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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, September 2009, p. 5474-5480, Vol. 75, No. 17
0099-2240/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.00111-09
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Norovirus Distribution within an Estuarine Environment{triangledown}

Jennifer Gentry,1,{dagger} Jan Vinjé,2 Dominic Guadagnoli,3 and Erin K. Lipp1*

The University of Georgia, Department of Environmental Health Science, Athens, Georgia 30602,1 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, NCIRD/DVD/GRVLB, Atlanta, Georgia 30333,2 Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Coastal Resources Division, Brunswick, Georgia 315203

Received 16 January 2009/ Accepted 29 June 2009

Human norovirus (NoV) has been studied extensively as an important cause of gastroenteritis outbreaks worldwide. While oysters are a primary vehicle for infection, few studies have examined the wider distribution of NoV in the estuarine environment. Active shellfish-harvesting areas in Georgia were examined for the prevalence, genotype diversity, and concentrations of NoV in a variety of estuarine sample types over the course of 1 year. Of the 225 samples (9 oyster, 72 water, 72 63- to 200-µm plankton, and 72 >200-µm plankton) collected from 12 stations across two estuaries, 21 samples (9.3%) tested positive for NoV. By sample type, 55.0% (5/9) of oysters, 8.3% (6/72) of water samples, 11.1% (8/72) of 63- to 200-µm plankton samples, and 2.8% (2/72) of >200-µm plankton samples were positive for human NoV. The two NoV-positive >200-µm plankton samples, which contained mainly zooplankton, had the greatest quantity of NoV genomes (3.5 x 1013 and 1.7 x 1015 genomes g–1) of any sample tested. The majority, 90.5% (19/21), of the samples tested positive for genogroup I NoV, and only 9.5% (2/21) of the samples tested positive for genogroup II. The high concentrations of NoV in plankton samples compared to water and oyster samples were unexpected and provide new insights into the presence and distribution of human NoV in the water environment.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: University of Georgia, Department of Environmental Health Science, 206 Environmental Health Science Bldg., Athens, GA 30602. Phone: (706) 583-8138. Fax: (706) 542-7472. E-mail: elipp{at}uga.edu

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 6 July 2009.

{dagger} Present address: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Environmental Sciences and Engineering Department, Chapel Hill, NC 27599.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, September 2009, p. 5474-5480, Vol. 75, No. 17
0099-2240/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.00111-09
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





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