Heat-inactivated Hepatitis A virus RNA remained detectable by RT-qPCR for up to 90 days in water, on non-porous surfaces, and on blueberries, potentially confounding investigations of gastroenteritis outbreaks.
Non-infectious Hepatitis A virus RNA can persist for up to 90 days in water and on surfaces, highlighting the need for methods that discriminate between infectious virions and naked RNA to avoid confounding outbreak investigations.
Enteric viruses, such as human norovirus and hepatitis A virus (HAV), are the leading cause of transmissible foodborne illness. Fresh produce such as berries are often contaminated by infected food handlers, soiled water, or food contact surfaces. The gold-standard method for virus detection throughout the food chain is RT-qPCR, which detects portions of genomes including non-infectious viral particles and naked viral RNA. The aim of this study was to evaluate the persistence of heat-inactivated HAV in water, phosphate-buffered saline, on stainless steel and polyvinyl chloride, and on blueberries at −80°C, −20°C, 4°C, and room temperature. In water and phosphate-buffered saline, viral RNA could be detected for up to 90 days regardless of temperature when the initial load was 2.5 × 10 4 or 2.5 × 10 6 genome copies. It was detected on polyvinyl chloride and blueberries under most conditions. On stainless steel, the large initial load persisted for 90 days, while the medium-level load was detected only up to 16 days at room temperature or 60 days at 4°C. The detection of non-infectious viral RNA can confound investigations of gastroenteritis outbreaks. Pretreatments that discriminate between naked RNA, non-infectious virions and infectious virions need to be included in the RT-qPCR method in order to reduce the risk of positive results associated with non-infectious viral particles.
Trudel-Ferland et al. (Thu,) conducted a other in Hepatitis A Virus (HAV) persistence. Heat-inactivated Hepatitis A virus (HAV) vs. Negative procedural controls was evaluated on Persistence of detectable HAV RNA by RT-qPCR. Heat-inactivated Hepatitis A virus RNA remained detectable by RT-qPCR for up to 90 days in water, on non-porous surfaces, and on blueberries, potentially confounding investigations of gastroenteritis outbreaks.
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