Abstract Title
OCCURRENCE OF HUMAN NOROVIRUS, HEPATITIS E VIRUS AND SARS-COV-2 IN RIVER WATER (RIVER VANTAA) AND TREATED WASTEWATER, IN FINLAND
Presenter
Leena Maunula, University of Helsinki
Co-Author(s)
Ankita K. Gupta1, Heli Vahtera2, Jari Männynsalo2, Leena Maunula1
1Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
2Water Protection Association of the River Vantaa and Helsinki Region, Helsinki, Finland
Abstract Category
Food & Environmental Virology-II (Wastewater & others)
Abstract
Introduction: Waterborne viral pathogens pose significant public health risk, particularly when they contaminate water sources used for drinking, agriculture, and recreational purposes. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and distribution of three waterborne RNA viruses—norovirus GI and GII, hepatitis E virus (HEV), and SARS-CoV-2—in the Vantaa River and treated wastewater in southern Finland.
Methodology: A total of 55 water samples were collected from wastewater treatment plants and various locations along the Vantaa River. Sampling was conducted seasonally in 2022 and 2023, with additional samples collected in winter 2024. Treated wastewater samples were 24-hour composites from multiple treatment plants. Viral concentrations were processed using the aluminum chloride method for wastewater and the DEUF and PEG methods for river water. Detection of viral RNA was performed using RT-qPCR and dPCR, while somatic coliphages were analyzed with the Blue Phage Somatic Coliphage Kit.
Results: The study detected all three viruses in at least one sample, with varying concentrations in wastewater. Norovirus GII was frequently found, with detection rates of 50% in river water and 65% in effluent wastewater. HEV and SARS-CoV-2 were present in all influent wastewater samples. Somatic coliphages exhibited high prevalence, with 91% positivity in wastewater and 87% in river water.
Conclusion: This research highlights the significant presence of enteric viruses, particularly noroviruses, in wastewater and river water. The findings underscore the public health risks posed by these pathogens and emphasize the need for continuous monitoring and effective water treatment processes to mitigate contamination in environmental water sources.
Methodology: A total of 55 water samples were collected from wastewater treatment plants and various locations along the Vantaa River. Sampling was conducted seasonally in 2022 and 2023, with additional samples collected in winter 2024. Treated wastewater samples were 24-hour composites from multiple treatment plants. Viral concentrations were processed using the aluminum chloride method for wastewater and the DEUF and PEG methods for river water. Detection of viral RNA was performed using RT-qPCR and dPCR, while somatic coliphages were analyzed with the Blue Phage Somatic Coliphage Kit.
Results: The study detected all three viruses in at least one sample, with varying concentrations in wastewater. Norovirus GII was frequently found, with detection rates of 50% in river water and 65% in effluent wastewater. HEV and SARS-CoV-2 were present in all influent wastewater samples. Somatic coliphages exhibited high prevalence, with 91% positivity in wastewater and 87% in river water.
Conclusion: This research highlights the significant presence of enteric viruses, particularly noroviruses, in wastewater and river water. The findings underscore the public health risks posed by these pathogens and emphasize the need for continuous monitoring and effective water treatment processes to mitigate contamination in environmental water sources.