Incidence of enteric viruses in sewage, the efficacy of wastewater treatment plants to remove these viruses, and health effects from their release into the surface water are very important environmental issues in the microbiology field. One of the most pathogenic enteric viruses is adenovirus which can cause a serious disease such as gastroenteritis with low grade fever and mild dehydration in humans. In this study we performed qualitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis of HAdV on 60 stool samples from children with acute gastroenteritis admitted to Abu-Rish hospital and 96 environmental samples (32 raw sewage, 32 treated sewage, 32 sewage sludge) collected from Zenin wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). HAdV were detected in 17 (28.3%) of stool, 27 (84.4%) of raw sewage, 16 (50%) of treated sewage and 25 (78%) of sludge samples. The viral concentrations were in the range of 2.02 × 106–7.23 × 106, 8.7 × 105–4.3 × 106, 1.22 × 104–3.7 × 106 and 1.48 × 106–1.77 × 107 GC/mL in stool, raw sewage, treated sewage, and sludge, respectively. HAdV was detected throughout the whole year of sample collection. Moreover, our results suggested that males were more susceptible to adenovirus infections than females. The results indicate that the high incidence of HAdV in the treated sewage may cause adverse health effects. This article has been made Open Access thanks to the generous support of a global network of libraries as part of the Knowledge Unlatched Select initiative.

Wastewater plays a major role in water pollution causing transmission of several viral pathogens, including Aichi virus (AiV) and human bocavirus (HBoV), associated with gastrointestinal illness in humans. In this study, we investigated the presence of AiV and HBoV in aquatic, sludge, sediment matrices collected from Abu-Rawash wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), El-Rahawy drain, Rosetta branch of the River Nile in Egypt by conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR). AiV RNA was detected in 16.6% (2/12), 8.3% (1/12), 8.3% (1/12), 22% (16/72), 12.5% (3/24), 4% (1/24), and 0/24 (0%) of untreated raw sewage, treated sewage, sewage sludge, drainage water, drain sediment, river water, and river sediment, respectively. On the other hand, HBoV DNA was detected in 41.6% (5/12), 25% (3/12), 16.6% (2/12), 48.6% (35/72), 29% (7/24), 3/24 (12.5%), 4% (1/24) of untreated raw sewage, treated raw sewage, sewage sludge, drainage water, drain sediment, river water, and river sediment, respectively. This study provides data on the presence of these viruses in various types of water samples that are valuable to environmental risk assessment. In addition, the current study demonstrates the importance of environmental monitoring as an additional tool to investigate the epidemiology of AiV and HBoV circulating in a given community.

In this study, the prevalence of astrovirus (AstV), norovirus (NoV), and group C rotaviruses (RVC) were described in urban sewage, sewage sludge, river water, and sediment samples from Egypt. AstV, NoV, and RVC were detected in 58.3%, 33.3%, and 25% of the raw sewage samples; in 33.3%, 25%, and 16.6% of the treated sewage samples; and in 66.6%, 16.6%, and 8.3% of the sludge samples, respectively. On the other hand, AstV, NoV, and RVC were detected in 25%, 16.6%, and 8.3% of the river water samples and in 16.6%, 8.3%, and 0% of the river sediment samples, respectively. The study revealed that AstV genogroup B and NoV genogroup I are the most frequent genotypes in the Egyptian environment. Furthermore, the peak prevalence of AstV and RVC in river water and raw sewage samples was found in winter months however there was no clear seasonality for NoV spread. This study support the importance of considering viral markers to ensure the quality of water and the utilization of these markers as additional tests for the characterization of water contamination.

Human adenoviruses (HAdV) are a prevalent cause of diarrhea in children all over the world. Adenoviral infections are responsible for 2% to 10% of diarrheic cases. A long-term investigation was required to gain better knowledge about the incidence of HAdV in Egypt. Herein, we conducted 5 years of detection, isolation, and genotyping of HAdV in fecal and sewage samples from 2016 to 2020, in Cairo, Egypt using molecular and cell culture assays. Human adenoviruses were identified in 35 of 447 fecal samples (7.8%), but only 53.3% (64/120) of the sewage samples. Children under the age of two had the highest positive rate for HAdV infection (77.1%). Species F of HAdV was the most common prevalent genotype in fecal and sewage samples, at 88.5% and 85.9%, respectively. The most prevalent genotypes detected in fecal samples were HAdV-41 (71.2%), HAdV-40 (17.2%), HAdV-6 (5.7%), and HAdV-1 (5.7%). In contrast, the most common genotypes in sewage samples were HAdV-41 (64%), HAdVs-40 (21.8%), HAdV-6 (7.8%), HAdV-1 (4.7%), and HAdV-2 (1.6%). HAdV was detected in all months of the year, with a peak period for clinical samples from December to February (p < 0.001), which matched Egypt’s rainy season, while the monthly distribution of HAdV in sewage samples remained consistent throughout the year, with no statistically significant peak period. Interestingly, the HAdV-type 41 genotype was the most common genotype during all of the years of this study. Throughout a 5-year period, our work revealed the infection rate, seasonal distribution, virus isolates, and genetic diversity of HAdV infections in environmental and clinical samples in Cairo, Egypt. Non-enteric adenovirus types (1, 2 and 6), as well as enteric adenovirus (41 and 40), may play a key role in gastroenteritis in Egypt.

Recently oncogenic viruses that are greatly associated with human cancers were detected in urban sewage and other water environments worldwide. The direct contact with contaminated water and sewage can result in serious infections associated with a wide range of diseases. Human Papillomaviruses (HPVs) and Human Polyomaviruses (HPyVs) were the most common virusesthat have been detected in urban sewage worldwide. In the present study, Ninety sewage samples were collected from Zenin wastewater treatment plant in Giza Governorate. Sixty stool samples were obtained from cancer patients. The findings showed that the prevalence of HPVs in sewage and stool samples was 24.4 % (22/90) and 28.3 % (17/60), respectively. HPV16 genotype was the most predominant genotype using sequencing. On the other hand, the prevalence of HPyV in sewage and stool samples was 78.9% (71/90) and 58.3% (35/60) respectively. JC HPyV and BK HPyV were the most common genotypes of human polyomaviruses in sewage 57.8% (41/71), 42.3% (30/71), respectively and in stool 54.3% (19/35), 45.7% (16/35), respectively. By using quantitative Real-time PCR, the number of HPyV DNA copies ranged from 5.3x10 4 to 6.02x10 4 GC\L in raw wastewater and 6.2x10 3 to 6.85x10 3 GC\L in treated effluent of wastewater treatment plant. Regarding to stool samples, their numbers range were 2.5x10 5 and 1.24x10 7 GC\L. These results are indicator of risk for the prevalence of HPVs and HPyVs in Egyptian environment. This is the first report in Egypt to study the human oncogenic viruses in the same study of environmental and clinical samples.