Meta-Djomsi Dowbiss, Atsama-Amougou Marie, Ngamaleu Modeste Romuald, Godwe Celestin, Maidadi-Foudi Martin, Tongo Marcel, Fokam Joseph, Kouanfack Charles, Ayouba Ahidjo
Centre de Recherche sur les Maladies Émergentes et Re-Emergentes, Yaounde, Cameroon.
Department of microbiology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon.
PLoS One. 2025 Aug 13;20(8):e0322765. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0322765. eCollection 2025.
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a zoonotic pathogen mainly transmitted through contaminated food or water in sub-Saharan countries, highlighting the need for environmental surveillance. This study aimed to assess the burden and molecular characterization of HEV in environmental wastewater.
A community-based surveillance was conducted in Yaoundé, Cameroon, using untreated wastewater samples collected monthly from January to December 2023 from hospitals, residential sewage systems, markets, and plant watering points. Molecular phylogeny was performed on sequences from the Open Reading Frame 1 region.
HEV was detected in 26.4% (19/72) of all sites, with prevalence ranging from 8.3% (1/12) in hospitals to 41.7% (5/12) in residential areas (p = 0.0022). Of the 19 positives, HEV detection was highest in specific residential areas (26.3%) and plant watering points (15.8%). Detection rates were significantly higher during the short dry season (36.8%) and long dry season (31.6%) compared to the short-wet season (21.05%) and long-wet season (10.53%) (p = 0.034). Phylogenetic analysis of the sequenced samples revealed that the detected HEV strains are closely related to Orthohepevirus C genotype C1 previously associated with rodents rather than to the classical human HEV genotypes. This finding raises important questions about possible zoonotic transmission in densely populated urban areas.
This is the first study to report HEV detection and genetic analysis in wastewater from the Mfoundi Division of Yaoundé, and only the second such report in Cameroon. The presence of HEV in community wastewater, especially from residential and irrigation sites, suggests widespread circulation and potential environmental and foodborne risks. The identification of HEV-C1-like strains highlights the possible role of rodents in transmission. These findings emphasize the importance of integrating wastewater surveillance into public health strategies and call for further research on zoonotic sources through a One Health lens.
戊型肝炎病毒（HEV）是一种人畜共患病原体，在撒哈拉以南国家主要通过受污染的食物或水传播，这凸显了环境监测的必要性。本研究旨在评估环境废水中HEV的负担和分子特征。
在喀麦隆雅温得进行了一项基于社区的监测，使用2023年1月至12月每月从医院、住宅污水系统、市场和植物浇水点收集的未经处理的废水样本。对开放阅读框1区域的序列进行了分子系统发育分析。
在所有采样点中，26.4%（19/72）检测到HEV，患病率从医院的8.3%（1/12）到居民区的41.7%（5/12）不等（p = 0.0022）。在19个阳性样本中，HEV在特定居民区（26.3%）和植物浇水点（15.8%）的检测率最高。与短雨季（21.05%）和长雨季（10.53%）相比，在短旱季（36.8%）和长旱季（31.6%）的检测率显著更高（p = 0.034）。对测序样本的系统发育分析表明，检测到的HEV毒株与先前与啮齿动物相关的正戊型肝炎病毒C基因型C1密切相关，而不是与经典的人类HEV基因型密切相关。这一发现引发了关于人口密集的城市地区可能存在人畜共患病传播的重要问题。
这是第一项报告在雅温得姆方迪分区废水中检测到HEV并进行基因分析的研究，也是喀麦隆第二项此类报告。社区废水中存在HEV，尤其是来自居民区和灌溉点的废水，表明其广泛传播以及潜在的环境和食源性风险。鉴定出类似HEV-C1的毒株突出了啮齿动物在传播中的可能作用。这些发现强调了将废水监测纳入公共卫生战略的重要性，并呼吁通过“同一健康”视角对人畜共患病源进行进一步研究。
