Abstract
Noroviruses are recognised as a major world-wide cause of epidemic gastroenteritis and a significant cause of food-borne illness. The most frequently reported vehicles of transmission are bivalve mulluscan shellfish. However salad crops, vegetables and fruits have also been implicated in outbreaks of disease. Numerous methods have been developed for the detection of Noroviruses in shellfish but these are time-consuming and labour intensive, therefore a method was developed for the routine detection of Noroviruses in shellfish which could be used in a commercial setting. Viral RNA was extracted using a commercially available kit and amplified using a one-step reverse transcription - polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) before detection by gel electrophoresis. However the level of sensitivity achieved using this method was found to be insufficient for the detection of natural levels of viral contamination. The uptake and internalisation of viruses by plants was investigated using a model system developed to mimic the natural damage caused to roots by soil abrasion. Model viruses, bacteriophage MS2 and Feline Calicivirus, were taken up by plants grown on virally contaminated media however high input levels of virus were required for uptake to occur. Finally a recombinant and potentially broad spectrum cross-reactive Norovirus antigen was used to raise antisera in rabbits and evaluated for use in novel immuno-concentration procedures. The antiserum raised was capable of detecting denatured virus antigens and against this type of antigen the serum appeared to have a broader reactivity than that raised to native virus protein. However the serum had no detectable reactivity towards native proteins.