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Survival and Elimination of Hepatitis E Virus: A Review

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Abstract

Recently, foodborne transmission of hepatitis E virus (HEV) has become a concern due to the identification of undercooked pork products as a risk factor for infection. The limited number of studies which have been performed indicate that HEV could remain infectious at temperatures used in some cooking regimes, although inactivation by heating at 71 °C for 20 min has been demonstrated. There are significant gaps in our knowledge regarding the survival of HEV in foods and the environment (including food contact surfaces), and also regarding the effect of elimination procedures used in food supply chain settings. The lack of a reliable infectivity assay has hampered extensive study. It is recommended that studies be undertaken to develop an efficient propagation system (based on in vitro cell culture), to facilitate the acquisition of extensive information on the survival of HEV in food and the environment, and its response to disinfection and elimination procedures.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the United Kingdom Food Standards Agency (Project FS101074). The authors thank Jonathan Stein and Karyn Pinnock for assistance with literature acquisition.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Food and Environment Research Agency, York, UK

    Nigel Cook

  2. Wageningen University Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    Wim H. M. van der Poel

  3. National Consortium for Zoonoses Research, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK

    Wim H. M. van der Poel

Authors
  1. Nigel Cook
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  2. Wim H. M. van der Poel
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Correspondence to Nigel Cook.

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Cook, N., van der Poel, W.H.M. Survival and Elimination of Hepatitis E Virus: A Review. Food Environ Virol 7, 189–194 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12560-015-9196-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12560-015-9196-2

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