Norovirus Distribution within an Estuarine Environment

• Published in: Applied and Environmental Microbiology Vol. 75; no. 17; pp. 5474 - 5480
• Main Authors: Gentry, Jennifer, Vinjé, Jan, Guadagnoli, Dominic, Lipp, Erin K
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Society for Microbiology 01.09.2009; American Society for Microbiology (ASM)
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Comparative analysis; DNA Primers - genetics; Estuaries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genomics; Genotype; Genotype & phenotype; Georgia; Humans; Microbiology; Norovirus; Norovirus - classification; Norovirus - genetics; Norovirus - isolation & purification; Ostreidae - virology; Oysters; Plankton; Public Health Microbiology; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Viral - genetics; Viruses; Water Microbiology; Zooplankton - virology; Georgia; Virus; Estuaries; Environment
• ISSN: 0099-2240; 1098-5336; 1098-6596
• DOI: 10.1128/AEM.00111-09

Human norovirus (NoV) has been studied extensively as an important cause of gastroenteritis outbreaks worldwide. While oysters are a primary vehicle for infection, few studies have examined the wider distribution of NoV in the estuarine environment. Active shellfish-harvesting areas in Georgia were examined for the prevalence, genotype diversity, and concentrations of NoV in a variety of estuarine sample types over the course of 1 year. Of the 225 samples (9 oyster, 72 water, 72 63- to 200-μm plankton, and 72 >200-μm plankton) collected from 12 stations across two estuaries, 21 samples (9.3%) tested positive for NoV. By sample type, 55.0% (5/9) of oysters, 8.3% (6/72) of water samples, 11.1% (8/72) of 63- to 200-μm plankton samples, and 2.8% (2/72) of >200-μm plankton samples were positive for human NoV. The two NoV-positive >200-μm plankton samples, which contained mainly zooplankton, had the greatest quantity of NoV genomes (3.5 x 10¹³ and 1.7 x 10¹⁵ genomes g⁻¹) of any sample tested. The majority, 90.5% (19/21), of the samples tested positive for genogroup I NoV, and only 9.5% (2/21) of the samples tested positive for genogroup II. The high concentrations of NoV in plankton samples compared to water and oyster samples were unexpected and provide new insights into the presence and distribution of human NoV in the water environment.