Detection of Human Adenovirus and Rotavirus in Wastewater in Lusaka, Zambia: Demonstrating the Utility of Environmental Surveillance for the Community.
Ngonda SaasaEthel M'kandawireJoseph NdebeMulenga MwendaFred ChimpukutuAndrew Nalishuwa MukubesaFred NjobvuDoreen Mainza ShempelaJay SikalimaCarol ChiyesuBruce MuvwangaSarah M NampokolweClement SulweThokozile KhondiwaTodd JenningsAmeck KamangaEdgar SimulunduConceptor MulubeWizaso MwasingaJalaimo MumekaJohn SimwanzaPatrick SakubitaOtridah KaponaChilufya Susan Aneta MulengaMusole ChipoyaKunda MusondaNathan KapataNyambe SinyangeMuzala KapinaJoyce SiwilaMisheck ShawaMasahiro KajiharaAyato TakadaHirofumi SawaSimulyamana A ChoongaRoma ChilengiEarnest MuyundaKing S NalubambaBernard M Hang'ombePublished in: Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) (2024)
Enteric infections due to viral pathogens are a major public health concern. Detecting the risk areas requires a strong surveillance system for pathogenic viruses in sources such as wastewater. Towards building an environmental surveillance system in Zambia, we aimed to identify group A rotavirus (RVA) and human adenovirus (HAdV) in wastewater. Convenient sampling was conducted at four study sites every Tuesday for five consecutive weeks. The research team focused on three different methods of viral concentration to determine the suitability in terms of cost and applicability for a regular surveillance system: the bag-mediated filtration system (BMFS), polyethylene glycol-based (PEG) precipitation, and skimmed milk (SM) flocculation. We screened 20 wastewater samples for HAdV and RVA using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and conventional polymerase chain reaction (cPCR). Of the 20 samples tested using qPCR, 18/20 (90%) tested positive for HAdV and 14/20 (70%) tested positive for RVA. For the genetic sequencing, qPCR positives were subjected to cPCR, of which 12 positives were successfully amplified. The human adenovirus was identified with a nucleotide identity range of 98.48% to 99.53% compared with the reference genome from GenBank. The BMFS and SM flocculation were the most consistent viral concentration methods for HAdV and RVA, respectively. A statistical analysis of the positives showed that viral positivity differed by site ( p < 0.001). SM and PEG may be the most appropriate options in resource-limited settings such as Zambia due to the lower costs associated with these concentration methods. The demonstration of HAdV and RVA detection in wastewater suggests the presence of the pathogens in the communities under study and the need to establish a routine wastewater surveillance system for the identification of pathogens.
Keyphrases
- public health
- wastewater treatment
- endothelial cells
- sars cov
- anaerobic digestion
- induced pluripotent stem cells
- gram negative
- pluripotent stem cells
- drug delivery
- healthcare
- genome wide
- mental health
- high resolution
- palliative care
- gene therapy
- loop mediated isothermal amplification
- gene expression
- mass spectrometry
- clinical practice
- dna methylation
- quality improvement
- copy number
- preterm birth
- genetic diversity