Rotavirus contamination of surface waters from the northwest of Argentina

PREZ, VERÓNICA EMILSE; POMA, HUGO RAMIRO; GIORDANO, GEORGINA GISELA; VICTORIA, MATÍAS; NATES, SILVIA VIVIANA; RAJAL, VERÓNICA BEATRIZ; BARRIL, PATRICIA ANGÉLICA

JOURNAL OF WATER AND HEALTH

I W A PUBLISHING

Año: 2020

1477-8920

Fecal pollution of water is a serious concern because it is associated with the transmission ofpathogens. The aim of this study was to analyze the occurrence of group A rotavirus (RVA) in surfacewaters from the Arias?Arenales River in Salta, a northern city in Argentina, and to define possiblesources of fecal viral pollution. A total of 116 water samples were analyzed and RVA was detected in3.4% (95% CI: 0.1?7.0%), with concentrations ranging from 1.9 × 105 to 3.8 × 106 genome copies perliter. RVA strains were characterized as G1P[8], G4P[8] and G9P[8], which are common genotypescirculating in the local population. The Arias?Arenales River presented unusual and sporadiccontamination by RVA, originated from stormwater discharges and a variety of non-identifiedsources, and support the essential need of viral indicators for enhanced monitoring of water quality.