Food viruses can be spread by kitchen knives
8 December AFP
People preparing food are advised to wash their hands to prevent the
spread of disease, yet an unseen threat may well lie on their kitchen
knife, a new study says.
Researchers at the Center for Food Safety at the University of
Georgia used new knives and graters on six types of fruit and vegetables
that had been smeared with minute doses of hepatitis A virus and a
"vomiting" bug called norovirus.
More than half of the utensils became contaminated by this contact --
and in turn often handed on virus to non-contaminated produce.
The experiment was conducted on cucumbers, strawberries, tomatoes,
carrots and cantaloupe and honeydew melons.
The type of knife, whether serrated, sharp or dull, did not matter,
according to the paper, published in the latest issue of the journal
Food and Environmental Virology.
Co-author Marilyn Erickson told AFP the findings could be important
for people with a weak immune system.
As for recommending what to do, she acknowledged that it could be
impractical to wash a knife or grater between each vegetable.
However, "it would be wise to wash (the utensil) carefully between
meals rather than leaving it on the counter, thinking it's not that
dirty," using a dishwasher or at dishwater-type temperature, she said.
Previous research into contamination of kitchen utensils and surfaces
has focussed on bacteria, not viruses.
A 2011 study found that the norovirus is the leading cause of
foodborne illnesses in the United States. Ingesting as few as between
one and 100 norovirus particles can cause vomiting or diarrhoea.
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