Shellfish with hepatitis discovered in stores

Shellfish infected with hepatitis has been found in Scottish supermarkets.

Glasgow Caledonian University experts tested 310 samples and discovered traces of the virus in eight blue mussels and one oyster – about 3 per cent of specimens.

It is the first time the hepatitis E virus (HEV) has been found in commercially sold shellfish harvested from Scottish waters. Now researchers are warning of health dangers.

Professor Linda Scobie said: “We don’t know at what point in the food processing chain this contamination occurred.

“There are significant gaps in our knowledge with HEV in the UK. We don’t know how much virus is required to cause infection, unlike the norovirus where you only need a few particles to cause acute illness.

“What we do know is more people are being diagnosed and if they have particular medical conditions then they are at risk of becoming very ill.”

HEV is generally a mild disease, but can develop into flu-like symptoms, jaundice, fever and vomiting. Researchers are calling for further UK studies into food-borne transmission of the infection in the wake of their findings. Transmission to patients via blood transfusion or transplant in rare cases can pose “serious risks”.