Norovirus contamination on French marketed oysters
Contaminaded shellfish have been implicated in gastroenteritis outbreaks in different countries. As no regulation has been set up yet regarding viral contamination of food, very few data are available on the prevalence of contamined products on the market. This study presents data obtained from oysters collected on the French market in one producing area over a 16 month period of time. Noroviruses were detected in 9% of samples with a seasonal impact and influence of climatic events. Contamination levels were low and, surprisingly, oysters sampled directly from the producer were found to have less contamination than oystes from supermarkets.
Schaeffer Julien, Le Saux Jean-Claude, Lora Monica, Atmar Robert L., Le Guyader Soizick (2013). Norovirus contamination on French marketed oysters. International Journal Of Food Microbiology. 166 (2). 244-248. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2013.07.022, https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00152/26367/