Frozen berries and Hepatitis A virus

Australia : Frozen berries and hepatitis A virus

Frozen berries are often implicated in foodborne contamination  by hepatitis A virus, and the recent ongoing outbreak in Australia (http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/queenslanders-warned-nannas-frozen-berries-linked-to-hepatitis-a-outbreak-20150214-13ev2j.html)  adds up to a long list of food-borne outbreaks implicating  HAV virus. 

Europe : Frozen berries and HAV virus

The latest confirmed outbreak occurred in Europe :

OUTBREAK OF HEPATITIS A INFECTION ASSOCIATED WITH THE CONSUMPTION OF FROZEN BERRIES, IRELAND, 2013 - LINKED TO AN INTERNATIONAL OUTBREAK
http://www.eurosurveillance.org/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=20942

Just for 2014, the RASFF (Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed) published 5 alerts for hepatitis A virus : http://www.ceeram.com/images/stories/site_ANG/rasff2014.jpg

Hepatitis A Virus and frozen berries : a long-time known risk

Specific frozen berries were implicated in several other HAV world outbreaks including :

- frozen strawberries in Nordic countries in 2013,  in the US in 1997 and 1992,
- frozen raspberries in Scotland in 1987 and 1983,
- pomegranate seeds in the US in 2013 and Canada in 2012,
- fresh berries (blueberries) in New Zealand in 2003.

Hepatitis A virus : GAP, GMP, GHP and HACPP

Good Agricultural Practice, Good Manufacturing Practice, Good Hygiene Practice and HACPP plans are paramount to control food-borne viruses in food.

Food may be contaminated by virus during all stages of the food supply chain, and transmission can occur by consumption of food contaminated during the production process (primary production, or during further processing), or contaminated by infected food handlers. Viruses do not multiply in foods, but may persist for extended periods of time as infectious particles in the environment, or in foods. (http://www.efsa.europa.eu/fr/efsajournal/pub/2190.htm)

Hepatitis A Virus : a standardized ISO/TS 15216 method

ISO/TS 15216-1:2013 describes a method for quantification of levels of HAV and NoV genogroup I (GI) and II (GII) RNA, from test samples of foodstuffs or food surfaces. Following liberation of viruses from the test sample, viral RNA is then extracted by lysis with guanidine thiocyanate and adsorption on silica. Target sequences within the viral RNA are amplified and detected by real-time RT-PCR.

This approach is also relevant for detection of the target viruses on fomites, or of other human viruses in foodstuffs, on food surfaces or on fomites following appropriate validation and using target-specific primer and probe sets. (http://www.ceeram.com/iso-15216-virus-detection-food-rt-pcr.html)