Hepatitis E virus-based evaluation of a virion concentration method and detection of enteric viruses in environmental...

The prevalence of enteric viruses in drinking and river water samples collected from Pune, India was assessed. During an outbreak of HEV in a small town near pune, water samples were screened for enteric viruses.

The water samples were subjected to adsorption-elution-based virus concentration protocol followed by multiplex nested PCR. Among 64 Mutha river samples, 49 (76.56%) were positive for Hepatitis A Virus, 36 (56.25%) were positive for Rotavirus, 33 (51.56%) were positive for Enterovirus and 16 (25%) were positive for Hepatitis E Virus RNA. Only enterovirus RNA was detected in 2/662 (0.3%) drinking water samples, and the samples from the city's water reservoir tested negative for all four viruses. HEV RNA was detected in three out of four river water samples during HEV outbreak and partial sequences from patients and water sample were identical.

The study suggests absence of enteric viruses both in the source and in the purified water samples from Pune city, not allowing evaluation of the purification system and documents high prevalence of enteric viruses in river water, posing threat to the community.

The rapid, sensitive and relatively inexpensive protocol developed for virological evaluation of water seems extremely useful and should be adapted for evaluating viral contamination of water for human consumption. This will lead to development of adequate control measures thereby reducing disease burden because of enteric viruses.