Outbreak of Hepatitis A in Italy Associated with Frozen Redcurrants Imported from Poland: A Case Study

V Terio; M Bottaro; A Di Pinto; C Catella; M Chironna; G Bozzo; D H Kingsley; E Bonerba; A Morea; V Martella

doi:10.1007/s12560-015-9199-z

Outbreak of Hepatitis A in Italy Associated with Frozen Redcurrants Imported from Poland: A Case Study

Food Environ Virol. 2015 Sep;7(3):305-8. doi: 10.1007/s12560-015-9199-z. Epub 2015 May 23.

Authors

V Terio¹, M Bottaro, A Di Pinto, C Catella, M Chironna, G Bozzo, D H Kingsley, E Bonerba, A Morea, V Martella

Affiliation

¹ Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", S.p. per Casamassima Km 3, Valenzano, 70010, Bari, Italy, [email protected].

PMID: 26001535
DOI: 10.1007/s12560-015-9199-z

Abstract

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) was detected in a batch of imported non-packaged frozen redcurrants purchased in a Bari grocery. Sequence and phylogenetic analysis showed the HAV strain clustered tightly with the HAV strain from the 2013 Italian epidemic, providing additional evidence that frozen redcurrants were the main vehicle of the HAV outbreak.

MeSH terms

Disease Outbreaks
Fruit / economics
Fruit / virology*
Hepatitis A / epidemiology
Hepatitis A / virology*
Hepatitis A virus / classification
Hepatitis A virus / genetics
Hepatitis A virus / isolation & purification*
Humans
Italy / epidemiology
Molecular Sequence Data
Phylogeny
Poland
RNA, Viral / genetics
Ribes / virology*

Substances

RNA, Viral