A recent study is one of the first to demonstrate that the presence of biofilms formed on food contact surfaces with various bacterial strains commonly found in the agrifood chain could promote the attachment of infectious foodborne enteric viruses under certain conditions. Researchers observed the interactions between rotavirus, hepatitis A, and norovirus with biofilms comprising spoilage bacteria and lactic acid bacteria (LAB).
Researchers inoculated four bacterial strains—Lactobacillus plantarum, Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides, Pseudomonas fluorescens, and Lactobacillus rhamnosus—in monoculture and multispecies combinations on glass, stainless steel, and polystyrene (plastic) surfaces. Biofilm formation was then conducted in a meat slurry media to mimic the composition of organic material found in the meat industry. The biofilms were left in static condition for three days at 30 degrees Celsius, with the same concentration for each bacterial strain. The researchers then introduced rotavirus, hepatitis A, and murine norovirus (used as a substitute for human norovirus) to surfaces on which biofilms had formed, as well as on biofilm-free surfaces to observe viral attachment on its own.