Prevalence of Enteric Viruses in Raw Seafood Collected from the Retail Shops in Tehran, Iran, 2022–2023

Background and Aim: There are still risks of contamination of seafood by the common pathogens such as bacteria and viruses, despite significant achievements in the food security and environmental protection in recent years. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of pathogenic viruses linked to the seafood hygiene in the raw seafood samples collected from the seafood retailers in Tehran, Iran. Materials and Methods: In general, 200 samples (100 fish and 100 shrimps) were collected from the seafood retailers in Tehran, Iran. For the RNA viruses, the RNA was extracted from the samples and subjected to cDNA synthesis and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to amplify the target genes. For the adenovirus, DNA genome was extracted and directly used in PCR. Data were analyzed using the SPSS Statistics 29.0.10. Results: From 100 fish samples, 48, 24, 32, 35, 56 and 55 samples were contaminated with adenovirus, astrovirus, hepatitis A virus, hepatitis E virus, rotavirus and norovirus, respectively. From 100 shrimp samples, 51, 47, 28, 47, 49 and 47 samples were contaminated with adenovirus, astrovirus, hepatitis A virus, hepatitis E virus, rotavirus and norovirus, respectively. Conclusion: In conclusion, raw seafood can still be a major public health concern. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to use the organized monitoring systems and improved hygiene measurements to decrease the risks of the seafood contaminations and hence foodborne diseases and outbreaks in consumers.