Detection and Molecular Characterization of Enteric Viruses in Bivalve Mollusks Collected in Arraial do Cabo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Abstract

Viral bivalve contamination is a recognized food safety hazard. Therefore, this study investigated the detection rates, seasonality, quantification, and genetic diversity of enteric viruses in bivalve samples (mussels and oysters). We collected 97 shellfish samples between March 2018 and February 2020. The screening of samples by qPCR or RT-qPCR revealed the detection of norovirus (42.3%), rotavirus A (RVA; 16.5%), human adenovirus (HAdV; 24.7%), and human bocavirus (HBoV; 13.4%). There was no detection of hepatitis A virus. In total, 58.8% of shellfish samples tested positive for one or more viruses, with 42.1% of positive samples contaminated with two or more viruses. Norovirus showed the highest median viral load (3.3 × 106 GC/g), followed by HAdV (median of 3.5 × 104 GC/g), RVA (median of 1.5 × 103 GC/g), and HBoV (median of 1.3 × 103 GC/g). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that norovirus strains belonged to genotype GII.12[P16], RVA to genotype I2, HAdV to types -C2, -C5, and -F40, and HBoV to genotypes -1 and -2. Our results demonstrate the viral contamination of bivalves, emphasizing the need for virological monitoring programs to ensure the quality and safety of shellfish for human consumption and as a valuable surveillance tool to monitor emerging viruses and novel variants.

Assessment of Gastroenteric Viruses in Marketed Bivalve Mollusks in the Tourist Cities of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2022

“…There is a need for additional data in several regions of the world, mainly Africa and South and Central America, where few studies have been conducted on viral contaminants in bivalves on a limited set of human viruses, which do not reflect the global situation [ 2 , 69 ]. Over the last few years, studies have reported bivalve contamination for enteric viruses in different sites on the Brazilian Southeastern coast, such as the estuary–lagoon complex of Cananéia, São Paulo [ 70 , 71 ], the mangrove estuary in the Vitória Bay region, Espírito Santo [ 72 ], and Arraial do Cabo, Rio de Janeiro [ 46 , 73 ], in relation to environmental studies.…”

“…In Mumbai, India, the incidence of human mastadenovirus in seafood from different landing centers and markets was 21%, with the highest incidence in clam samples (14.9%) [ 88 ]. Besides that, several environmental studies in Brazil have demonstrated high frequencies of the human mastadenovirus in coastal waters, lagoons, and bivalves [ 73 , 89 , 90 , 91 , 92 ]. The predominance of human mastadenovirus F40 and F41 corroborated with other studies, revealing the predominance of these types circulating in clinical samples in Brazil [ 93 , 94 , 95 ].…”

Exploring the Rotavirus Risk in Latin American Food and Water

“…RV has also been detected in recreational waters (swimming pools) in Brazil [50]. RV have been detected in mussels and oysters in Brazil [51,52,53,54]. In another study in Brazil, they have shown the presence of RV in pork, beef and chicken, which shows failures in the food handling process [55]; as well as in fresh vegetables, lettuce [56], cheeses and jellies in that country.…”

A Comprehensive Review for the Surveillance of Human Pathogenic Microorganisms in Shellfish

“…Other non-enteric viruses that are present in human excreta were also detected in BMS, such as SARS-CoV-2 ( Figure 2 and Supplementary Table S2 ), human polyomavirus JC [ 56 , 57 ] and the Merkel-cell polyomavirus [ 58 ]. In addition to these well-known human viruses, human bocaviruses, which are emerging enteric and/or respiratory viruses first identified in 2005 and are present in human sewage, were detected in BMS in all of the studies in which they were assessed [ 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 ], including in Italy, South-Africa, Thailand and Brazil. Human circoviruses, another group of recently discovered ubiquitous viruses also present in human stools, were detected in BMS in Norway [ 64 ].…”