Occurrence of Human Enteric Adenoviruses in Fresh Tropical Seafood from Retail Markets and Landing Centers

Abstract

Human adenoviruses (HAdVs) are the foodborne enteric pathogens transmitted by the consumption of contaminated shellfish. In this study, the occurrence of enteric adenoviruses in finfish and shellfish was investigated by virus concentration and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Total plate count, total coliform, and fecal coliform levels were determined and correlated with the presence of adenovirus. Samples of fish, bivalve mollusks, crustaceans, and cephalopods were collected from supermarkets, landing centers, and retail fish markets of Mumbai, India for the study. Overall, the adenovirus DNA was detected in 21.27% of all the samples analyzed. The highest incidence was detected in clams (14.89%), followed by oysters, shrimps, and finfish (2.13% each). High prevalence of enteric adenovirus in filter‐feeding bivalves, such as clams and oysters, as well as in fish suggests persistent fecal contamination of coastal waters in the region of study. The occurrence of adenoviruses in samples showed a positive correlation with the bacteriological indicators of fecal contamination, suggesting that fecal indicator bacteria may be used to monitor the presence of adenoviruses in seafood. Practical Application This research demonstrates the occurrence of human adenoviruse (HAdV) in fresh seafood and the utility of fecal coliforms as indicators of HAdV presence in seafood. The study emphasizes the need to identify HAdV in seafood as a human health hazard and implement measures to prevent sewage pollution of fish and shellfish harvesting areas in India.

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

“…In our study, HAdV was the second most frequently detected virus. Few studies have reported the presence of HAdV in shellfish, with similar or higher detection rates than ours such as in India, where authors detected HAdV DNA in 21.3% of seafood samples analyzed from retail markets of Mumbai [14]. In Japan, HAdV was found in 52% of the packages of clams [82].…”

“…In recent years, reports of foodborne illnesses of viral origin have increased significantly, and bivalve mollusks are one of the main food groups implicated in outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) or hepatitis [12,13]. Norovirus and hepatitis A (HAV) are the most common associated viruses; however, other viral agents, including rotavirus A (RVA), human adenovirus (HAdV), human bocavirus (HBoV), enterovirus, sapovirus, and astrovirus have been detected and/or implicated in foodborne diseases [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]. Aquaculture production of bivalve mollusks is mainly performed in open seawater systems, where they are exposed to any pollutant present in the seawater (enteric viruses, bacteria and microplastics) during their growth [23][24][25].…”

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

“…Fusco et al [ 48 ] reported the frequency of 5.6% of human mastadenovirus in bivalve samples collected in coastal areas of the Campania region in Southwestern Italy from 2015 to 2017. 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 ].…”