Occurrence of enteric viruses in influent, effluent and river waters downstream of Córdoba City’s wastewater treatment plant. Argentina, 2009

BARRIL PA; GIORDANO MO; ISA MB; MARTINEZ LC; MASACHESSI G; MACEDO R; IBRRA G; NATES SV

Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

Simposio; I Latin American Symposium of Environmental Virology; 2010

Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Fiocruz

Introduction. Rotavirus (RV), Adenovirus (AdV) and Enterovirus (EV) infections are usual events in the population, causing a wide range of clinical cases, such as acute diarrhea (RV and AdV), encephalitis, meningitis, myocarditis, pericarditis and pleurodynia (EV). During the last years, special attention has been focalized in virus detection in surface waters, especially those in close contact with the community. The aims of the present study were to determine the types of viruses entering and leaving Córdoba City’s wastewater treatment plant and to assess the presence of viruses downstream the Suquía River which is served by the effluent treated of the plant and it is used as a recreational area. Materials and Methods. During the period FebruaryNovember 2009 water samples (1.5 lt) from Córdoba City’s sewage treatment plant (income and outcome channels) and Suquía River downstream the treatment plant were collected monthly. The samples were concentrated (100X) by centrifugation and precipitation with organic solvents (PEG6000) and were analyzed by: 1) RT-PCR for RV detection and heminested-PCR for RV G genotype characterization; 2) PCR for AdV hexon-gen amplification and nested-PCR for human AdV detection; and 3) inoculation in Hep-2 cells and indirect immunofluorescence for viable non-polio EV detection. Results. Presence of RV genome was detected in 80% and 70% of the water samples collected from the income and outcome channels of the sewage treatment plant, respectively, and in all the samples from the Suquía River collected downstream the plant. The most prevalent RV G genotypes detected were G9 and G3, followed by G1, G2, G4 and G8. AdV genome and viable EV were detected in all the samples collected from the income and outcome channels of the plant and also the river downstream of the plant. Conclusions. RV, AdV and EV detection were usual events in the environmental waters analyzed. RV G genotypes present in the influent and effluent of the wastewater treatment plant and downstream the Suquía River concur with those genotypes circulating in the general population. The wastewater treated by Córdoba City’s plant, which is discharged into the urban Suquía River, retain viral genome as well as viable virus. In this way, the Suquía River would be a potential source of viral infection.