Use of coliphages to investigate norovirus contamination in a shellfish growing area in Republic of Korea

Kyuseon Cho, Cheonghoon Lee, Sung Jun Park, Jin Hwi Kim, Yong Seon Choi, Man Su Kim, Eung Seo Koo, Hyun Jin Yoon, Joo Hyon Kang, Yong Seok Jeong, Jong Duck Choi, Gwang Pyo Ko

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

7 Scopus citations

Abstract

A number of severe norovirus outbreaks due to the consumption of contaminated shellfish have been reported recently. In this study, we evaluated the distribution of coliphage densities to determine their efficacy as fecal indicators of enteric viruses, including noroviruses, in water samples collected from a shellfish growing area in Republic of Korea over a period of approximately 1 year. Male-specific and somatic coliphages in water samples were analyzed using the single agar layer method, and norovirus genogroups I and II, which infect mainly humans, were analyzed using duplex reverse transcription quantitative PCR. Male-specific and somatic coliphages were detected widely throughout the study area. Several environmental parameters, including salinity, precipitation, temperature, and wind speed were significantly correlated with coliphage concentrations (P < 0.05). Moreover, the concentrations of male-specific coliphages were positively correlated with the presence of human noroviruses (r = 0.443; P < 0.01). The geospatial analysis with coliphage concentrations using a geographic information system revealed that densely populated residential areas were the major source of fecal contamination. Our results indicate that coliphage monitoring in water could be a useful approach to prevent norovirus contamination in shellfish.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)30044-30055
Number of pages12
JournalEnvironmental Science and Pollution Research
Volume25
Issue number30
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Oct 2018

Keywords

  • Geographic information system
  • Male-specific coliphages
  • Microbial source tracking
  • Norovirus
  • Shellfish
  • Somatic coliphages

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