Paisantham Phongsawat, Theplhar Supitchaya, Srathongneam Thitima, Sresung Montakarn, Mongkolsuk Skorn, Sirikanchana Kwanrawee
Research Laboratory of Biotechnology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Bangkok 10210, Thailand.
Research Laboratory of Biotechnology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Bangkok 10210, Thailand; Center of Excellence on Environmental Health and Toxicology (EHT), OPS, MHESI, Bangkok, Thailand.
Sci Total Environ. 2025 Feb 1;963:178419. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178419. Epub 2025 Jan 17.
Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) has emerged as a major plant pathogen with the potential to spread through contaminated wastewater, posing risks to agriculture and public health. This study evaluated ToBRFV as a human-specific microbial source tracking (MST) marker in Thailand, comparing its performance to crAssphage. Using qPCR assays, ToBRFV was detected in 62.5 % of building sewage samples (n = 16) and 100.0 % of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) influent samples (n = 16). Notably, ToBRFV showed minimal cross-detection in non-human fecal samples (35 pooled samples), collected from cows, pigs, chickens, ducks, and goats, with only one detection in a pig fecal-source sample, demonstrating high specificity to human sewage. Concentrations in WWTP influent were significantly higher (mean: 5.19 ± 5.05; range: 3.96-5.62 log copies/100 mL) than in building sewage (mean: 4.36 ± 4.40; range: 2.33-4.85 log copies/100 mL) (p < 0.001). ToBRFV concentrations were significantly lower than crAssphage in building sewage but higher in WWTP influents. Additionally, ToBRFV and crAssphage exhibited moderate correlations in both building sewage and WWTP influent samples. These results suggest that ToBRFV could serve as a valuable MST marker for identifying human contamination in water bodies, complementing established markers. While ToBRFV's broader utility across diverse geographic regions remains to be fully validated, this study highlights its potential as a reliable indicator of human sewage in environmental surveillance.
番茄褐色皱果病毒（ToBRFV）已成为一种主要的植物病原体，有可能通过受污染的废水传播，对农业和公共卫生构成风险。本研究评估了ToBRFV作为泰国人类特异性微生物源追踪（MST）标记物的情况，并将其性能与crAssphage进行了比较。通过定量聚合酶链反应（qPCR）分析，在62.5%的建筑污水样本（n = 16）和100.0%的污水处理厂（WWTP）进水样本（n = 16）中检测到了ToBRFV。值得注意的是，ToBRFV在从牛、猪、鸡、鸭和山羊收集的非人类粪便样本（35个混合样本）中交叉检测极少，仅在一个猪粪便源样本中检测到一次，表明其对人类污水具有高度特异性。污水处理厂进水的浓度（平均值：5.19±5.05；范围：3.96 - 5.62 log拷贝/100 mL）显著高于建筑污水（平均值：4.36±4.40；范围：2.33 - 4.85 log拷贝/100 mL）（p < 0.001）。ToBRFV浓度在建筑污水中显著低于crAssphage，但在污水处理厂进水中更高。此外，ToBRFV和crAssphage在建筑污水和污水处理厂进水样本中均表现出中等相关性。这些结果表明，ToBRFV可作为一种有价值的MST标记物，用于识别水体中的人类污染，补充现有标记物。虽然ToBRFV在不同地理区域的更广泛用途仍有待充分验证，但本研究强调了其在环境监测中作为人类污水可靠指标的潜力。
