Seasonal and regional prevalence of norovirus, hepatitis A virus, hepatitis E virus, and rotavirus in shellfish harvested from South Korea

- Norovirus genotype II was the most prevalent virus in Korean shellfish.
- Hepatitis E virus and rotavirus were not detected in Korean shellfish.
- The contamination rate of norovirus in mussels was higher than in oysters or Manila clams.
- The regional and seasonal prevalence of foodborne viruses were demonstrated in Korean shellfish.

Foodborne viruses such as norovirus (NoV), hepatitis A virus (HAV), hepatitis E virus (HEV), and rotavirus (RoV) are transmitted through water and food contaminated with stool. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of foodborne viruses in shellfish collected in South Korea using real-time RT-PCR. Virus was eluted from the stomach and the digestive diverticula of 152 shellfish (51 oysters, 51 Manila clams, and 50 mussels) and concentrated with polyethylene glycol precipitation. The detection rate of NoV genogroup II, NoV genogroup I, HAV, HEV, and RoV was 21.7%, 5.9%, 0.7%, 0%, and 0% of shellfish, respectively. Although the geographic distribution of NoV was statistically significant, prominent seasonal variation in NoV was not observed in this study. In order to reduce norovirus food poisoning in the public, it is important to prevent the contamination of NoV in shellfish in South Korea.