Environmental monitoring of enteric viruses in Arias-Arenales River, Salta.

,BARRIL P; PISANO MB; POMA HR; PREZ V,; GIORDANO G; DELGADO A; NATES SV,; RAJAL V; RÉ V.

Cordoba

Jornada; XVI Jornada de Investigación Científica.; 2015

Secretaría de Ciencia y Tecnología de la Facultad de Ciencias Médicas,

Faecal contamination of water is associated with the transmission of pathogenic microorganisms. Among these, there are rotaviruses, major viral agents responsable of diarrhea in children, widely ditributed in our country; and the hepatitis E virus (HEV), the causative agent of acute hepatitis, little known in Argenitna and the responsable of sporadic cases in our country, one of them corresponding to an acute fulminant hepatitis in a child of Salta province in 2004.The aim of this work was to detect rotavirus and HEV in Arias-Arenales River, located at the city of Salta, and to evaluate the relationship between viral detection and meteorological variables. Water samples collected monthly between February 2009 and February 2010 in 11 sites of the river were analyzed. Temperature, relative humidity and rainfall were registered. Water samples were concentrated, ARN was extracted and detection and viral characterization was performed by RT-nested PCR. Anusual and sporadic presence of rotavirus (3.4%) was registered, detecting genotypes G1, G4 and G9, all of them of usual circulation in human population. Rotavirus was detected in summer and autumn, without a correlation with meteorological variables analyzed. Places which showed viral contamination belonged to a low bacteriological pollution area, recreational area and places which receive the contribution of rainwater. No virus was detected at sites that suffer the impact of treated and untreated wastewater. HEV was only detected in a sample of autumn (0.85%) in a rotavirus positive site. It was not possible to establish a relationship with the meteorological data registered and neither to determine the viral genotype. These data could indicate that Arias-Arenales River presents diffuse pollution by rotavirus and HEV (without a point source), and show this finding as a potential risk for exposed susceptible population. Detection of HEV would confirm its presence in the región, alerting the health system for its consideration in the differential diagnosis of viral hepatitis. This study confirms, once again, the usefulness of environmental monitoring for the identification and characterization of viral strains circulating in a region.