Evaluation of Nucleic Acid Purification-Free One-Step Real-Time PCR Kit for Norovirus Infection

Abstract

Food borne outbreaks by norovirus caused more than 10,000 acute gastroenteritis patients every year in Japan. Food handler with norovirus infection often contaminates food with the virus. Monitoring norovirus infection in food handlers is thus critical. A small number of norovirus particles are sufficient to establish infection in humans. If a food handler is infected with norovirus, co-workers are at high risk of norovirus infection. Norovirus establishes asymptomatic infection. It is recommended to implement a highly sensitive norovirus testing to every food handlers regardless of gastrointestinal symptoms to reduce the risk of norovirus contamination in food. To do this, the cost and the rapidness of the laboratory test are concerned. In this study, we evaluated a novel nucleic acid-based diagnostic kit for norovirus infection free from standard nucleic acid purification. This was shown to have sensitivity and specificity comparable to the conventional diagnostic procedures employing two-step real-time PCR, suggesting that the new kit offers a rapid and inexpensive laboratory test of norovirus infection. This kit should be able to contribute to the periodic norovirus monitoring of food handlers, leading to the prevention of food poisoning by norovirus.