Primerdesign Launches Real-time PCR Workflow for Onsite Detection of Norovirus in Oysters
25 June 2024 - 10:06AM
Business Wire
- genesig Easy_oys Detection Kit offers rapid and reliable qPCR
workflow to quantify Norovirus GI and GII pathogens in oyster
tissue
- Onsite analysis helps ensure shellfish quality and safety
across the production line, reducing public health risk
- Developed in collaboration with oyster farmers and Shellfish
Association of Great Britain
- Primerdesign to present new developments in Norovirus testing
at ACIG: Aquaculture innovation and supply chain resilience (25
June 2024)
Primerdesign (part of the Novacyt Group), a company focussed on
the design, manufacture, validation and supply of real-time PCR
kits and reagents, today launched the genesig® Easy_oys Detection
Kit for Norovirus in oysters. The quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay
enables rapid and reliable detection of genogroup (G)I and GII
Norovirus pathogens in oyster tissue. The user-friendly workflow
offers a cost-effective solution that can be used on site to
identify the contamination points across the production line,
helping to reduce public health risk and minimise shellfish farm
closures.
Norovirus is a major cause of viral gastroenteritis and
foodborne transmission is responsible for an estimated 16% of cases
in the UK*. Human sewage discharge around oyster beds results in
bio-accumulation of the virus in their digestive glands, with more
than 500 genome copies/gram of Norovirus GI / GII presenting a
major risk of infection when consumed by humans.
There is a growing need for methods to detect and quantify
viruses in bivalve shellfish to control and risk manage potential
outbreaks and spread. The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and
Aquaculture Science (Cefas) in England and the Marine Institute in
the Republic of Ireland, the only ISO 15216-accredited laboratories
for PCR quantification of Norovirus in oysters in the British
Isles, currently perform a limited number of tests from each grower
due to resource constraints. This places food safety in jeopardy
and farms at risk of closure if a Norovirus outbreak is linked to
their oysters.
Quantitative PCR methods offer a fast and accurate means of
screening water and food. The genesig Easy_oys Norovirus kit is a
qPCR assay optimised for the quantitative detection of Norovirus GI
and GII genomes in the digestive tissue of oysters. The highly
sensitive kit demonstrated detection of both GI and GII down to 500
copies/gram, making it a suitable risk management tool to ensure
that oysters with high infection risk are detected. The kit
includes all the reagents needed to conduct viral testing in line
with the ISO 15216 guidelines, without any prior lab experience.
The complete testing workflow, including the exisgMag extraction
kit, genesig Easy_oys Norovirus kit, and the genesig q16
instrument, delivers results within four hours. It was developed in
collaboration with oyster farmers and the Shellfish Association of
Great Britain, providing them with an easy-to-use and accessible
tool to rapidly assess the food safety risk and give them
confidence in the quality of their oysters.
Dr Stephanie Anderson, Product Manager, Primerdesign,
said: “Many farmers are under pressure to test for Norovirus in
order to prevent an outbreak and risk consequent closure. However,
the lack of approved commercially available tests currently
available in the UK and limited accredited testing facilities often
results in delays, presenting a significant challenge to the
industry.
Working together with farmers and the trade association for the
UK shellfish industry to optimise our testing solution, we are
proud to offer our new genesig Easy_oys Norovirus kit. The workflow
offers a rapid, specific and user-friendly virus monitoring system
that delivers results in just a matter of hours on site, providing
the industry a vital tool to safeguard oyster quality from farm to
plate.”
For further information about Primerdesign’s genesig Easy_oys
Detection Kit for Norovirus in oysters, please visit:
https://www.primerdesign.co.uk/products/qpcr/norovirus-gi-gii-for-oysters/
Dr Anderson will also be presenting on “New developments in
Norovirus testing” at the Aquaculture Common Interests Group (ACIG)
meeting focussed on aquaculture innovation and supply chain
resilience in London, UK on 25 June 2024.
*Food Standards Agency: Risk assessment to support guidance for
norovirus outbreaks in oysters (October 2023)
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Codon Communications Dr Michelle Ricketts Tel:
+447789053885 Email: michelle.ricketts@codoncommunications.com