is present to measuring how much virus is there and whether it is infectious. This will help better understand the risks as well as the controls that are needed to protect consumers,” added Paul.

“Moving forward with further research in these areas we will enable us to better understand and control the contribution that norovirus, hepatitis A and E viruses make to the burden of foodborne disease in Europe.”

Image (C) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention