Dataset Information

A dynamic transport model for quantification of norovirus internalization in lettuce from irrigation water and associated health risk.

ABSTRACT: Food production using recycled wastewater offers a sustainable way forward in light of limited freshwater resources. However, concerns of food safety should be addressed to protect public health. To this end, we developed a dynamic transport model to track norovirus from the irrigation water to the root and shoot of lettuce during the growth period. These processes were embodied in a system of ordinary differential equations that also incorporated plant growth, transpiration rate, viral attachment and detachment to culture media, viral decay, and plant barrier effects. Model parameters were either obtained from the literature or through fitting the model to experimental data from a study reporting human norovirus transport in hydroponically grown lettuce. The results showed that lettuce grown hydroponically resulted in a higher risk than lettuce grown in soil. In both cases, the risk predicted failed to meet the risk benchmarks established by the U.S. EPA and WHO. Viral attachment to growth media, such as the soil particles, was an important mechanism for risk reduction. A sensitivity analysis revealed that harvesting time and irrigation time are important factors influencing the viral loads in lettuce. Hence, this pathogen transport model provides a framework for investigating the effects of time and other factors on disease burdens from water reuse in agriculture, underscoring the utility of a dynamic model. In the absence of a routine monitoring of contaminants in the recycled irrigation water and food crops, a quantitative risk assessment based on objective scientific knowledge is the best approach to guide the policy decisions on water reuse practices.

SUBMITTER: Chandrasekaran S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6138827 | biostudies-other | 2018 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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A dynamic transport model for quantification of norovirus internalization in lettuce from irrigation water and associated health risk.

Chandrasekaran Srikiran S Jiang Sunny C SC

The Science of the total environment 20180627

Food production using recycled wastewater offers a sustainable way forward in light of limited freshwater resources. However, concerns of food safety should be addressed to protect public health. To this end, we developed a dynamic transport model to track norovirus from the irrigation water to the root and shoot of lettuce during the growth period. These processes were embodied in a system of ordinary differential equations that also incorporated plant growth, transpiration rate, viral attachme ...[more]

PMID: 30189580

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Project description:It is accepted that irrigation water is a potential carrier of enteric pathogens, such as Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 and, therefore, a source for contamination of fresh produce. We tested this by comparing irrigation water samples taken from five different greenhouses in Belgium. The water samples were inoculated with four zoonotic strains, two Salmonella and two E. coli O157:H7 strains, and pathogen survival and growth in the water were monitored up till 14 days. The influence of water temperature and chemical water quality was evaluated, and the survival tests were also performed in water samples from which the resident aquatic microbiota had previously been eliminated by filter sterilization. The pathogen's survival differed greatly in the different irrigation waters. Three water samples contained nutrients to support important growth of the pathogens, and another enabled weaker growth. However, for all, growth was only observed in the samples that did not contain the resident aquatic microbiota. In the original waters with their specific water biota, pathogen levels declined. The same survival tendencies existed in water of 4 °C and 20 °C, although always more expressed at 20 °C. Low water temperatures resulted in longer pathogen survival. Remarkably, the survival capacity of two E. coli 0157:H7 strains differed, while Salmonella Thompson and Salmonella Typhimurium behaved similarly. The pathogens were also transferred to detached lettuce leaves, while suspended in two of the water samples or in a buffer. The effect of the water sample on the pathogen's fitness was also reproduced on the leaves when stored at 100% relative humidity. Inoculation of the suspension in buffer or in one of the water samples enabled epiphytic growth and survival, while the pathogen level in the other water sample decreased once loaded on the leaves. Our results show that irrigation waters from different origin may have a different capacity to transmit enteric pathogens and an important impact on the fitness of the pathogens to sustain and even grow on the leaf surface.

Dataset Information

A dynamic transport model for quantification of norovirus internalization in lettuce from irrigation water and associated health risk.

Publications

A dynamic transport model for quantification of norovirus internalization in lettuce from irrigation water and associated health risk.

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