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Projects for Specific Foodborne Pathogens

Noroviruses

Analytical development - Norovirus Detection (ESR Food, 2004-2006)

Robust detection methods for Noroviruses are necessary to underpin future NZFSA shellfish standards and Ministry of Health food-borne illness investigations. There is a need for continuing development of available methods because the rate of false negative results remains unknown. Inadequate methods expose New Zealand to risks from imported product. Improving methods to a regulatory standard will likely facilitate lot testing, validation of shellfish relaying standards, imported food clearances, and collection of robust data to underpin future quantitative risk assessment. The primary objective of this project is to reduce the time and costs of assay, increase the sensitivity of detection in shellfish and detect as many of the Norovirus strains known to be currently circulating in NZ as possible. The project will evaluate virus recovery methods and compare their usefulness, efficiency and ability to recover Noroviruses from shellfish; continue the development of a generic Norovirus real time RT-PCR assay and its application to shellfish; establish a methodology for the improvement of virus quantitation for Noroviruses in shellfish; and participate in EU validation trials.