Risk Assessment and Genotyping of Hepatitis A Virus in Fruit and Vegetable Products

This study explored risk assessment and genotyping of hepatitis A virus(HAV)in fruit and vegetable products. Two hundred and sixteen samples of fruit and vegetable products were examined by real-time RT-PCR. Six samples tested positive for hepatitis A virus, including frozen strawberries, frozen blueberries, frozen diced potatoes, frozen diced apple and frozen raspberries, accounting for 2.8% of the total samples tested. These six HAV isolates were genotyped by nested RT-PCR amplification, and a single band was detected in isolates from frozen diced apple(210-1999)and frozen blueberries(210-2002).These two isolates belong to the HAV IB subtype, based on analysis of evolution and homology. This study provides HAV risk information for fruit and vegetable enterprises and food safety management departments. Furthermore, it lays a foundation for HAV traceability, and provides technical support to ensure product safety for enterprises at critical control points including planting, harvest, processing and packaging. These results provide reliable data for epidemiological diagnosis.