Result description
Immersed in sea water for several days or weeks, passive sensors- consiting in plastic membranes -can help to passively capture micro organisms present in the sea water including mollusc pathogens and human water borne pathogens.Up to now diagnostic of mollusc pathogens has relied on their detection in molluscs. Focusing on their presence in sea water rather than in animals provides new perspectives for pathogen surveillance in the open environment and development of early warning systems in terms of disease detection.
Such tools coud be of interest not only for competent authorities and laboratories involved in the surveillance but also for producers aiming at monitoring the presence of pathogens in their farm.
It has previously shown that various types of membrane(e.g. Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) and nylon) immersed in experimentally contaminated waters are able to adsorb microorganisms such as the human enteric virus, norovirus, OsHV-1 and Vibrio species and that the adsorption is time-dependent.
In VIVALDI we have tested and optimized these passive sensors in the field, in an oyster production area during the summer (July 2016). The results showed that membranes adsorbed norovirus (NoV) and Vibrio spp after 48h and 2 weeks exposure. Then passive sensors were used during a field monitoring started in December 2016 until July 2017. Whatever the type of membrane used and the season were, NoV GII and Vibrio spp were detected and quantified while other tested pathogens including NoV GI, Vibrio alginolyticus, and OsHV-1 were rarely detected. A second one year field monitoring confirmed that NoV GII can be detected with passive samplers with a higher frequency in winter than in other seasons. The analyses of the other pathogens (Vibrio spp. and OsHV-1) are in progress.
Addressing target audiences and expressing needs
- Grants and Subsidies
- Help in technical expertise
We specifically need collaboration with (1) laboratories to validate such approaches (2) with policy makers to evaluate how resuts obtaiend from these apporaches could be used (3) producers to better evaluate the usefulness of such approaches
- Public or private funding institutions
- EU and Member State Policy-makers
- Research and Technology Organisations
R&D, Technology and Innovation aspects
We have demonstrated that passive samplers can help to detect somehuman water borne and mollusc pathogens Such tools would need to be validated (funding is required and collaboration with other laboratories needed) and optimized to be easy to use.
Result submitted to Horizon Results Platform by INSTITUT FRANCAIS DE RECHERCHE POUR L’EXPLOITATION DE LA MER
