Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), Department of Environmental Research and Innovation (ERIN), 5 Avenue des Hauts-Fourneaux, 4362 Esch-sur-Alzette, LUXEMBOURG.
Université de Lorraine, Laboratoire de Chimie, Physique et Microbiologie pour les Matériaux et l'Environnement (LCPME), UMR 7564, Faculté de Pharmacie, 5 Rue Albert Lebrun BP 80403 54001 Nancy, FRANCE.
FEMS Microbiol Ecol. 2019 Feb 1;95(2). doi: 10.1093/femsec/fiy240.
Riverbed sediment is commonly described as an enteric virus reservoir and thought to play an important role in water column contamination, especially during rainfall events. Although the occurrence and fate of faecal-derived viruses are fairly well characterized in water, little information is available on their presence as their interactions with sediment. This study aimed at determining the main environmental factors responsible for the presence of enteric viruses in riverbed sediment. Using a combination of microbiological and physico-chemical analyses of freshly field-sampled sediments, we demonstrated their contamination by faecal phages. The in situ spatial distribution of phages in sediment was mainly driven by sediment composition. A preferential phage accumulation occurred along one bank of the river, where the quantity of fine sands and clay particles smaller than 0.2 mm was the highest. Additionally, a mineralogical analysis revealed the influence of the heterogeneous presence of virus sorbents such as quartz, calcite, carbonates and iron-bearing phases (goethite) on the phage spatial pattern. A more precise knowledge of the composition of riverbed sediment is therefore useful for predicting preferential areas of enteric virus accumulation and should allow more accurate microbial risk assessment when using surface water for drinking water production or recreational activities.
河床沉积物通常被描述为肠道病毒的储存库，被认为在水柱污染中起着重要作用，尤其是在降雨事件期间。尽管粪便来源的病毒在水中的发生和命运已经得到了很好的描述，但关于它们与沉积物相互作用时存在的信息却很少。本研究旨在确定导致肠道病毒存在于河床沉积物中的主要环境因素。本研究通过对现场采集的新鲜沉积物进行微生物学和物理化学分析，证明了粪便噬菌体对其的污染。噬菌体在沉积物中的原位空间分布主要受沉积物组成的驱动。在河流的一侧，优先发生噬菌体的积累，该侧的细砂和小于 0.2mm 的粘土颗粒的数量最多。此外，矿物学分析揭示了病毒吸附剂（如石英、方解石、碳酸盐和含铁相（针铁矿））不均匀存在对噬菌体空间格局的影响。因此，更精确地了解河床沉积物的组成对于预测肠道病毒优先积累的区域是有用的，并且在使用地表水进行饮用水生产或娱乐活动时，应该能够更准确地进行微生物风险评估。
