Exploring viral contamination in urban groundwater and runoff

The reliance of the global population on urban aquifers is steadily increasing, and urban aquifers are susceptible to pathogenic contamination through sources such as sewer leakage or urban runoff. However, there is insufficient monitoring of groundwater quality in urban areas. In this study, quanti...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Itarte, Marta, Forés, Eva, Martínez-Puchol, Sandra, Scheiber, Laura, Vázquez-Suñé, Enric, Bofill-Mas, Sílvia, Rusiñol, Marta
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2024
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/363470
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/363470
https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/85197339116
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Virus contamination sources
Groundwater virome
Next-generation sequencing
Runoff virome
http://metadata.un.org/sdg/6
http://metadata.un.org/sdg/3
Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
Descripción
Sumario:The reliance of the global population on urban aquifers is steadily increasing, and urban aquifers are susceptible to pathogenic contamination through sources such as sewer leakage or urban runoff. However, there is insufficient monitoring of groundwater quality in urban areas. In this study, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was employed to evaluate the presence of human fecal viral indicators and viral pathogens in urban wastewater (n = 13) and groundwater (n = 12) samples from four locations in Barcelona with different degrees of urbanization, as well as in runoff samples (n = 2). Additionally, a target enrichment sequencing (TES) approach was utilized to explore the viral diversity within groundwater and runoff samples, offering insights into viral contamination and potential virus transmission routes in urban areas. Human adenovirus (HAdV) was identified in all wastewater samples, 67 % (8/12) of groundwater samples, and one runoff sample by qPCR indicating human viral fecal contamination. The viral pathogen Norovirus genogroup GI (NoV GI) was detected in wastewater and two winter groundwater samples from highly and medium urbanized areas. NoV genogroup GII (NoV GII), Enterovirus (EV) and SARS-CoV-2 were exclusively detected in wastewater. Human and other vertebrate viruses were detected in groundwater and runoff samples using TES. This study gives insights about the virome present in urban water sources, emphasizing the need for thorough monitoring and deeper understanding to address emerging public health concerns.