ABSTRACT
RESUMEN La investigación de virus en los alimentos se convirtió en una necesidad de salud pública como consecuencia de la aparición de epidemias víricas, relacionadas al consumo de frutas y vegetales, carnes, agua y pescados contaminados. Entre los agentes virales responsables de enfermedades transmitidas por alimentos (ETAs), el Norovirus (NoV) se destaca como principal causante de gastroenteritis aguda (GEA) en el mundo. Un virus entérico, con elevada persistencia ambiental y bajas dosis mínimas infecciosas (1-100 partículas). En Argentina, el NoV se identificó en más del 60% de los brotes de GEA informados desde 2004. Actualmente la detección de virus patógenos en alimentos no está regulada en Argentina y la información en particular de NoV y ETAs es escasa o desactualizada. En este contexto, el presente trabajo abordó la determinación de índices de riesgo en relación al consumo de distintas matrices alimentarias contaminadas con NoV, identificando y caracterizando el virus y sus consecuencias en la salud humana. Durante el año 2019 se registraron brotes de NoV con más de 4000 personas afectadas en el territorio argentino. A partir de los índices obtenidos, se estima que los datos hallados no son representativos de todas las personas infectadas. Se considera esencial generar un sistema de notificación de brotes de alto impacto, posibilitando estimar el riesgo de la presencia de NoV en matrices alimentarias, identificando genotipos y genogrupos. Un mejor conocimiento de la virología y epidemiología de este agente infeccioso permitiría a los organismos pertinentes la toma de medidas preventivas y decisiones de mejora.
ABSTRACT The investigation of viruses in foods has become a prime concern for public health as a consequence of viral diseases outbreaks linked to the consumption of contaminated fresh fruits and vegetables, meats, water and fish. Norovirus (NoV) stands out as the main virus responsible for foodborne disease and the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) in the world. It is an enteric virus, with high environmental persistence and low infectious dose (1-100 particles). NoV has been identified in over 60% of AGE outbreaks recorded in Argentine since 2004. Currently, food testing for the detection of pathogenic viruses is not mandatory in Argentine and the information available on the prevalence of NoV and foodborne diseases is scarce and outdated. In this context, the present work addresses the risk assessment of different foodstuff contaminated with NoV, identifying and characterizing the virus and its effects on human health. In 2019, registered outbreaks of NoV in Argentine affected more than 4000 people. According to the indices obtained, it was estimated that the given data does not accurately represent all infected cases. It is considered essential to generate a high impact outbreak reporting system, which could allow the estimation of the risk of presence of NoV in different foods, identifying the genotypes and genogroups. A better understanding of the virology and epidemiology of this infectious agent will allow the implementation of preventive measures and better decision making by the responsible organizations.
ABSTRACT
Trata-se de um estudo de caso no qual se discutiram as ideias do Comitê do Codex Alimentarius do Brasil (CCAB), coordenado pelo Instituto Nacional de Metrologia, Normalização e Qualidade Industrial (Inmetro) sobre a norma Codex Alimentarius de Análise de Risco aplicada aos alimentos (AR). Os objetivos deste trabalho foram identificar e analisar a opinião dos membros do CCAB sobre AR e levantar as propostas para a adoção desta norma no país, destacando as limitações e as potencialidades locais apontadas. Os membros do CCAB mostraram-se favoráveis à iniciativa do Codex em instituir a norma AR para promover a segurança sanitária dos alimentos que transitam no mercado internacional. Houve concordância no sentido de que o governo brasileiro deva incorporar a AR como política oficial para melhorar o sistema de controle de alimentos do país e para fortalecer as exportações brasileiras de alimentos. Reconheceram que o Brasil dispõe de capacidade técnico-científica para aplicar essa norma, porém destacaram várias limitações político-institucionais. Os membros reconhecem a AR como uma iniciativa valiosa para enfrentar os riscos dos alimentos, devido a sua capacidade de aprimorar as ações de controle sanitário de alimentos realizadas pelo governo.
The scope of this case study is to discuss the ideas of the Brazilian Codex Alimentarius Committee (CCAB) coordinated by National Institute of Metrology, Standardization and Industrial Quality (Inmetro), with respect to the Codex Alimentarius norm on Risk Analysis (RA) applied to Food Safety. The objectives of this investigation were to identify and analyze the opinion of CCAB members on RA and to register their proposals for the application of this norm in Brazil, highlighting the local limitations and potential detected. CCAB members were found to be in favor of the Codex Alimentarius initiative of instituting an RA norm to promote the health safety of foods that circulate on the international market. There was a consensus that the Brazilian government should incorporate RA as official policy to improve the country's system of food control and leverage Brazilian food exports. They acknowledge that Brazil has the technical-scientific capacity to apply this norm, though they stressed several political and institutional limitations. The members consider RA to be a valid initiative for tackling risks in food, due to its ability to improve food safety control measures adopted by the government.