Viability RT-qPCR to detect potentially infectious enteric viruses on heat-processed berries

Berries have frequently been cited as causing gastroenteritis and acute hepatitis outbreaks due to enteric virus contamination, including human norovirus and hepatitis A virus (HAV). Model experiments were performed to evaluate the potential use of viability RT-qPCR to assess the thermal inactivation of norovirus genotype I (GI), GII, and HAV on raspberries, blueberries and strawberries. Initially, two viability markers, platinum chloride and propidium monoazide (PMAxx™), were compared using thermally inactivated norovirus GI and GII suspensions. The results showed better performance of PMAxx™ pretreatment in discriminating native and inactivated viruses. Thus, the pretreatment was optimize…