Oyster Crassostrea gigas, a good model for correlating viral and chemical contamination in the marine environment

To establish a relationship between viruses and chemicals, they were analysed in oyster Crassostrea gigas from an Italian experimental station. The chemicals concentrations were: Sigma 6 NDL-PCBs 0.82-7.12 ng g(-1); BaP LOQ (<0.2 mu g kg(-1)) to 1.2 mu g kg(-1); PAH4 LOQ (<0.2 mu g kg(-1)) to 9.8 mu g kg(-1); Cd 0.073-0.365 mg kg(-1); Pb 0.010-0.487 mg kg(-1); and Hg < LOQ (0.089 mg kg(-1)). The viruses identified included: noroviruses (NoVGI/GII), astrovirus (AsV), rotavirus (RV), adenovirus (AdV), and sapovirus (SaV), while hepatitis A, hepatitis E, and Aichi viruses were not detected. Significant correlations were observed for NDL-PCBs with NoVGI, NoVGII, and AdV; BaP and PAH4 with NoVGI and AsV; Cd with RV; Pb with NoVGI and AsV; PAHs with Pb; AsV with NoVGI; and AdV with NoVGII. The study indicated as C. gigas is a model for correlating pollutants and foodborne viruses, whose co-presence may represent an additional food safety risk.

Automated summary

The study indicates the oyster Crassostrea gigas can be used as a model for correlating pollutants and foodborne viruses, with significant correlations observed between various chemical concentrations and the presence of viruses. This suggests that the co-presence of pollutants and viruses may pose an additional food safety risk.