Distribution of human polyomaviruses, adenoviruses, and hepatitis E virus in the environment and in a drinking-water treatment plant

Large numbers of viruses are excreted in human feces and urine, which even at low concentrations may cause illness when ingested. Some of these viruses have not been traditionally monitored in terms of waterborne diseases and are considered emergent viruses, such as hepatitis E virus (HEV) and JC and BK polyomavirus (JCPyV and BKPyV). The high prevalence of human adenoviruses (HAdV) and polyomaviruses, which both show DNA genomes, in sewage from widely divergent areas has suggested the relevance of evaluating these viruses as possible indicators of viral contamination. The concentration of these viruses was analyzed in sewage and river water and after treatment in a drinking-water treatment plant including chlorination, flocculation, ozonation, and granulate active carbon (GAC) filtration. Samples of GAC-filtered water were collected before a second chlorination treatment. The river used as a source of fresh water presented an average concentration of 2.6 x 10(1) JCPyV and 4 x 10(2) HAdV GC (genome copies)/L. A removal of 2 logarithms (99%) of HAdV and JCPyV was observed in the drinking-water treatment plant. All the GAC-filtered water samples studied contained HAdV, with a mean value of 4.3 HAdV GC/L. HEV strains belonging to genotype 3 were frequently detected in low concentrations in urban sewage and in biosolids or sewage containing swine feces but not in the river water samples studied. The detection of viruses by molecular techniques is useful for genetically describe emergent viruses in community wastewaters and water supplies. Quantification of JCPyV and HAdV using quantitative real-time PCR (QPCR) may be useful for evaluating virus removal efficiency in water treatment plants and as an index of the virological quality of water and of the potential presence of human viruses.