Isolation of enterovirus and reovirus from sewage and treated effluents in selected Puerto Rican communities

Abstract

Sewage treatment plant effluents were surveyed for viral contributions to gastroenteritis outbreaks in Puerto Rico. Of the 15 sewage treatment plants studied, all discharged their effluents upstream from water treatment plant intakes. No base-line data on the degree of viral challenge to these sewage treatment plants or the subsequent reduction of viruses before discharge existed. Enterovirus counts were generally much higher than those found in the continental United States. At four plants, viruses in the incoming sewage exceeded 100,000 PFU/liter, and one of these, a trickling filter plant, was discharging 24,000 PFU/liter to receiving waters. Virus identification showed that more than 80% of the enterovirus isolates were coxsackievirus B5. These overwhelming viral numbers pointed to defects in the sewage treatment processes. Without reasonable barriers to protect receiving waters, several of the downstream communities were using raw waters that posed extraordinary demands on the ability of their water treatment plants to supply virologically safe drinking water.

Occurrence and distribution of culturable enteroviruses in wastewater and surface waters of north-eastern Spain

“…Regarding secondary effluents, values were similar to those found in the scientific literature (Payment et al. 1986; Dahling et al. 1989; Gantzer et al.…”

“…Circulating enteroviruses in the environment has been studied in several geographical areas around the world, with reports showing that the most frequently isolated serotypes were Coxsackievirus B. Moreover, they were isolated in frequencies similar to those observed in our study (between 66% and 100%) (Dahling et al. 1989; Pianetti et al.…”

“…The diversity and homogeneity tests showed that there were no significant changes in serotypes following water depuration or natural inactivation. Data previously reported in the scientific literature regarding the distribution of serotypes are quite variable (Dahling et al. 1989; Hovi et al.…”

Detection and molecular identification of human adenoviruses and enteroviruses in wastewater from Morocco

“…The same result was found in different studies (Pavlov 2006;Costan-Longares et al 2008). However, previously reported data in the literature about the EV serotypes distribution are quite variable and involve coxsackievirus B3,4,5 (Dahling et al 1989);echovirus 11,22,6,30 (Hovi et al 1996); echovirus 6 and coxsackievirus B5 (Sedmak et al 2003); coxsackievirus B1,2,4; and poliovirus vaccine sabin2 (Papaventsis et al 2005).The presence of infectious and noninfectious coxsackievirus B5 in our study is related to different date collection because samples did not undergo the same conditions. The inactivation of viruses could be caused by virus contact with wastewater treatment lagoons sides or natural inactivation by sunshine.…”

Risk Assessment of waterborne coxsackievirus

“…A study of discharges from several activated sludge and trickling filter plants (Dahling et al, 1989) reported enterovirus concentrations >100,000 pfu/L. At one plant, the discharge outlet was within 1 km (0.6 mi) of a drinking water treatment plant.…”