Occurrence of Norovirus and Hepatitis A Virus RNA in Agricultural Soil from Produce Farms in Ohio and Georgia.
5 affiliations
- 1Office of Applied Microbiology and Technology, Human Foods Program, Food and Drug Administration, Laurel, MD 20708, USA.
- 2Department of Animal Sciences, College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, The Ohio State University, Wooster, OH 44691, USA.
- 3Department of Environmental Health Science, College of Public Health, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
- 4Division of Biological Sciences, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
- 5Accufy Diagnostics, Rockville, MD 20850, USA.
Abstract
Although foodborne viruses are considered ubiquitous in the environment, studies on their presence in soil are largely lacking. In this field study, 168 agricultural soil samples were collected from farms in Georgia and Ohio over seven and eight months, respectively. A total RNA isolation method was developed, and extracted genetic material was analyzed using reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) to detect human norovirus and hepatitis A virus (HAV) RNA. Nearly 6% of samples (n = 10) tested positive for HAV RNA, while norovirus genogroup I and II were detected in 1.2% (n = 2) and 0.6% (n = 1) of samples, respectively. Despite samples being stored at -20 °C for an average of two years prior to testing, viruses remained detectable, although in low levels. CrAssphage DNA and pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) RNA were assessed as indicators of human fecal contamination in positive samples; however, neither was detected, precluding any correlation with the viral pathogens-likely due to differing characteristics between the indicators and target viruses. These findings provide valuable insight into the prevalence and diversity of foodborne viruses in agricultural soil and highlight its potential as a vehicle for virus transport to other matrices within a fresh produce farm environment.
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BibTeX
@article{papafragkou2026occurrence,
title = {{Occurrence of Norovirus and Hepatitis A Virus RNA in Agricultural Soil from Produce Farms in Ohio and Georgia.}},
author = {Efstathia Papafragkou and Michael Kauffman and Gireesh Rajashekara and William Norfolk and Erin Lipp and Qianru Yang},
journal = {Viruses},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/v18101143},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42944062},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Occurrence of Norovirus and Hepatitis A Virus RNA in Agricultural Soil from Produce Farms in Ohio and Georgia.
AU - Efstathia Papafragkou
AU - Michael Kauffman
AU - Gireesh Rajashekara
AU - William Norfolk
AU - Erin Lipp
AU - Qianru Yang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/15
JO - Viruses
DO - 10.3390/v18101143
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42944062
AB - Although foodborne viruses are considered ubiquitous in the environment, studies on their presence in soil are largely lacking. In this field study, 168 agricultural soil samples were collected from farms in Georgia and Ohio over seven and eight months, respectively. A total RNA isolation method was developed, and extracted genetic material was analyzed using reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) to detect human norovirus and hepatitis A virus (HAV) RNA. Nearly 6% of samples (n = 10) tested positive for HAV RNA, while norovirus genogroup I and II were detected in 1.2% (n = 2) and 0.6% (n = 1) of samples, respectively. Despite samples being stored at -20 °C for an average of two years prior to testing, viruses remained detectable, although in low levels. CrAssphage DNA and pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) RNA were assessed as indicators of human fecal contamination in positive samples; however, neither was detected, precluding any correlation with the viral pathogens-likely due to differing characteristics between the indicators and target viruses. These findings provide valuable insight into the prevalence and diversity of foodborne viruses in agricultural soil and highlight its potential as a vehicle for virus transport to other matrices within a fresh produce farm environment.
SN - 1999-4915
ER -