Virus-related illnesses caused by the consumption of contaminated food are often caused by human noroviruses or hepatitis A viruses, which are mostly detected on frozen berries and in shellfish. In contrast, hepatitis E viruses are primarily transmitted through the consumption of insufficiently heated meat products from pigs and game animals. Every year, over 4,000 cases of hepatitis E are reported in Germany, in which such zoonotic transmission – i.e. direct or indirect transmission from animals to humans – is assumed. The main focus of the symposium for all discussed pathogens will be on the question of how they can be effectively detected and inactivated, and how their transmission can be prevented. The day will begin with an overview of current developments in human diseases caused by foodborne viruses in Germany. Another presentation will focus on avian influenza and the occurrence of the pathogen in dairy cattle. The underlying question is whether influenza viruses can be transmitted through the consumption of milk and dairy produce from infected cows.
Whether ratHEV can be transmitted via food is still a relatively new research question. The pathogen was first detected in wild Norway rats in 2010 by a working group led by Prof. Johne. While experts initially assumed that this virus only affects rats, it is now clear that it can also be present in other animals. Since 2018, it is known that humans can also become infected in individual cases and develop acute or chronic liver inflammation (hepatitis) as a result. At least in Berlin, the virus appears to circulate permanently in wild rats, as Prof. Johne, the main organiser of the symposium, will explain based on his own research findings. Johne is part of the research team that also identified the first ratHEV infection in a human in Germany. Current research is investigating whether the pathogen is transmitted directly from rats or through contact with their excretions, or whether, like other hepatitis E viruses, it is transmitted indirectly via the intermediate host pig and food made from pork. As an essential prerequisite for investigating the pathogen and its transmission routes, researchers at the BfR have tested in which cell culture systems different hepatitis E viruses can be propagated and studied. The results will be presented in another lecture at the symposium.
Adenoviruses, viral pathogens about whose transmission via food relatively little is known, are also on the conference agenda. Similar to noroviruses, they are transmitted via the faecal-oral route, but their significance for foodborne infections is unclear, partly because there has been a lack of appropriate methods for detection of the pathogen in food. A new detection method developed at the BfR and now validated in collaboration with several other laboratories will be presented at the symposium.
Journalists have the opportunity to participate in the conference, either online or on site. If you are interested, please contact pressestelle@bfr.bund.de. The lectures will be held in German.
The full programme and registration information can be found here:
https://www.bfr-akademie.de/english/events/viren2025.html
Further information on food-associated viruses on the BfR website
Information page on hepatitis viruses
https://www.bfr.bund.de/en/food-safety/assessment-of-microbial-risks-in-foods/viruses/hepatitis-viruses/
FAQ Noroviruses – recognizing and avoiding sources of infection
https://www.bfr.bund.de/en/service/frequently-asked-questions/topic/noroviruses-recognizing-and-avoiding-sources-of-infection/
Unit Viruses in Food at BfR
https://www.bfr.bund.de/en/about-us/bfr-structure/department-biological-safety/unit-viruses-in-food/
About the BfR
The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) is a scientifically independent institution within the portfolio of the German Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity (BMLEH). It protects people's health preventively in the fields of public health and veterinary public health. The BfR provides advice to the Federal Government as well as the Federal States (‘Laender’) on questions related to food, feed, chemical and product safety. The BfR conducts its own research on topics closely related to its assessment tasks.