University of Delaware, Department of Animal and Food Sciences, Newark, Delaware, USA.
University of Delaware, Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, Newark, Delaware, USA.
Appl Environ Microbiol. 2021 Jun 11;87(13):e0021121. doi: 10.1128/AEM.00211-21.
Enteric viruses (EVs) are the largest contributors to foodborne illnesses and outbreaks globally. Their ability to persist in the environment, coupled with the challenges experienced in environmental monitoring, creates a critical aperture through which agricultural crops may become contaminated. This study involved a 17-month investigation of select human EVs and viral indicators in nontraditional irrigation water sources (surface and reclaimed waters) in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Real-time quantitative PCR was used for detection of Aichi virus, hepatitis A virus, and norovirus genotypes I and II (GI and GII, respectively). Pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV), a common viral indicator of human fecal contamination, was also evaluated, along with atmospheric (air and water temperature, cloud cover, and precipitation 24 h, 7 days, and 14 days prior to sample collection) and physicochemical (dissolved oxygen, pH, salinity, and turbidity) data, to determine whether there were any associations between EVs and measured parameters. EVs were detected more frequently in reclaimed waters (32% [ = 22]) than in surface waters (4% [ = 49]), similar to PMMoV detection frequency in surface (33% [ = 42]) and reclaimed (67% [ = 21]) waters. Our data show a significant correlation between EV and PMMoV ( = 0.628, 0.05) detection levels in reclaimed water samples but not in surface water samples ( = 0.476, 0.78). Water salinity significantly affected the detection of both EVs and PMMoV (0.05), as demonstrated by logistic regression analyses. These results provide relevant insights into the extent and degree of association between human (pathogenic) EVs and water quality data in Mid-Atlantic surface and reclaimed waters, as potential sources for agricultural irrigation. Microbiological analysis of agricultural waters is fundamental to ensure microbial food safety. The highly variable nature of nontraditional sources of irrigation water makes them particularly difficult to test for the presence of viruses. Multiple characteristics influence viral persistence in a water source, as well as affecting the recovery and detection methods that are employed. Testing for a suite of viruses in water samples is often too costly and labor-intensive, making identification of suitable indicators for viral pathogen contamination necessary. The results from this study address two critical data gaps, namely, EV prevalence in surface and reclaimed waters of the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and subsequent evaluation of physicochemical and atmospheric parameters used to inform the potential for the use of indicators of viral contamination.
肠病毒 (EVs) 是造成全球食源性疾病和疫情的最大元凶。它们在环境中持续存在的能力，加上在环境监测方面遇到的挑战，为农业作物可能受到污染创造了一个关键的缺口。本研究对美国中大西洋地区非传统灌溉水源（地表水和再生水）中的特定人类 EVs 和病毒指标进行了为期 17 个月的调查。使用实时定量 PCR 检测了 Aichi 病毒、甲型肝炎病毒和诺如病毒基因型 I 和 II（GI 和 GII）。还评估了辣椒轻斑驳病毒（PMMoV），这是人类粪便污染的常见病毒指标，以及大气（空气和水温度、云量和降水 24 小时、7 天和 14 天前采集样本）和物理化学（溶解氧、pH 值、盐度和浊度）数据，以确定 EVs 与测量参数之间是否存在任何关联。EVs 在再生水中的检出频率（32% [=22]）高于地表水（4% [=49]），与地表水（33% [=42]）和再生水（67% [=21]）中 PMMoV 的检出频率相似。我们的数据显示，在再生水中，EV 和 PMMoV 的检测水平（=0.628，0.05）之间存在显著相关性，但在地表水样本中不存在（=0.476，0.78）。逻辑回归分析表明，水盐度显著影响 EV 和 PMMoV 的检测（0.05）。这些结果提供了有关人类（致病）EVs 与中大西洋地表水和再生水中水质数据之间的程度和关联的相关见解，因为它们是农业灌溉的潜在来源。对农业用水进行微生物分析是确保微生物食品安全的基础。非传统灌溉水源的高度多变性使得它们特别难以检测病毒的存在。多种特征影响病毒在水源中的持久性，以及影响所采用的回收和检测方法。对水样中的一系列病毒进行测试通常成本过高且劳动强度大，因此有必要确定适合病毒病原体污染的指示物。本研究的结果解决了两个关键的数据差距，即美国中大西洋地区地表水和再生水中 EV 的流行情况，以及随后评估用于指示病毒污染潜力的理化和大气参数。
