[Enterovirus pollution of seawater in a health resort area]

Virological examinations of sea water specimens from the littoral zone were carried out for 5 years. The specimens studied had been collected in the areas of municipal and therapeutic beaches, port, and rivers falling into the sea. Examinations of 603 specimens demonstrated enterovirus strains in 166 (27.5%) and untypable agents in 6.4% of the specimens. Enteroviruses were most frequently isolated from unpurified sewage discharged into the sea (59.4% of the specimens). The serological spectrum of the isolates was variable, yielding 28 virus serotypes. Introduction of the deepwater discharge of sewage resulted in a decrease of contamination with enteric microflora by 95%, enterophages by 73.7%, enteroviruses by 41.3%.