Deadline: 20-May-2025

Shellfish contamination with human pathogens poses significant public health and economic challenges, especially due to foodborne outbreaks linked to consumption. Shellfish, particularly oysters, become contaminated through filter-feeding in coastal waters affected by human sewage, retaining viral particles like norovirus (NoV) and potentially sapovirus (SaV). While NoV is a leading cause of viral gastroenteritis, SaV has been less frequently studied in shellfish, leaving open questions about its prevalence and impact.

This project aims to investigate prevalence, diversity, and persistence of SaV in coastal environments and oysters. For this, they plan to sample oysters, estuarine water, and wastewater, to quantify SaV genome by digital RT-PCR. Targeted metaganomics will be used to identify viral genotypes in positive samples. In addition, live oysters will be artificially contaminated with these viruses to study their accumulation and localization in oyster tissues. The project will also assess the persistence of infectious SaV in seawater and oysters through controlled experiments using human cell cultures, providing crucial insights into its role in shellfish contamination and the broader implications for public health.

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