Critical Review on the Public Health Impact of Norovirus Contamination in Shellfish and the Environment: A UK Perspective

We review the risk of norovirus (NoV) infection to the human population from consumption of contaminated shellfish. From a UK perspective, risk is apportioned for different vectors of NoV infection within the population. NoV spreads mainly by person-to-person contact or via unsanitary food handling. NoV also enters the coastal zone via wastewater discharges resulting in contamination of shellfish waters. Typically, NoV persists in the marine environment for several days, with its presence strongly linked to human population density, wastewater discharge rate, and efficacy of wastewater treatment. Shellfish bioaccumulate NoV and current post-harvest depuration is inefficient in its removal. While NoV can be inactivated by cooking (e.g. mussels), consumption of contaminated raw shellfish (e.g. oysters) represents a risk to human health. Consumption of contaminated food accounts for 3–11% of NoV cases in the UK (~74,000 cases/year), of which 16% are attributable to oyster consumption (11,800 cases/year). However, environmental and human factors influencing NoV infectivity remain poorly understood. Lack of standard methods for accurate quantification of infective and non-infective (damaged) NoV particles represent a major barrier, hampering identification of an appropriate lower NoV contamination limit for shellfish. Future management strategies may include shellfish quality assessment (at point of harvest or at point of supply) or harvesting controls. However, poor understanding of NoV inactivation in shellfish and the environment currently limits accurate apportionment and risk assessment for NoV and hence the identification of appropriate shellfish or environmental quality standards.     

国外食物系统研究综述及借鉴

食物关系到国计民生,食物的高效供给取决于食物系统的高效运转。目前国内食物系统视角的研究不足,系统梳理国外研究进展对我国食物系统研究具有积极的借鉴意义。为了更好地把握食物系统的研究脉络,论文通过对国外食物系统研究文献进行研读,在总结分析食物系统研究相关理论和方法的基础上,着重对食物系统的全球化与本地化、食物系统规划、食物系统的资源环境效应、食物安全与政策研究等问题进行了系统梳理。在借鉴国外食物系统研究的基础上,结合已有的研究基础和社会需求,提出未来我国食物系统领域的研究展望,包括开展不同尺度的食物系统实证研究、开展跨学科多领域的共同研究、食物系统定量指标体系设计问题研究、食物系统的利益相关者研究以及加强技术创新对食物系统的影响研究等。     

Reduction of Norovirus Surrogates Alone and in Association with Bacteria on Leaf Lettuce and Tomatoes During Application of Aqueous Ozone

Food and Environmental Virology - Retail foodservice establishments (FSE) frequently utilize washes with sanitizing agents during fresh produce preparation. This study evaluated the efficacy of...     

日本地震救灾志愿者活动述评

介绍日本地震救灾志愿者组织的早期形成和发展历程,结合日本的几次大地震归纳其志愿者活动的作用、管理、运行和发展概况。通过将我国汶川地震志愿者的救灾活动与日本的地震救灾志愿者行动进行对比,发现了我国地震救灾志愿者组织存在的问题,期望能对我国以后的地震救灾志愿者行动提供一些启示。     

翻滚安全性研究方法综述

首先对翻滚事故的分类、场景特征进行了归纳总结,然后从整车翻滚安全性试验方法、翻滚试验与翻滚事故场景的关联性、翻滚数值模拟方法等几个方面,对翻滚安全性的研究现状进行了阐述.目前研究认为,绊翻、抛翻、坠翻是发生比例最高的几类翻滚事故,绊翻试验(路缘绊翻及沙地翻滚)、螺旋翻滚试验、边坡翻滚试验方法能够覆盖大部分的翻滚事故场景.最后,分析了目前国内该领域研究存在的问题,未来还需在建立完整详细的翻滚事故数据库、形成科学合理的翻滚试验方法与规范、实现翻滚全过程的精细化数值模拟能力等方面加强研究.     

微流控免疫分析在环境与食品安全中的进展

微流控免疫分析是近年来发展起来的新型微全分析方法。微流控与免疫分析相结合,不仅可以利用抗原抗体的特异性生物识别反应弥补微流控分析在特异性、敏感性上的不足,同时又可以利用微流控分析快速、低消耗、集成化的特点,巧妙解决了传统免疫分析检测时间长、试剂昂贵、操作复杂等缺陷,非常适合环境、食品等复杂样品的检测。文章从高特异性与多元检测、复杂基质样品分析、微生物检测及微粒子免疫分离分析等几个方面,对近几年微流控免疫分析在环境与食品安全中的研究进展进行了总结,并展望了其应用前景。     

The Influence of Temperature on Norovirus Inactivation by Monochloramine in Potable Waters: Testing with Murine Norovirus as a Surrogate for Human Norovirus

Human noroviral infections are generally more common during winters in temperate regions. This study used a murine norovirus (MNV) as a human norovirus surrogate to test the effect of water temperature (4 and 25°C) on virus survival and its susceptibility to the levels of monochloramine (~1.89 ppm) to terminally disinfect municipally treated potable waters. The titre of MNV remained essentially unchanged for at least 24 h in raw river water at both temperatures. The virus became undetectable in <2 h in monochloramine-containing samples held at 25°C, but its titre remained virtually unaltered at 4°C (P < 0.05) under the same conditions. These findings strongly suggest that water temperature can influence the norovirucidal activity of monochloramine and its possible impact on the seasonality of outbreaks of noroviral infections.     

Detection of Hepatitis A Virus and Norovirus in Different Food Categories: A 6-Year Survey in Italy

Food and Environmental Virology - To observe the prevalence of contamination by hepatitis A virus (HAV) and norovirus (NoV) in different food types, 9242 samples were analyzed over a 6-year period...     

安全:食品企业的根本责任

<正>有媒体报道,美国富豪沃伦巴·菲特和比尔·盖茨近日要到中国来"布道",呼吁中国富人效仿他们的义举,捐出大部分身家财产做慈善。对此,国内公益领域资深人士徐永光先生却毫不留情地泼了一盆冷     

火山泥石流研究回顾

本文简要回顾了火山泥石流的研究历史,介绍了近年来这一领域的相关研究情况.主要内容包括火山泥石流的概念,形成机制及特征研究,火山泥石流的评估,火山泥石流的数学模型及数值模拟等.在论述这一领域相关研究进展的同时,对有关研究内容进行了评述和讨论,并对今后的研究工作提出了一些建议.     

食物损失和浪费研究综述及展望

近年来食物损失和浪费及其资源环境问题越来越成为全球关注的焦点,而减少食物损失和浪费也成为保障食物安全的另一条重要途径.论文结合国内外大量文献资料,综述了目前食物损失和浪费研究进展.结果显示,食物损失和浪费研究在国际上仍没有形成统一的方法论基础,研究工作仍有待进一步加强.首先,食物损失和浪费研究在全球尺度从概念界定、研究环节到研究方法尚缺乏统一的标准,不同研究结果之间难以比较;其次,经济欠发达国家和地区以及处于经济快速转型国家研究相对不足,主要集中在20 世纪70-80 年代,尤其是针对产后环节的损失研究较少,有必要进一步加强以上国家和地区的案例研究;再次,加强消费行为研究,通过改变消费者的行为来减少食物浪费,从而为政策制定者提供有效的干预手段,也是亟待加强的重要方面.在此基础上,研究展望了未来加强食物损失和浪费研究的重要性,以期综合不同途径来减少食物损失和浪费.     

活动断层若干问题研究回顾

简要回顾了活动断层的研究历史,重点介绍了近年来这一领域的相关情况.内容包括活动断层的概念.研究方法、危险性分析等.在论述研究进展的同时,对有关研究内容进行了评述和讨论,并对今后的研究工作提出了一些建议.     

Norovirus Outbreaks on Commercial Cruise Ships: A Systematic Review and New Targets for the Public Health Agenda

Noroviruses are recognized as the leading cause of human acute viral gastroenteritis worldwide. The rate of outbreaks on cruise ships has grown significantly in recent years. Given the potentially harmful consequences of outbreaks for passengers and crewmembers and the subsequently high costs for cruise companies, disease outbreaks on cruise ships represent a serious public health issue. The aim of our study was to systematically review published studies related to Norovirus outbreaks on commercial cruise ships. We searched the PubMed and Scopus scientific databases. We included eligible studies published from January 1990 to July 2013 that were written in English and described infectious episodes involving at least two passengers and/or crewmembers on a commercial cruise ship. As a result, 15 studies and seven reviews met the inclusion criteria, describing a total of 127 outbreaks. The majority of the cases were reported in Europe and the USA, affecting <1 to 74 % of the embarked passengers. In the majority of the studies, stool samples and/or serum specimens from ill passengers were collected and tested for laboratory confirmation. Twelve studies reported that an ad-hoc questionnaire was administered. Fifteen studies investigated the possible source of infection which was contaminated food in the majority of cases. Our findings suggest a strong need for the monitoring and implementation of preventive measures in semi-closed communities, such as cruise ships. It would be advisable to strengthen all relevant initiatives in order to improve the detection of, response to and control of Norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships.     

中国人口变化与食物安全：现实与出路

自有历史记载以来,由于食物安全与人类生存密切相关,因此食物安全成为了人类社会所关注的重大现实问题之一。近几十年来,人类居住的环境发生了重大变化,人口、耕地与粮食之间关系逐渐成为了人口资源环境领域的一个热点。尤其是随着人口规模、结构、分布等要素的变化以及全球经济一体化进程的推进,一个国家或者地区的食物安全问题也超出了国家或者地区的关注范畴,正在成为全世界共同瞩目的重要议题。     

两种水源性诺如病毒富集方法的比较

评估阳离子膜吸附-洗脱法和阴离子膜吸附-洗脱法在富集水源性诺如病毒（NV）过程中的病毒回收效果、消耗时间及使用成本,可以获得更适用于水源性诺如病毒实际监测工作的较优富集方法.以无锡市疾病预防控制中心保存的诺如病毒阳性标准质粒为模板,采用荧光定量RT-PCR（反转录酶-聚合酶链反应）方法绘制病毒定量标准曲线,并应用于病毒的绝对定量.将含诺如病毒的粪便悬液先稀释成3个不同浓度,并加入灭菌水中,分别经过阴离子膜（硝酸纤维素滤膜）或阳离子膜（Nanoceram膜）吸附洗脱,最终相同体积洗脱液提取核酸后用荧光定量RT-PCR方法进行绝对定量,并进一步计算最终病毒回收率.结果表明:①样本病毒浓度为8×101~8×1010 copies/μL时,病毒拷贝数的lg对数值与C_t（荧光定量PCR中达到设定阈值所经过的循环数）呈线性关系.②随着样本病毒浓度的增加,阴离子膜法和阳离子膜法的病毒回收率都相应增加.③当检测样本中病毒浓度分别为8×101、4×102 copies/μL时,阴离子膜法回收率分别为22.2%±4.1%和36.8%±6.2%,阳离子膜法回收率分别为17.4%±1.5%和28.8%±6.1%,说明阴离子膜吸附-洗脱法对病毒的富集回收率显著高于阳离子膜吸附-洗脱法（P < 0.05）.研究显示,综合富集效果、耗费时间和成本等因素,阴离子膜吸附-洗脱法比阳离子膜吸附-洗脱法更适用于日常水源性诺如病毒的富集工作.      

Performance of Manufacturer Cleaning Recommendations Applied to 3D Food Ink Capsules for the Control of a Human Norovirus Surrogate

With the widespread availability of 3D food printing systems for purchase, users can customize their food in new ways. Manufacturer recommendations for cleaning these machines remain untested with regard to the prevention of foodborne pathogen transmission. This study aimed to determine if manufacturer cleaning recommendations for food ink capsules utilized in 3D food printers are adequate to control human norovirus (HuNoV). A HuNoV surrogate, Tulane virus (TuV; ~?6 log₁₀ PFU/mL), was inoculated onto the interior surface of stainless steel food ink capsules. Capsules were either unsoiled or soiled with one of the following: butter, protein powder solution, powdered sugar solution, or a mixture containing all three food components. The capsules were allowed to dry and then one of three hygienic protocols was applied: manual washing (MW), a dishwasher speed cycle (DSC), or a dishwasher heavy cycle (DHC). The interaction effect between DSC and pure butter was a significant predictor of log reduction (P?=?0.0067), with the pure butter and DSC combination achieving an estimated mean log reduction of 4.83 (95% CI 4.13, 5.59). The DSC was the least effective method of cleaning when compared with MW and the DHC. The 3-way interaction effects between wash type, soil, and capsule position were a significant predictor of log reduction (P?=?0.00341). Capsules with butter in the DSC achieved an estimated mean log reduction of 2.81 (95% CI 2.80, 2.83) for the front-most position versus 6.35 (95% CI 6.33, 6.37) for the back-most position. Soil matrix, cleaning protocol, and capsule position all significantly impact capsule cleanability and potential food safety risk. The DHC is recommended for all capsules, and the corners should be avoided when placing capsules into the dishwasher. The current study seeks to provide recommendations for users of additive manufacturing and 3D food printing including consumers, restaurants, industry, and regulatory industries.

     

Application of a Swab Sampling Method for the Detection of Norovirus and Rotavirus on Artificially Contaminated Food and Environmental Surfaces

Noroviruses and rotaviruses are the leading causes of non-bacterial gastroenteritis in humans worldwide. Virus-contaminated food and surfaces represent an important risk to public health. However, established detection methods for the viruses in food products are laborious and time-consuming. Here, we describe a detailed swabbing protocol combined with real-time RT-PCR for norovirus and rotavirus detection on artificially contaminated food and environmental surfaces. Recovery rates between 2 and 78% for norovirus and between 8 and 42% for rotavirus were determined for contaminated food surfaces of apple, pepper, cooked ham and salami. From contaminated environmental surfaces (stainless steel, ceramic plate, polyethylene, wood), recovery rates between 26 and 52% (norovirus) and between 10 and 58% (rotavirus) were determined. The results demonstrate the suitability of the swab sample method for virus detection on food and environmental surfaces. Compared to other methods, it is easy to perform and significantly time-saving, predestining it for routine testing.     

"21世纪的食物":寻找增进食物链可持续性的措施和工具的研究计划

"21世纪的食物",是一项包括整个农业食物链的跨学科研究计划,于1997～2004年在瑞典实施.该研究所面临的挑战是为整个食物链中存在的不可持续的活动提出环境分析工具和解决方案.这需要科学家和食物链利益相关人紧密合作.本文提出了一整套以可持续食物生产为特征的目标方案.综合和系统分析是用来分析拟定变化的可持续性的主要工具.在本文中我们对"21世纪的食物"的概念进行概述,同时着重说明一些结论.例如,我们发现:就环境影响和产品质量而言,总体上来说,有机农业及其产品并不比常规的产品和方法优越.项目所采用的一些管理经验非常独特,这也是项目成功完成的重要原因,所以本文中我们对此也进行了总结.