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Bichet MC, Gardette M, Das Neves B, Challant J, Erbs A, Roman V, Robin M, La Carbona S, Gantzer C, Boudaud N, Bertrand I. A new understanding of somatic coliphages belonging to the Microviridae family in urban wastewater. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 249:120916. [PMID: 38043350 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Revised: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Abstract
Somatic coliphages (SC) and F-specific RNA coliphages (FRNAPH) have been included in regulations or guidelines by several developed countries as a way of monitoring water safety and the microbiological quality of shellfish harvesting waters. SC are highly diverse in their morphology, size and genome. The Microviridae family contains three genera of phages (Alphatrevirus, Gequatrovirus, and Sinsheimervirus), all having a capsid of similar morphology (icosahedral) and size (25-30 nm in diameter) to that of common pathogenic enteric viruses. Three PCR assays specific for each genus of Microviridae were designed to study these phages in raw and treated wastewater (WW) in order to gain knowledge about the diversity and prevalence of Microviridae among SC, as well as their inactivation and removal during WW treatments. Among the four wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) monitored here, two WWTPs applied disinfection by UV light as tertiary treatment. First, we noticed that Microviridae represented 10 to 30 % of infectious SC in both raw and treated WW. Microviridae appeared to behave in the same way as all SC during these WW treatments. As expected, the highest inactivation, at least 4 log10, was achieved for infectious Microviridae and SC in both WWTPs using UV disinfection. PCR assays showed that the highest removal of Microviridae reached about 4 log10, but the phage removal can vary greatly between WWTPs using similar treatments. This work forms the basis for a broader evaluation of Microviridae as a viral indicator of water treatment efficiency and WW reuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marion C Bichet
- Food Safety Department, ACTALIA, Saint-Lô F-50000, France; Université de Lorraine, CNRS, LCPME, F-54000 Nancy, France
| | - Marion Gardette
- Food Safety Department, ACTALIA, Saint-Lô F-50000, France; Université de Lorraine, CNRS, LCPME, F-54000 Nancy, France
| | | | - Julie Challant
- Université de Lorraine, CNRS, LCPME, F-54000 Nancy, France
| | - Anaïs Erbs
- Food Safety Department, ACTALIA, Saint-Lô F-50000, France; Université de Lorraine, CNRS, LCPME, F-54000 Nancy, France
| | - Véronica Roman
- Université de Lorraine, CNRS, LCPME, F-54000 Nancy, France
| | - Maëlle Robin
- Food Safety Department, ACTALIA, Saint-Lô F-50000, France
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2
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Chaudhary A, Rana S, Singh R, Gurian PL, Betancourt W, Kumar A, Kumar A. Non-potable water reuse and the public health risks from protozoa and helminths: a case study from a city with a semi-arid climate. JOURNAL OF WATER AND HEALTH 2023; 21:981-994. [PMID: 37632375 PMCID: wh_2023_283 DOI: 10.2166/wh.2023.283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/28/2023]
Abstract
The study estimated the risk due to Cryptosporidium, Giardia, and Ascaris, associated with non-potable water reuse in the city of Jaipur, India. The study first determined the exposure dose of Cryptosporidium, Giardia, and Ascaris based on various wastewater treatment technologies for various scenarios of reuse for six wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in the city. The exposure scenarios considered were (1) garden irrigation; (2) working and lounging in the garden; and (3) consumption of crops irrigated with recycled water. The estimated annual risk of infection varied between 8.57 × 10-7 and 1.0 for protozoa and helminths, respectively. The order of treatment processes, in decreasing order of annual risk of infection, was found to be: moving-bed bioreactor (MBBR) technology > activated sludge process (ASP) technology > sequencing batch reactor (SBR) technology. The estimated annual risk was found to be in this order: Ascaris > Giardia > Cryptosporidium. The study also estimated the maximum allowable concentration (Cmax) of pathogen in the effluent for a benchmark value of annual infection of risk equal to 1:10,000, the acceptable level of risk used for drinking water. The estimated Cmax values were found to be 6.54 × 10-5, 1.37 × 10-5, and 2.89 × 10-6 (oo) cysts/mL for Cryptosporidium, Giardia, and Ascaris, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayushi Chaudhary
- Department of Civil Engineering, MNIT Jaipur, Jaipur, India E-mail: ;
| | - Shubham Rana
- Department of Civil Engineering, MNIT Jaipur, Jaipur, India
| | - Rajveer Singh
- Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Patrick L Gurian
- Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Walter Betancourt
- Water and Energy Sustainable Technology Centre, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Arun Kumar
- Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Amit Kumar
- Department of Civil Engineering, MNIT Jaipur, Jaipur, India
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Bhatt A, Dada AC, Prajapati SK, Arora P. Integrating life cycle assessment with quantitative microbial risk assessment for a holistic evaluation of sewage treatment plant. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 862:160842. [PMID: 36509266 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Revised: 11/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
An integrated approach was employed in the present study to combine life cycle assessment (LCA) with quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) to assess an existing sewage treatment plant (STP) at Roorkee, India. The midpoint LCA modeling revealed that high electricity consumption (≈ 576 kWh.day-1) contributed to the maximum environmental burdens. The LCA endpoint result of 0.01 disability-adjusted life years per person per year (DALYs pppy) was obtained in terms of the impacts on human health. Further, a QMRA model was developed based on representative sewage pathogens, including E. coli O157:H7, Giardia sp., adenovirus, norovirus, and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The public health risk associated with intake of pathogen-laden aerosols during treated water reuse in sprinkler irrigation was determined. A cumulative health risk of 0.07 DALYs pppy was obtained, where QMRA risks contributed 86 % of the total health impacts. The annual probability of illness per person was highest for adenovirus and norovirus, followed by SARS-CoV-2, E. coli O157:H7 and Giardia sp. Overall, the study provides a methodological framework for an integrated LCA-QMRA assessment which can be applied across any treatment process to identify the hotspots contributing maximum environmental burdens and microbial health risks. Furthermore, the integrated LCA-QMRA approach could support stakeholders in the water industry to select the most suitable wastewater treatment system and establish regulations regarding the safe reuse of treated water.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ankita Bhatt
- Department of Hydro and Renewable Energy, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India
| | | | - Sanjeev Kumar Prajapati
- Department of Hydro and Renewable Energy, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Pratham Arora
- Department of Hydro and Renewable Energy, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India.
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4
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Robins K, Leonard AFC, Farkas K, Graham DW, Jones DL, Kasprzyk-Hordern B, Bunce JT, Grimsley JMS, Wade MJ, Zealand AM, McIntyre-Nolan S. Research needs for optimising wastewater-based epidemiology monitoring for public health protection. JOURNAL OF WATER AND HEALTH 2022; 20:1284-1313. [PMID: 36170187 DOI: 10.2166/wh.2022.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is an unobtrusive method used to observe patterns in illicit drug use, poliovirus, and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). The pandemic and need for surveillance measures have led to the rapid acceleration of WBE research and development globally. With the infrastructure available to monitor SARS-CoV-2 from wastewater in 58 countries globally, there is potential to expand targets and applications for public health protection, such as other viral pathogens, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), pharmaceutical consumption, or exposure to chemical pollutants. Some applications have been explored in academic research but are not used to inform public health decision-making. We reflect on the current knowledge of WBE for these applications and identify barriers and opportunities for expanding beyond SARS-CoV-2. This paper critically reviews the applications of WBE for public health and identifies the important research gaps for WBE to be a useful tool in public health. It considers possible uses for pathogenic viruses, AMR, and chemicals. It summarises the current evidence on the following: (1) the presence of markers in stool and urine; (2) environmental factors influencing persistence of markers in wastewater; (3) methods for sample collection and storage; (4) prospective methods for detection and quantification; (5) reducing uncertainties; and (6) further considerations for public health use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie Robins
- Environmental Monitoring for Health Protection, UK Health Security Agency, Nobel House, London SW1P 3HX, UK E-mail: ; School of Engineering, Newcastle University, Cassie Building, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Anne F C Leonard
- Environmental Monitoring for Health Protection, UK Health Security Agency, Nobel House, London SW1P 3HX, UK E-mail: ; University of Exeter Medical School, European Centre for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Kata Farkas
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, UK
| | - David W Graham
- School of Engineering, Newcastle University, Cassie Building, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
| | - David L Jones
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, UK; SoilsWest, Centre for Sustainable Farming Systems, Food Futures Institute, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6105, Australia
| | | | - Joshua T Bunce
- Environmental Monitoring for Health Protection, UK Health Security Agency, Nobel House, London SW1P 3HX, UK E-mail: ; School of Engineering, Newcastle University, Cassie Building, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Jasmine M S Grimsley
- Environmental Monitoring for Health Protection, UK Health Security Agency, Nobel House, London SW1P 3HX, UK E-mail:
| | - Matthew J Wade
- Environmental Monitoring for Health Protection, UK Health Security Agency, Nobel House, London SW1P 3HX, UK E-mail: ; School of Engineering, Newcastle University, Cassie Building, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Andrew M Zealand
- Environmental Monitoring for Health Protection, UK Health Security Agency, Nobel House, London SW1P 3HX, UK E-mail:
| | - Shannon McIntyre-Nolan
- Environmental Monitoring for Health Protection, UK Health Security Agency, Nobel House, London SW1P 3HX, UK E-mail: ; Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service, Ministry of Justice, London, SW1H 9AJ, UK
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Sabar MA, Honda R, Haramoto E. CrAssphage as an indicator of human-fecal contamination in water environment and virus reduction in wastewater treatment. WATER RESEARCH 2022; 221:118827. [PMID: 35820313 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.118827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Revised: 07/03/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Viral indicators of human-fecal contamination in wastewaters and environmental waters have been getting much attention in the past decade. Cross-assembly phage (crAssphage) is the most abundant DNA virus in human feces. Recently, the usefulness of crAssphage as a microbial source tracking and water quality monitoring tool for human-fecal contamination has been highlighted. Here, we conducted a comprehensive review on crAssphage in water, focusing on detection methodology, concentration range in various waters and wastewaters, specificity to human-fecal contamination, and reduction in wastewater treatment systems. This review highlights that crAssphage is globally distributed in wastewaters and various fecal-contaminated water bodies at high concentrations without seasonal fluctuations. CrAssphage is highly specific to human-fecal contamination and is rarely found in animal feces. It also has a good potential as a performance indicator to ensure virus reduction in wastewater treatment systems. Accordingly, crAssphage could be an effective tool for monitoring of human-fecal contamination and potential presence of fecal pathogenic microbes in environmental waters. Bridging the research gaps highlighted in this review would make crAssphage a powerful tool to support the control of water-related health risks.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ryo Honda
- Faculty of Geoscience and Civil Engineering, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan.
| | - Eiji Haramoto
- Graduate Faculty of Interdisciplinary Research, University of Yamanashi, Japan
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Cuevas-Ferrando E, Pérez-Cataluña A, Falcó I, Randazzo W, Sánchez G. Monitoring Human Viral Pathogens Reveals Potential Hazard for Treated Wastewater Discharge or Reuse. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:836193. [PMID: 35464930 PMCID: PMC9026171 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.836193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Wastewater discharge to the environment or its reuse after sanitization poses a concern for public health given the risk of transmission of human viral diseases. However, estimating the viral infectivity along the wastewater cycle presents technical challenges and still remains underexplored. Recently, human-associated crAssphage has been investigated to serve as viral pathogen indicator to monitor fecal impacted water bodies, even though its assessment as biomarker for infectious enteric viruses has not been explored yet. To this end, the occurrence of potentially infectious norovirus genogroup I (GI), norovirus GII, hepatitis A virus (HAV), rotavirus A (RV), and human astrovirus (HAstV) along with crAssphage was investigated in influent and effluent water sampled in four wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) over 1 year by a PMAxx-based capsid integrity RT-qPCR assay. Moreover, influent and effluent samples of a selected WWTP were additionally assayed by an in situ capture RT-qPCR assay (ISC-RT-qPCR) as estimate for viral infectivity in alternative to PMAxx-RT-qPCR. Overall, our results showed lower viral occurrence and concentration assessed by ISC-RT-qPCR than PMAxx-RT-qPCR. Occurrence of potentially infectious enteric virus was estimated by PMAxx-RT-qPCR as 88–94% in influent and 46–67% in effluent wastewaters with mean titers ranging from 4.77 to 5.89, and from 3.86 to 4.97 log10 GC/L, with the exception of HAV that was sporadically detected. All samples tested positive for crAssphage at concentration ranging from 7.41 to 9.99 log10 GC/L in influent and from 4.56 to 6.96 log10 GC/L in effluent wastewater, showing higher mean concentration than targeted enteric viruses. Data obtained by PMAxx-RT-qPCR showed that crAssphage strongly correlated with norovirus GII (ρ = 0.67, p < 0.05) and weakly with HAstV and RV (ρ = 0.25–0.30, p < 0.05) in influent samples. In effluent wastewater, weak (ρ = 0.27–0.38, p < 0.05) to moderate (ρ = 0.47–0.48, p < 0.05) correlations between crAssphage and targeted viruses were observed. Overall, these results corroborate crAssphage as an indicator for fecal contamination in wastewater but a poor marker for either viral occurrence and viral integrity/infectivity. Despite the viral load reductions detected in effluent compared to influent wastewaters, the estimates of viral infectivity based on viability molecular methods might pose a concern for (re)-using of treated water.
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7
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Kumar M, Kuroda K, Barcelo D, Furumai H. Monsoon dilutes the concurrence but increases the correlation of viruses and Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) in the urban waters of Guwahati, India: The context of pandemic viruses. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 813:152282. [PMID: 34902398 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Revised: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 12/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Concurrence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), pathogenic viruses, metals and microbial pollution along with their seasonal variations in the water environment are overarching in the context of existing pandemic, especially for tropical countries. The present study focuses on the seasonal influence on the vulnerability of urban water in Guwahati, the largest city in North-eastern India, through examining the concurrence of seven PPCPs, five viruses, faecal bacteria and nine metals in surface waters during monsoon (Summer-July 2017) and pre-monsoon (Winter-March 2018). Surface water sampling was carried out at different locations of the Brahmaputra River, its tributary Bharalu River (an unlined urban drain), and Dipor Bill Lake (Ramsar-recognized wetland). Both PPCPs and viruses were at high concentrations (e.g. up to 970 ng L-1 caffeine, 2.5 × 103 copies mL-1 pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV)) at the confluence points of urban drains and the river, while they were mostly undetectable at both upstream and downstream locations, implying strong self-purification ability of the river. All the analysed PPCPs and viruses were at much higher concentrations during pre-monsoon i.e., winter than during monsoon, implying heavy dilution and temperature effect during the monsoon. Overall, PPCPs and viruses were more correlated in monsoon but the risk quotient in the urban tributary was higher in pre-monsoon (e.g. 5061 in pre-monsoon and 1515 in monsoon for caffeine). PMMoV was found to be an excellent faecal pollution indicator due to its prevalence, detectability and specificity in all seasons. Overall, the seasonal fluctuations of the non-enveloped viruses monitored in this study is likely to be relevant for SARS-CoV-2. We contribute to address the literature scarcity pertaining to seasonal variations in the prevalence of viruses and their concurrences with contaminants of emerging concern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manish Kumar
- Sustainability Cluster, School of Engineering, University of Petroleum & Energy Studies, Dehradun, Uttarakhand 248007, India.
| | - Keisuke Kuroda
- Department of Environmental and Civil Engineering, Toyama Prefectural University, Imizu 939-0398, Japan
| | - Damia Barcelo
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (OCRA-CERCA), Carrer Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; Universitat de Girona, Girona, Spain; Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC), Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Hiroaki Furumai
- Research Center for Water Environment Technology, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
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Human Adenovirus Molecular Characterization in Various Water Environments and Seasonal Impacts in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph18094773. [PMID: 33947135 PMCID: PMC8125220 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18094773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Revised: 04/19/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
The regular monitoring of water environments is essential for preventing waterborne virus-mediated contamination and mitigating health concerns. We aimed to detect human adenovirus (HAdV) in the Wadi Hanifah (WH) and Wadi Namar (WN) lakes, King Saud University wastewater treatment plant (KSU-WWTP), Manfouha-WWTP, irrigation water (IW), and AnNazim landfill (ANLF) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. HAdV hexon sequences were analyzed against 71 HAdV prototypes and investigated for seasonal influence. ANLF had the highest HAdV prevalence (83.3%). Remarkably, the F species of HAdV, especially serotype 41, predominated. Daily temperature ranges (22–45 °C and 10–33 °C) influenced the significance of the differences between the locations. The most significant relationship of ANLF and IW to WH and KSU-WWTP was found at the high-temperature range (p = 0.001). Meanwhile, WN was most correlated to ANLF at the low-temperature range (p < 0.0001). Seasonal influences on HAdV prevalence were insignificant despite HAdV’s high prevalence in autumn and winter months, favoring low temperatures (high: 22–25 °C, low: 14–17 °C) at five out of six locations. Our study provides insightful information on HAdV prevalence and the circulating strains that can address the knowledge gap in the environmental impacts of viruses and help control viral diseases in public health management.
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Zhang Y, Wu R, Li W, Chen Z, Li K. Occurrence and distributions of human-associated markers in an impacted urban watershed. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2021; 275:116654. [PMID: 33582625 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.116654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Revised: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/31/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Numerous genetic markers for microbial source tracking (MST) have been evaluated by testing a panel of target and nontarget faecal samples. However, the performance of MST markers may vary between faecal and water samples, thereby resulting in inaccurate water quality assessment. In this study, a 30-day sampling study was conducted in an urban river impacted by human- and sewage-associated pollution to evaluate the performance of different human-associated markers in environmental water. Additionally, marker decay was assessed via a microcosms approach. Overall, Bacteroidales 16sRNA and crAssphage markers exhibited higher prevalence in the study area, and their detection frequencies exceeded 90%. In contrast, Bacteroidales protein markers exhibited poor detection frequencies compared to other markers, with the prevalence of Hum2 and Hum163 reaching only 63% and 84%, respectively. Regarding marker abundance, there was no significant difference in the detection concentrations between Bacteroidales 16sRNA and crAssphage markers (p > 0.05); however, the concentrations of Bacteroidales protein markers were nearly 1 order of magnitude lower than those of other MST markers. The microcosm experiments indicated that the decay rate of crAssphage markers was significantly lower than that of other bacterial target markers, which may improve their detectability when the pollution source is located far from the sampling site. Due to the observed differences in performance and decay patterns among Bacteroidales 16sRNA, crAssphage, and Bacteroidales protein markers, we recommend the simultaneous use of multiple markers from different target microorganisms to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of the pollution sources. This approach would also provide an accurate assessment of pollution levels and health risks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Zhang
- The Key Laboratory of Water and Air Pollution Control of Guangdong Province, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People's Republic of China, Guangzhou, 510000, PR China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Water Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People's Republic of China, Guangzhou, 510530, PR China
| | - Renren Wu
- The Key Laboratory of Water and Air Pollution Control of Guangdong Province, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People's Republic of China, Guangzhou, 510000, PR China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Water Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People's Republic of China, Guangzhou, 510530, PR China.
| | - Wenjing Li
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Water Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People's Republic of China, Guangzhou, 510530, PR China
| | - Zhongying Chen
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Water Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People's Republic of China, Guangzhou, 510530, PR China
| | - Kaiming Li
- The Key Laboratory of Water and Air Pollution Control of Guangdong Province, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People's Republic of China, Guangzhou, 510000, PR China
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Farkas K, Walker DI, Adriaenssens EM, McDonald JE, Hillary LS, Malham SK, Jones DL. Viral indicators for tracking domestic wastewater contamination in the aquatic environment. WATER RESEARCH 2020; 181:115926. [PMID: 32417460 PMCID: PMC7211501 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.115926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2019] [Revised: 05/07/2020] [Accepted: 05/08/2020] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Waterborne enteric viruses are an emerging cause of disease outbreaks and represent a major threat to global public health. Enteric viruses may originate from human wastewater and can undergo rapid transport through aquatic environments with minimal decay. Surveillance and source apportionment of enteric viruses in environmental waters is therefore essential for accurate risk management. However, individual monitoring of the >100 enteric viral strains that have been identified as aquatic contaminants is unfeasible. Instead, viral indicators are often used for quantitative assessments of wastewater contamination, viral decay and transport in water. An ideal indicator for tracking wastewater contamination should be (i) easy to detect and quantify, (ii) source-specific, (iii) resistant to wastewater treatment processes, and (iv) persistent in the aquatic environment, with similar behaviour to viral pathogens. Here, we conducted a comprehensive review of 127 peer-reviewed publications, to critically evaluate the effectiveness of several viral indicators of wastewater pollution, including common enteric viruses (mastadenoviruses, polyomaviruses, and Aichi viruses), the pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV), and gut-associated bacteriophages (Type II/III FRNA phages and phages infecting human Bacteroides species, including crAssphage). Our analysis suggests that overall, human mastadenoviruses have the greatest potential to indicate contamination by domestic wastewater due to their easy detection, culturability, and high prevalence in wastewater and in the polluted environment. Aichi virus, crAssphage and PMMoV are also widely detected in wastewater and in the environment, and may be used as molecular markers for human-derived contamination. We conclude that viral indicators are suitable for the long-term monitoring of viral contamination in freshwater and marine environments and that these should be implemented within monitoring programmes to provide a holistic assessment of microbiological water quality and wastewater-based epidemiology, improve current risk management strategies and protect global human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kata Farkas
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Deiniol Road, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2UW, UK; School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Menai Bridge, Anglesey, LL59 5AB, UK.
| | - David I Walker
- Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Weymouth, Dorset, DT4 8UB, UK
| | | | - James E McDonald
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Deiniol Road, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2UW, UK
| | - Luke S Hillary
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Deiniol Road, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2UW, UK
| | - Shelagh K Malham
- School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Menai Bridge, Anglesey, LL59 5AB, UK
| | - Davey L Jones
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Deiniol Road, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2UW, UK; UWA School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia
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11
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Wu Z, Greaves J, Arp L, Stone D, Bibby K. Comparative fate of CrAssphage with culturable and molecular fecal pollution indicators during activated sludge wastewater treatment. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2020; 136:105452. [PMID: 31931347 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2019.105452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2019] [Revised: 12/23/2019] [Accepted: 12/25/2019] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater treatment plants are typically monitored using fecal indicator bacteria to ensure adequate microbial water quality of the treated effluent. Fecal indicator bacteria exhibit poor correlation with virus fate in the environment, including during wastewater treatment. Viral-based microbial source tracking methods have the potential to overcome this limitation. The recently discovered human gut bacteriophage crAssphage is a promising viral human fecal indicator. In this current study, primary influent, primary effluent, secondary effluent, and final effluent of a conventional activated sludge wastewater treatment plant were analyzed for a suite of fecal indicators to evaluate the suitability of crAssphage as a wastewater process indicator for virus removal. CrAssphage was the most abundant fecal indicator measured through the wastewater treatment process. Culturable and molecular bacterial fecal pollution indicators showed higher removal than viral fecal pollution indicators, including crAssphage, confirming the necessity of a viral-specific fecal monitoring target. CrAssphage was strongly correlated with adenovirus and polyomavirus molecular indicators through the wastewater treatment process. Literature comparison demonstrated site-specific removal of molecular fecal indicators during wastewater treatment highlighting the need for local performance validation. The high abundance of crAssphage and correlation with pathogenic viruses suggests the potential suitability of crAssphage as a viral fecal pollution process indicator during wastewater treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenyu Wu
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN, 46556, USA
| | - Justin Greaves
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN, 46556, USA
| | - Lillian Arp
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN, 46556, USA
| | - Daniel Stone
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN, 46556, USA
| | - Kyle Bibby
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN, 46556, USA.
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12
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Robledo-Mahón T, Silva-Castro GA, Kuhar U, Jamnikar-Ciglenečki U, Barlič-Maganja D, Aranda E, Calvo C. Effect of Composting Under Semipermeable Film on the Sewage Sludge Virome. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2019; 78:895-903. [PMID: 31037376 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-019-01365-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2019] [Accepted: 03/18/2019] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
The addition of compost from sewage sludge to soils represents a sustainable option from an environmental and economic point of view, which involves the valorisation of these wastes. However, before their use as a soil amendment, compost has to reach the quality levels according to the normative, including microbial parameters. Viruses are not included in this regulation and they can produce agricultural problems and human diseases if the compost is not well sanitised. In this study, we carried out the analysis of the viral populations during a composting process with sewage sludge at an industrial scale, using semipermeable cover technology. Viral community was characterised by the presence of plant viruses and bacteriophages of enteric bacteria. The phytopathogen viruses were the group with the highest relative abundance in the sewage sludge sample and at 70 days of the composting process. The diversity of bacterial viruses and their specificity, with respect to the more abundant bacterial taxa throughout the process, highlights the importance of the interrelations between viral and bacterial communities in the control of pathogenic communities. These results suggest the possibility of using them as a tool to predict the effectiveness of the process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana Robledo-Mahón
- Institute of Water Research, Department of Microbiology, University of Granada, Ramón y Cajal 4, 18071, Granada, Spain
- Department of Microbiology, Pharmacy Faculty, University of Granada, Campus de Cartuja s/n, Ramón y Cajal 4, 18071, Granada, Spain
| | - Gloria Andrea Silva-Castro
- Institute of Water Research, Department of Microbiology, University of Granada, Ramón y Cajal 4, 18071, Granada, Spain
- Department of Microbiology, Pharmacy Faculty, University of Granada, Campus de Cartuja s/n, Ramón y Cajal 4, 18071, Granada, Spain
| | - Urška Kuhar
- Institute of Microbiology and Parasitology, Veterinary Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Gerbičeva 60, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Urška Jamnikar-Ciglenečki
- Institute of Food safety, Feed and Environment, Veterinary Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Gerbičeva 60, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Darja Barlič-Maganja
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Primorska, Polje 42, 6310, Izola, Slovenia
| | - Elisabet Aranda
- Institute of Water Research, Department of Microbiology, University of Granada, Ramón y Cajal 4, 18071, Granada, Spain
- Department of Microbiology, Pharmacy Faculty, University of Granada, Campus de Cartuja s/n, Ramón y Cajal 4, 18071, Granada, Spain
| | - Concepción Calvo
- Institute of Water Research, Department of Microbiology, University of Granada, Ramón y Cajal 4, 18071, Granada, Spain.
- Department of Microbiology, Pharmacy Faculty, University of Granada, Campus de Cartuja s/n, Ramón y Cajal 4, 18071, Granada, Spain.
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13
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Farkas K, Adriaenssens EM, Walker DI, McDonald JE, Malham SK, Jones DL. Critical Evaluation of CrAssphage as a Molecular Marker for Human-Derived Wastewater Contamination in the Aquatic Environment. FOOD AND ENVIRONMENTAL VIROLOGY 2019; 11:113-119. [PMID: 30758724 PMCID: PMC6513805 DOI: 10.1007/s12560-019-09369-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2018] [Accepted: 01/18/2019] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
The discharge of human-derived wastewater represents a major threat to water quality with the potential for waterborne disease outbreaks mainly associated with enteric viruses. To prevent illnesses, indicators associated with fecal contamination are monitored in polluted areas, however, their prevalence often does not correlate well with viral pathogens. In this study, we used crAssphage, a recently discovered human-specific gut-associated bacteriophage, for the surveillance of wastewater-derived viral contamination. Untreated and treated wastewater, surface water, sediment and mussel samples were collected monthly over 1 year from the Conwy River and estuary (UK) and were analyzed for crAssphage marker by quantitative PCR. This is the first long-term catchment-to-coast scale study of environmental crAssphage concentrations. CrAssphage was detected in all sample types and showed no distinct seasonal pattern. CrAssphage concentrations were 2 × 105-109 genome copies (gc)/L in all untreated wastewater influent and 107-108 gc/L in secondary treated effluent samples, 3 × 103 gc/L-3 × 107 gc/L in surface water samples (94% positive) and 2 × 102-104 gc/g sediment (68% positive) and mussel digestive tissue (79% positive). CrAssphage concentrations were 1-5 log10 higher than human enteric virus titers (norovirus, sapovirus, adenovirus, polyomavirus). Our results indicate that crAssphage is well suited to tracking human wastewater contamination and pollution risk assessment in aquatic environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kata Farkas
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Deiniol Road, Bangor, Gwynedd, UK.
| | - Evelien M Adriaenssens
- Microbiology Research Group, Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
- Quadram Institute Bioscience, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK
| | - David I Walker
- Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Weymouth, Dorset, UK
| | - James E McDonald
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Deiniol Road, Bangor, Gwynedd, UK
| | - Shelagh K Malham
- School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Menai Bridge, Anglesey, UK
| | - Davey L Jones
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Deiniol Road, Bangor, Gwynedd, UK
- UWA School of Agriculture and Environment, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia
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14
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Farkas K, Marshall M, Cooper D, McDonald JE, Malham SK, Peters DE, Maloney JD, Jones DL. Seasonal and diurnal surveillance of treated and untreated wastewater for human enteric viruses. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2018; 25:33391-33401. [PMID: 30259243 PMCID: PMC6245017 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-018-3261-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2018] [Accepted: 09/14/2018] [Indexed: 04/16/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the abundance and fate of human viral pathogens in wastewater is essential when assessing the public health risks associated with wastewater discharge to the environment. Typically, however, the microbiological monitoring of wastewater is undertaken on an infrequent basis and peak discharge events may be missed leading to the misrepresentation of risk levels. To evaluate diurnal patterns in wastewater viral loading, we undertook 3-day sampling campaigns with bi-hourly sample collection over three seasons at three wastewater treatment plants. Untreated influent was collected at Ganol and secondary-treated effluent was sampled at Llanrwst and Betws-y-Coed (North Wales, UK). Our results confirmed the presence of human adenovirus (AdV), norovirus genotypes I and II (NoVGI and NoVGII) in both influent and effluent samples while sapovirus GI (SaVGI) was only detected in influent water. The AdV titre was high and relatively constant in all samples, whereas the NoVGI, NoVGII and SaVGI showed high concentrations during autumn and winter and low counts during the summer. Diurnal patterns were detected in pH and turbidity for some sampling periods; however, no such changes in viral titres were observed apart from slight fluctuations in the influent samples. Our findings suggest that viral particle number in wastewater is not affected by daily chemical fluctuations. Hence, a grab sample taken at any point during the day may be sufficient to enumerate the viral load of wastewater effluent within an order of magnitude while four samples a day are recommended for testing wastewater influent samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kata Farkas
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Deiniol Road, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2UW, UK.
| | - Miles Marshall
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Deiniol Road, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2UW, UK
- Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Environment Centre Wales, Deiniol Road, Bangor, LL57 2UW, UK
| | - David Cooper
- Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Environment Centre Wales, Deiniol Road, Bangor, LL57 2UW, UK
| | - James E McDonald
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Deiniol Road, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2UW, UK
| | - Shelagh K Malham
- School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Menai Bridge, Anglesey, LL59 5AB, UK
| | - Dafydd E Peters
- School of Medical Sciences, Bangor University, Brigantia Building, Penrallt Road, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2AS, UK
| | - John D Maloney
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Deiniol Road, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2UW, UK
| | - Davey L Jones
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Deiniol Road, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2UW, UK
- UWA School of Agriculture and Environment, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
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15
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Sidhu JPS, Sena K, Hodgers L, Palmer A, Toze S. Comparative enteric viruses and coliphage removal during wastewater treatment processes in a sub-tropical environment. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2018; 616-617:669-677. [PMID: 29103646 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.10.265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2017] [Revised: 10/17/2017] [Accepted: 10/23/2017] [Indexed: 04/14/2023]
Abstract
Microbiological safety of reclaimed water is one of the most important issues in managing potential health risks related to wastewater recycling. Presence and removal of human adenovirus (HAdV), human polyomavirus (HPyV), human torque teno virus (HTtV) and somatic coliphage family Microviridae in three wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) in sub-tropical Brisbane, Australia was investigated. All three WWTPs employ activated sludge process with added on Bardenpho process for nutrient removal. HPyV, HAdV, HTtV and Microviridae were consistently detected in the influent (105 to 106 Genomic copies (GC) L-1) and secondary treated effluent (102 to 103GCL-1). The results of this study suggest that, under appropriate conditions, WWTPs with activated sludge process in sub-tropical climate could be an effective treatment barrier with >3 log10 removal of enteric virus. The geometric mean of pooled data for each virus from all sites showed the highest removal for HPyV (3.65 log10) and lowest for HAdV (2.79 log10) which was statistically significant (p=0.00001). Whereas, the removal rate of HTtV and Microviridae was identical (2.81 log10). A poor correlation between the presence of enteric virus in influent or effluent with routinely monitored physicochemical parameters suggests limited use of physicochemical parameters as predictors of enteric virus presence. High prevalence of HAdV in influent and effluent combined with comparatively low removal suggest that it could be used as a model microorganism for determining enteric virus removal efficacy. Additional tertiary treatment may be required prior to effluent reuse for non-potable purposes or discharge into the recreational waters to prevent exposure of people to health hazards.
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Affiliation(s)
- J P S Sidhu
- CSIRO Land and Water, Ecoscience Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, Brisbane 4102, Australia; School of Public Health, University of Queensland, Herston Road, Brisbane, Qld 4006, Australia.
| | - K Sena
- Department of Forestry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - L Hodgers
- CSIRO Land and Water, Ecoscience Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, Brisbane 4102, Australia
| | - A Palmer
- CSIRO Land and Water, Ecoscience Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, Brisbane 4102, Australia
| | - S Toze
- CSIRO Land and Water, Ecoscience Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, Brisbane 4102, Australia; School of Public Health, University of Queensland, Herston Road, Brisbane, Qld 4006, Australia
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