United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Environmental Monitoring
Systems Laboratory
Cincinnati OH 45268
Research and Development
EPA/600/SR-92/072 January 1993
^ EPA Project Summary
Directory to Literature on Stool
Shed Viruses and Shellfish:
Illness Outbreaks and Virus
Detection Methods
Fred P. Williams, Jr., and Eric A. Grab
The volume comprises a 16-page bib-
liography of technical literature on
stool-shed viruses and shellfish. It cov-
ers Illness outbreaks and virus detec-
tion methods.
This Project Summary was devel-
oped by EPA's Environmental Monitor-
ing Systems Laboratory, Cincinnati, OH,
to provide to investigators concerned
with the detection of virus-contaminated
shellfish a source of references to perti-
nent literature In this field (see Project
Report ordering information at back).
This directory was developed as part of
an effort to assemble and review the sci-
entific and technical literature relating to
bivalve molluscan shellfish and human
stool-shed viruses. Shellfish exposed to
fecally polluted waters are known to con-
centrate from those waters human viruses.
Although the uptake of these stool-shed
viruses is not detrimental to the exposed
shellfish, the consumption of virus-con-
taminated shellfish by humans can cause
illness. Outbreaks of such shellfish-borne
illness occur in the United States and in
many other countries. One consequence
of the development and expansion of hu-
man coastal communities is that shellfish
habitats are becoming increasingly at risk
for exposure to fecally polluted waters. It
is thus important for investigators con-
cerned with the detection of contaminated
shellfish to have effective methods avail-
able for use. The aim of this directory is to
provide investigators, both within and out-
side of the Agency, with a source of refer-
ences to literature on such methods. Al-
though the primary focus of the directory
is on methods, references describing shell-
fish-borne outbreaks of viral illness have
also been included. Such references are
evidence of the public health risk associ-
ated with the consumption of contaminated
shellfish.
The directory has been divided into four
subject areas: Shellfish-Borne Outbreaks
of Viral Illness, Methods for Recovering
Viruses from Shellfish, Use of New Virus
Assay Procedures, and Virus & Shellfish
Miscellanea. Within the four subject areas
there are additional subdivisions. Individual
references have been multiply listed and
appear under all appropriate subject and
subdivision headings. Every effort has
been made to provide as comprehensive
a list of references as possible. Users of
this directory should be aware, however,
that the listed references vary greatly in
their content. In some references, meth-
ods and procedures have been described
in great detail. In other references, meth-
ods and procedures are less well de-
scribed. The directory does not reflect an
attempt to validate the findings of any of
the authors listed. Inclusion of a particular
reference in this directory should not be
considered an endorsement of that refer-
ence.
A review covering much of the literature
presented in this directory has recently
appeared in Environmental Science &
Technology (Vol. 26, pp. 689-696, 1992)
under the title "Contamination of Shellfish
by Stool-Shed Viruses: Methods of Detec-
tion" (P.P. Williams, Jr. and G.S. Pout,
authors).
Printed on Recycled Paper
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FredP. Williams, Jr., and Eric A. Grab are the EPA authors. The complete report,
entitled "Directory to Literature on Stool-Shed Viruses and Shellfish: Illness
Outbreaks and Virus Detection Methods," will be available only from:
Virology Branch, Mail Stop 320
Microbiology Research Division
Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Cincinnati, OH 45268
United States
Environmental Protection Agency
Center for Environmental Research Information
Cincinnati, OH 45268
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use
$300
EPA/600/SR-92/072
BULK RATE
POSTAGE & FEES PAID
EPA
PERMIT No. G-35
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