Abstract

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate that shellfish can be used to detect enteric viruses in marine waters where they are present at very low concentrations. Aqua-cultured mussels were placed in the sea just off the mouth of a drainage channel affected by human and animal faecal contamination. Samples were taken from the channel, the sea and the mussels at intervals over two 4-week periods. The samples were tested to verify the presence of both rotaviruses and E. coli. Rotaviruses were detected by Real Time-PCR, typed by multiplex PCR and subsequently sequenced. E. coli was enumerated in water matrices by a filtering method and in mussels by the MPN method. The presence of E. coli in the examined matrices demonstrates contamination of faecal origin throughout the studied environments. Rotaviruses were recorded in channel waters, but not in sea water. In both experiments, rotaviruses were detected in mussels 21 and 28 days after being placed in the sea water off the channel mouth. The use of mussels thus enabled the detection of rotaviruses in waters where the high dilution rendered direct investigation impossible. This study indicates that mussels can be used in marine virological surveillance programs. © 2012 Springer Science + Business Media, LLC.

Autore Pugliese

• De Donno Maria Antonella

Tutti gli autori

• De Donno A. , Grassi T. , Bagordo F. , Idolo A. , Serio F. , Gabutti G.

Titolo volume/Rivista

FOOD AND ENVIRONMENTAL VIROLOGY

Anno di pubblicazione

2012

ISSN

1867-0334

ISBN

Non Disponibile

Numero di citazioni Wos

4

Ultimo Aggiornamento Citazioni

28/04/2018

Numero di citazioni Scopus

4

Ultimo Aggiornamento Citazioni

22/04/2018

Settori ERC

Non Disponibile

Codici ASJC

Non Disponibile