** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THOUGH FOOD SERVICE ESTABLISHMENTS ARE TYPICALLY REQUIRED TO FOLLOW MINIMUM SANITATION REQUIREMENTS BY STATE, RESTAURANTS AND FOOD SERVICE APPLICATIONS ARE STILL RESPONSIBLE FOR 81% OF FOOD PREPARATION REPORTED OUTBREAKS IN THE UNITED STATES. ALONG WITH THIS, POOR CLEANING AND SANITATION ARE LEADING CONTRIBUTORS TO THE INCIDENCE OF FOODBORNE OUTBREAKS. MORE THAN HALF OF NOROVIRUS OUTBREAKS (60%) CAN BE TRACED TO INFECTED PEOPLE OR CARRIER OF NOROVIRUS THAT DID NOT USE PROPER SANITATION PRACTICES DURING THE PREPARATION AND SERVING OF FOOD.IMPLEMENTATION OF PROPER SANITATION PRACTICES IS TIME-CONSUMING AND COSTLY FOR MANY PROCESSORS TO IMPLEMENT, THUS, WE HAVE SEEN AN UPRISE IN NOROVIRUS CONCERNSNUMEROUS PROPERTIES OF NOROVIRUSES MAKE THEM DIFFICULT TO CONTROL, INCLUDING THEIR LOW INFECTIOUS DOSE AND ABILITY TO PERSIST ON SURFACES FOR WEEKS TO MONTHS.ADDITIONALLY,THE ACTIVE INGREDIENTS OF MANY COMMONLY USED DISINFECTANTS HAVE DISPLAYED SOME LIMITATIONS IN INACTIVATING HUMAN NOROVIRUSES.FURTHER, THESE DISINFECTANTS ARE OFTEN NOT PROPERLY APPLIED--FOR EXAMPLE, IMPROPER USE OF CHEMICALS AND DISINFECTANTS,OR APPLICATION OF THE AGENT FOR A SHORTER CONTACT TIME THAN RECOMMENDED.HYPOCHLORITE, QUATERNARY AMMONIUM AND PEROXYACETIC ACID COMPOUND SOLUTIONS ARE AMONG THE MOST COMMONLY USED ACTIVE INGREDIENTS IN FOOD SERVICE APPLICATIONS. NUMEROUS STUDIES SUGGEST THAT QUATERNARY AMMONIUM (QUAT) COMPOUNDS LACK IDEAL EFFICACY AGAINST NOROVIRUSES AND THEIR SURROGATES, BUT THEY ARE ONE OF THE MOST COMMONLY USED DISINFECTANTS IN FOOD SERVICE SETTINGS. THERE IS A LACK OF STUDIES RELATED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF ENHANCED NOROVIRUS RESISTANCEWHEN REPEATED SUB-FATAL EXPOSURE TO DISINFECTANTS, WHICH WE ADDRESS IN THIS WORK. PEROXYACETIC ACID (PAA), IS ANOTHER COMMONLY UTILIZED INACTIVATION AGENT IN FOOD PREPARATION/SERVICE. NUMEROUS REPORTS SUGGEST THAT PAA IS CAN BE RELATIVELY EFFECTIVE AGAINST NOROVIRUS; HOWEVER, CONTACT TIMES GREATER THAN ONE MINUTE MUST BE MAINTAINED.THOUGH PREVIOUS WORKHAS INDICATED A CORRELATION BETWEEN GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICE (GMP) COMPLIANCE AND LOWER INSTANCES OF NOROVIRUS CONTAMINATION AMONGST FOOD SERVICE APPLICATIONS, VARIABILITY AMONGST STATE AND FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS IMPACTS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF OVERALL FOOD SERVICE COMPLIANCE IN PRACTICE.SANITATION REQUIREMENTS FOR BACTERIAL CONTAMINANTS ARE OFTEN FOLLOWED, EVEN THOUGH IT IS OFTEN MORE DIFFICULT TO INACTIVATE NONENVELOPED VIRUSES. IT HAS BEEN REPORTED THAT AS HIGH AS 30% OF NOROVIRUS CASES DISPLAY NO SYMPTOMS, WHICH PUTS A HIGHER EMPHASIS ON FREQUENT AND EFFECTIVECLEANING AND DISINFECTION PROCEDURES TO MITIGATE CONTAMINATION FROM WORKERS NOT DISPLAYING IMMEDIATE SYMPTOMS.THE RESEARCH OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROPOSAL IS TO EVALUATE AND UNDERSTAND THE POTENTIAL OF TULANE VIRUS (A NOROVIRUS SURROGATE) TO DEVELOP ENHANCED RECALCITRANCE TO SERIAL SUB-FATAL TREATMENTS BY DIFFERENT INACTIVATION AGENTS COMMONLY USED IN FOOD PRODUCTION AND SERVICE SETTINGS.FURTHER, THE POTENTIAL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF,ENHANCED RECALCITRANCE WITH NOROVIRUS SURROGATES AGAINST A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT COMMONLY USED INACTIVATION AGENTS HAS NOT BEEN INVESTIGATED: PEROXYACETIC ACID (FOOD-GRADE INACTIVATION AGENT, DISINFECTANTS).OUR CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS IS THAT IF SERIAL SUB-FATAL TREATMENTS OF THESE INACTIVATION AGENTS ARE APPLIED, THEN VIRUS VARIANTS WITH SIGNIFICANTLY ENHANCEDRESISTANCETO THESE INACTIVATION AGENTS (SANITIZERS)WILLDEVELOP.WE BELIEVE THIS OVERALL RESEARCH DESIGN WILL PROVIDE A MORE GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE POTENTIALOFSUBFATALTREATMENTSWITHTHESEINACTIVATIONAGENTSTORESULTINNOROVIRUSVARIANTSWITH ENHANCED RECALCITRANCE. THESE FINDINGS WILL BE COMMUNICATED THROUGH A RISK MODEL THAT SHOWS ROUTES OF CONTAMINATION OF NOROVIRUS BASED ON OBSERVED PRACTICES, AND WORKSHOP TRAINING FOR FOOD SERVICE WORKERS TO COMMUNICATE THE IMPORTANCE OF NOROVIRUS AWARENESS.