[Occurrence Characteristics and Annual Epidemic Pattern of Typical Diarrhea Viruses in Municipal Wastewater in...

To elucidate the characteristics and annual epidemic patterns of diarrheal viruses in municipal wastewater, this study conducted a comprehensive year-long investigation utilizing two sizeable municipal wastewater treatment plants in Tianjin. This study applied the electronegatively charged membranes and polyethylene glycol sodium chloride （PEG-NaCl） methods to concentrate viral particles efficiently. A real-time quantitative PCR method was employed to detect common diarrheal viruses within wastewater, specifically targeting Norovirus GI, GII, Rotavirus （RoV）, Astrovirus （HAstV）, Sapovirus （SaV）, Enterovirus （EnV）, Hepatitis A virus （HAV）, and Adenovirus （HAdV）. The goal of the study was to ascertain the annual prevalence of viral gastroenteritis within Tianjin's wastewater in China. The findings unveiled the seven targeted viruses across both A and B municipal wastewater treatment plants, with Norovirus GII and Sapovirus emerging as prevailing strains. Notably, no statistically significant disparity in virus detection between the two WWTPs was observed （P>0.05, Mann-Whitney U test）, implying a uniform distribution within the studied regions. Furthermore, discernible seasonal fluctuations in the presence of diarrheal viruses within municipal wastewater treatment plants were identified, with Astrovirus exhibiting heightened detection rates in autumn, while Enterovirus prevalence peaked during the winter months. Conversely, Norovirus GII, Sapovirus, and Adenovirus displayed consistent levels across seasons （P>0.05）. The notable frequency of diarrheal virus' detection within Tianjin's wastewater network suggests a significant presence of asymptomatic carriers within the local population. Consequently, further investigation is warranted to comprehensively evaluate the potential outbreak risk and prevalence dynamic across different temporal intervals.