Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 3, 2026
EPA Method 1615. Measurement of Enterovirus and Norovirus Occurrence in Water by Culture and RT-qPCR. I. Collection of Virus Samples
Published on: March 28, 2015
First Occurrence of Saffold Virus in Sewage and River Water Samples in Karaj, Iran
Mona Aminipour1, Mostafa Ghaderi2, Naser Harzandi1
1Department of Microbiology, Karaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran.
Insights
Saffold virus, linked to gastroenteritis and respiratory illness, was detected in Iranian water samples. This study confirms its circulation in Iran, highlighting potential public health concerns from environmental contamination.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Virology
- Molecular Detection
- Public Health
Background:
- Saffold virus, a Cardiovirus genus member, is associated with acute gastroenteritis and pediatric respiratory diseases.
- Previous detections of Saffold virus were primarily from infant stool samples in America and environmental water sources.
- Limited data exists on Saffold virus prevalence in environmental water, particularly in the Middle East.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the molecular detection and quantification of Saffold virus in environmental water samples in Karaj, Iran.
- To assess the prevalence and viral load of Saffold virus in sewage and river water.
- To provide the first evidence of Saffold virus circulation in Iran.
Main Methods:
- Collection of 50 environmental water samples (28 river water, 22 sewage water - treated and untreated).
- Viral RNA extraction followed by development of a real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) assay.
- Targeted amplification of the 5' untranslated region (5'UTR) of the Saffold virus genome for detection and quantification.
Main Results:
- Saffold virus genomic RNA was detected in 35.7% of river water samples and 33.3% to 40% of sewage water samples.
- Viral loads ranged from 1.2 × 10^6 to 6.8 × 10^6 copies/L in treated and untreated sewage water.
- The study indicates a moderate to high prevalence of Saffold virus in the tested environmental water samples.
Conclusions:
- This study provides the first molecular evidence of Saffold virus circulation in Iran.
- The presence of Saffold virus in treated and untreated sewage, as well as river water, suggests environmental dissemination.
- Findings highlight the need for further investigation into the public health implications of Saffold virus in environmental settings in Iran.
Abstract:
Saffold virus as a newly discovered virus, which seems to be related to acute gastroenteritis as with other enteric viruses and to human airway diseases in children belongs to Cardiovirus genus in picornaviridae family with 11 genotypes. Saffold virus initially was detected in America from infant stool sample. Saffold virus has also been detected in environmental water samples. Until now, two reports have demonstrated that sewage water sources are contaminated with Saffold viruses. Molecular detection of Saffold virus mostly depended on reverse transcription PCR methods and RT-qPCR, which had targeted 5'UTR region of the viral genome. The present study aims to evaluate the molecular detection and quantity of Saffold virus in sewage water and river water specimens by RT-qPCR assay in Karaj, Iran. Fifty samples collected from environmental waters containing treated and untreated sewage water and river water samples were included in this study. After viral RNA extraction, the Real-time PCR was developed to amplify the 5'UTR sequence of Saffold virus genome and viral load was assessed. Out of the 50 samples tested (consisting 28 river water samples and 22 sewage water samples), the Saffold virus genomic RNA was identified in 10/28 (35.7%) of river water samples and in 4/12 (33.3%) of treated and 4/10 (40%) of untreated sewage samples. The maximum viral load was 6.8 × 106 copies/l in untreated sewage water sample in December, and the lower viral load was 1.2 × 106 copies/l related to treated sewage water taken in October. Our results for the first time indicate that Saffold virus has apparently been circulating among Iranian peoples. Also, the viral prevalence of Saffold virus in each of the three sets of tested samples was within moderate to high in range.
