Human Rotavirus Genome Copies and Infectious Units in Water and Wastewater in Egypt

Abstract

Removal of enteric viruses in water and wastewater treatment plants (WTPs and WWTPs) is an important objective to protect societies from enteric viruses' diseases. In this study, the efficiency of two concentration methods, adsorption-elution followed by organic flocculation technique and aluminum hydroxide Al (OH) 3 precipitation method, were compared to concentrate rotaviruses from raw sewage, treated effluents, Nile water, and drinking water. No significant difference between the two concentration methods used was observed in raw sewage, treated effluents, Nile water samples. Only in drinking water samples, there was a difference between the two concentration methods. The highest number was 9.2X10 4 genome copies/litre in the six positive Nile water samples. Genome copies were detected once in drinking water samples but without viral infectivity. Also, the relationship between the number of genome copies of rotavirus Group A in the samples and the quality of sequencing of 155 bp from VP6 region was studied. Sequence anlaysis of 155 bp and 379 bp of VP6 rotavirus region showed successful sequencing for samples containing higher than 10 2 and 10 3 genome copies/litre, respectively. The number of viral genome copies may be a useful indicator to choose positive environmental samples by PCR/electrophoresis for sequencing.