Norovirus in foods

Abstract

Introduction: Noroviruses (NoV) are important causative agents of foodborne gastroenteritis outbreaks associated with the consumption of fruits, leafy vegetables, bivalve molluscs and delicatessen foods. The establishment of laboratory surveillance networks in different continents has demonstrated increased epidemiological importance of those viruses. In Brazil, the NoV infection is considered an important public health issue with socioeconomic burden, but the investigation of these viruses in foodborne outbreaks is still restricted to research laboratories. NoV infections have become more known especially with the consolidation of the cruise ship market in the country since 2004. Objective: This study aims to present advances related to NoV research in foods, highlighting features of this pathogen and strategies for its detection in these matrices. Method: An integrative review, collecting scientific articles with the objective of dealing with the main aspects of NoV, was carried out. Results: A broad literature review was performed, describing the main results in the literature and discussing aspects such as foodborne diseases, viruses as food contaminants, stability and disinfection, foodborne outbreaks associated with NoV, food associated with NoV contamination, NoV concentration and detection methods in food, risk assessment studies and prevention and control. Conclusions: records of foodborne outbreaks associated with NoV and the increasing genetic diversity of these viruses reinforce the need for laboratory and epidemiological surveillance, especially in developing countries, such as Brazil.