Evaluation of Norovirus Persistence on Farm and Agriculturally-relevant Environments

Abstract

Human norovirus (NoV) causes gastroenteritis worldwide and has been associated with a number of produce related outbreaks. The design of effective inactivation and prevention procedures requires an understanding of virus survival in environments applicable to the production and processing of fresh produce. To evaluate the extent of NoV risk from farm to fork, the survival of murine norovirus (MNV), a surrogate for human NoV, was studied on stainless steel disks, soil and in bottled water for 42 days and on lettuce for 15 days in the laboratory. Stability experiments were then conducted on farm during one lettuce planting/harvest cycle, for 4 weeks. MNV stability was tested at room temperature in the laboratory or under ambient conditions on the farm. A one log reduction in virus titre was achieved after 30 days in water, 4 days on lettuce, 15 days on stainless steel disks, 12 days on loamy and sandy soil. For farm testing, infectious virus was recovered from both soil and lettuce on the day of inoculation. Although infectious virus was not recovered at later time points, the viral genomes were detected for up to four weeks. The observed long-term persistence of NoV, under both laboratory and field conditions, provides valuable information for developing risk assessments and control procedures to limit the possibility for NoV transmission in the food supply.