Mansoura Veterinary Medical Journal

Detection of Hepatitis A virus and Enteroviruses in raw milk and some dairy products from Dakahlia Governorate, Egypt using real time PCR

Ahmed El Hady, Department of Food Hygiene and Control, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura 35516, Egypt
Mayada Gwida, Department of Hygiene and Zoonoses, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura 35516, Egypt
Waled Morsy El-Senousy, Environmental Virology Laboratory, Water Pollution Research Department, Environment and Climate Change Research Institute, National Research Centre, 33 El-Buhouth St., Dokki, P.O. 12622, Giza, Egypt
Seham F. Hasan, Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University (Girls Branch), Yossuf Abbas St., P.O. 11754, Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt
Maha AL-Ashmawy, Department of Food Hygiene and Control, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura 35516, EgyptFollow

Document Type

Original Article

Keywords

Hepatitis A virus and Enteroviruses, Real-time RT-PCR, Milk and Dairy products.

Abstract

Background: The present study aimed to evaluate the presence of hepatitis A virus (HAV) and enterovirus (EV) in raw milk and dairy products and highlight the potential significance of real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in the detection of foodborne viruses.

Methods: A total of 165 samples of dairy products (including milk cream and kareesh cheese, 15 samples each) and 135 raw milk samples were randomly collected from different households with either hand milking or bulk tanks in Dakahlia Governorate, Egypt, over a period of 28 months from July 2020 to November 2022), using real-time PCR as a diagnostic method.

Results: Only two milk samples were positive for hepatitis A virus HAV (1.48%, 2/135), while no milk samples tested positive for enteroviruses. Additionally, two cream samples (13.33%, 2/15) tested positive for HAV in dairy products; however, there were no positive samples in the kareesh cheese. Dairy products and milk were completely free of enteroviruses.

Conclusion: Hepatitis A was recovered from raw milk and milk products, while all the tested samples were completely free from enterovirus, indicating that HAV is more prevalent in the environment than enterovirus. This study highlights the urgent need for more precise and sensitive viral recovery techniques to identify food-borne viruses that pose a risk to human health.

How to Cite This Article

Hady, Ahmed El; Gwida, Mayada; El-Senousy, Waled Morsy; Hasan, Seham F.; and AL-Ashmawy, Maha (2024) "Detection of Hepatitis A virus and Enteroviruses in raw milk and some dairy products from Dakahlia Governorate, Egypt using real time PCR," Mansoura Veterinary Medical Journal: Vol. 25: Iss. 2, Article 2.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.35943/2682-2512.1234