Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I met a really nice man that raises koi and sells tropical fish. He really liked the aquaponics idea, but was fearful that viruses (hepatitis C was the one he mentioned) could be transferred into the tissues of vegetables. I'm sure hepatitis C could not, but what about hepatitis A (infectious hepatitis)?

This is not a concern with me, but I would like to give the man a knowledgeable answer.

Thanks!

My understanding is you need direct contact with bodily fluids, particularly fecal, to transferr hep a. And exposure to air and sun (longer then 1 hour??) will rid most of the nasties associated with fecal matter, namely viruses.

Another thing is viruses ussaly need a suitable host. Ussaly within the same species or famialy of creatures. Very rarely, if ever, do viruses switch from a human to a plant and then go human.

Bacteria on the other hand are a differnt sort.

So dont poo on your plants and you should be ok from those viruses. lol at least from my understanding. but i have been wrong before.

Thanks MNfarmer

I'll pass the info along and maybe Texas will have a new AP'er soon.

Hep A and HEP B are actually very easy to catch ,, but surely everybody has had the immunisation shots????
Hep C is harder to catch but a lot bloody worse.

If your worried your vegies may have hepatitus ,, check the whites of their eyes ,, you will notice yellowing.



The reason people relate herp to vegies is the fact that many people have caught hep A or Hep B from salads etc ,, because food handlers have not washed their hands properly or have cut themselves during preperation.
The vegetables never caught the desease as they all had their immune shots.

Actually only Hep A is infectious, Hep B is transmitted only through body fluids. I'm a med lab tech and know for sure that it can't be transmitted through veggies (same with hep C.) I did not have a good answer for the man concerning Hep A. I think his concern was more with 3rd world countries with bad water as his degree is in water and soil.

Thanks for the feedback and by the way, my potatoes eyes look fine.