[Leafy vegetables as potential transmitters of Norovirus in Cordoba city, Argentina.].

Introduction: The Norovirus (NoV) constitute a genus within the viral family Caliciviridae, being the main cause of outbreaks of food origin among humans. Fresh vegetables are susceptible to being contaminated with these pathogens during their cultivation, harvest, transport, processing and handling. So it was intended to determine the frequency of detection of NoV in plant samples of leaves of the City of Córdoba, and adapt a method of viral concentration with polyethylene glycol for the recovery of viral particles from the surface of vegetables and characterize the genogroups of NoV detected.

Methods: 19 samples of leafy vegetables were taken between June and December 2012. A viral concentration technique previously validated in the laboratory was applied (elution and precipitation with polyethylene glycol). The viral RNA was extracted to the concentrates of the samples using Trizol and precipitation with isopropyl alcohol. The nucleic acid was amplified by Rt-PCR with specific primers to identify genogroups I (GI) and II (GII). The products of the amplification were revealed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and silver staining.

Results: We found 57.89% positive samples. Ten of the detected strains belonged to genogroup I (GI) and one to genogroup II (GII). They were identified throughout the study period, particularly during the months of August, September and November.

Conclusion: These pathogens were detected with a prevalence of 57.89%. The strains belonged mainly to the GI, representing a potential risk for the population.