Pepper Mild Mottle Virus as Indicator of Pollution: Assessment of Prevalence and Concentration in Different Water Environments in Italy

Pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV), a plant pathogenic virus belonging to the family Virgoviridae, has been proposed as a potential viral indicator for human faecal pollution in aquatic environments. The present study investigated the occurrence, amount and diversity of PMMoV in water environments in Italy. A total of 254 water samples, collected between 2017 and 2019 from different types of water, were analysed. In detail, 92 raw sewage, 32 treated sewage, 16 river samples, 9 estuarine waters, 20 bathing waters, 67 groundwater samples and 18 drinking waters were tested. PMMoV was detected in 79% and 75% of untreated and treated sewage samples, respectively, 75% of river samples, 67% and 25% of estuarine and bathing waters and 13% of groundwater samples. No positive was detected in drinking water. The geometric mean of viral concentrations (genome copies/L) was ranked as follows: raw sewage (2.2 × 10⁶) > treated sewage (2.9 × 10⁵) > river waters (6.1 × 10²) > estuarine waters (4.8 × 10²) > bathing waters (8.5 × 10¹) > groundwater (5.9 × 10¹). A statistically significant variation of viral loads could be observed between raw and treated sewage and between these and all the other water matrices. PMMoV occurrence and viral loads did not display seasonal variation in raw sewage nor correlation with faecal indicator bacteria in marine waters and groundwater. This study represents the first report on the occurrence and quantification PMMoV in different water environments in Italy. Further studies are required to evaluate the suitability of PMMoV as a viral indicator for human faecal pollution and for viral pathogens in waters.

     

Relative Abundance of Human Bocaviruses in Urban Sewage in Greater Cairo,Egypt

Human bocavirus (HBoV) is predominantly found in the respiratory tract infections and in the stool of patients with gastroenteritis symptoms. However, data on the prevalence of HBoV genotypes in environmental samples are limited. Here we addressed the prevalence of HBoV in sewage collected from three different wastewater treatment plants in Egypt. HBoV-1, HBoV-2, and HBoV-3 were detected, whereas none of the samples were positive for HBoV-4. The median concentration of HBoV in influent samples was 8.5 × 10³ GC/l for HBoV-1, 3.0 × 10⁴ GC/l for HBoV-2, and 2.5 × 10⁴ GC/l for HBoV-3. The concentration was reduced but not completely removed in the effluent samples. The median concentration in the outlet samples was 2.9 × 10³ GC/l for HBoV-1, 4.1 × 10³ GC/l for HBoV-2, and 2.1 × 10³ GC/l for HBoV-3. Moreover, no seasonality pattern of HBoVs was found. The high incidence of HBoV in sewage samples provided an evidence of its circulation in the local population. Although the role of HBoV in respiratory or gastro-intestinal infections still remains to be fully elucidated, the risk of infection via contaminated water should be taken into consideration.     

Number of COVID-19 cases required in a population to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater in the province of Alberta, Canada: Sensitivity assessment

With a unique and large size of testing results of 1,842 samples collected from 12 wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) for 14 months through from low to high prevalence of COVID-19, the sensitivity of RT-qPCR detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater that correspond to the communities was computed by using Probit analysis. This study determined the number of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population required to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater at defined probabilities and provided an evidence-based framework of wastewater-based epidemiology surveillance (WBE). Input data were positive and negative test results of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater samples and the corresponding new COVID-19 case rates per 100,000 population served by each WWTP. The analyses determined that RT-qPCR-based SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection threshold at 50%, 80% and 99% probability required a median of 8 (range: 4-19), 18 (9-43), and 38 (17-97) of new COVID-19 cases /100,000, respectively. Namely, the positive detection rate at 50%, 80% and 99% probability were 0.01%, 0.02%, and 0.04% averagely for new cases in the population. This study improves understanding of the performance of WBE SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection using the large datasets and prolonged study period. Estimated COVID-19 burden at a community level that would result in a positive detection of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater is critical to support WBE application as a supplementary warning/monitoring system for COVID-19 prevention and control.     

Quantitative Detection and Characterization of Human Adenoviruses in the Buffalo River in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa

Buffalo River is an important water resource in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Over a 1-year period (August 2010?CJuly 2011), we assessed the prevalence of human adenoviruses (HAdVs) at a total of 6 sites on the river and three dams along its course. HAdVs were detected by real-time quantitative PCR in about 35?% of the samples with concentrations ranging from 1.2?×?10¹ genome copies (GC)/l to 4.71?×?10³ GC/l. HAdVs were detected at 5 of the 6 sampling sites with the detection rate ranging from 8.3?% at Rooikrantz Dam to 92?% at Parkside. The HAdV concentrations across the sampling sites were as follows: Parkside (3.25?×?10²?C4.71?×?10³?GC/); King William??s Town (1.02?×?10²?C4.56?×?10³?GC/l); and Eluxolzweni (1.17?×?10²?C3.97?×?10² GC/l). Significantly (P?<?0.05) higher concentrations were detected at the non-dam sites compared to the dam sites. A very low mean concentration of 1.86?×?10¹ HAdV GC/l was observed at Bridle Drift Dam. While HAdVs were detected only once at Rooikrantz Dam (1.74?×?10¹?GC/l), no HAdV was detected at Maden Dam. Epidemiologically important serotypes, Ad40/41, constituted 83.3?%, while Ad21 made up 16.7?% of the all HAdVs detected and were characterized by qualitative PCR. The Buffalo River presents a public health risk heightened by the presence of Ad 40/41 and Ad21. Our results make imperative the need for assessing water sources for viral contamination in the interest of public health. This work is a significant contribution to the molecular epidemiology of adenoviruses and to the best of our knowledge this is the first report on detection of enteric virus from surface waters in the Eastern Cape.     

Surveillance of Enteric Viruses and Thermotolerant Coliforms in Surface Water and Bivalves from a Mangrove Estuary in Southeastern Brazil

This study was conducted to evaluate the microbiological quality of a mangrove estuary in the Vitória Bay region, Espírito Santo, Brazil. We analyzed the presence and concentration of enteric viruses and thermotolerant coliforms in water, mussels (Mytella charruana and Mytella guyanensis), and oysters (Crassostrea rhizophorae), collected over a 13-month period. Human adenovirus, rotavirus A (RVA), and norovirus genogroup II were analyzed by quantitative PCR. The highest viral load was found in RVA-positive samples with a concentration of 3.0 × 10⁴ genome copies (GC) L⁻¹ in water samples and 1.3 × 10⁵ GC g⁻¹ in bivalves. RVA was the most prevalent virus in all matrices. Thermotolerant coliforms were quantified as colony-forming units (CFU) by the membrane filtration method. The concentration of these bacteria in water was in accordance with the Brazilian standard for recreational waters (< 250 CFU 100 mL⁻¹) during most of the monitoring period (12 out of 13 months). However, thermotolerant coliform concentrations of 3.0, 3.1, and 2.6 log CFU 100 g⁻¹ were detected in M. charruana, M. guyanensis, and C. rhizophorae, respectively. The presence of human-specific viruses in water and bivalves reflects the strong anthropogenic impact on the mangrove and serves as an early warning of waterborne and foodborne disease outbreaks resulting from the consumption of shellfish and the practice of water recreational activities in the region.

     

Field studies of the SO2/aqueous S(IV) equilibrium in clouds

Concentrations of S(IV) were measured in cloudwater at Great Dun Fell and compared with theoretical HSO₃⁻ assuming equilibrium between aqueous and gaseous phases in cloud. Detectable concentrations of S(IV) in the range of 1 × 10⁻⁶ to 17.2 × 10⁻⁶ mol dm⁻³ were observed only in samples which contained low H₂O₂ concentrations, generally <1 × 10⁻⁶ mol dm⁻³. Concentrations of S(IV) were below the detection limit of 1 × 10⁻⁶ mol dm⁻³ in samples which contained hign H₂O₂ levels (1 × 10⁻⁶−80 × 10⁻⁶ mol dm⁻³) confirming that either SO₂ or H₂O₂ acts as the limiting reagent in the oxidation of SO₂ in cloudwater.Equilibrium HSO₃⁻ concentrations were estimated from the measured cloudwater pH, the gas phase SO₂ concentration and the ambient temperature and found to be on average about 5 times lower than the measured S(IV) concentrations. The possible role of formaldehyde in stabilizing S(IV) in cloudwater is discussed. The kinetic data available in the literature suggest that the complexation reaction between S(IV) and HCHO is too slow to account for the observed difference between measured and calculated S(IV) concentrations over the typical lifetime of clouds in our study.S(IV) accounted for up to 10% of the SO₄²⁻ measured in stored cloudwater samples.     

农药企业场地苯系物污染风险及调控对策

苯系物是一类重要的环境污染物,可通过呼吸道、消化道和皮肤进入人体而产生危害,其毒性主要表现在对人体致畸、致突变和致癌等方面.以河北省某农药企业为例,采用吹扫捕集气质联用、固体吸附/热脱附-气相色谱和EPA健康风险评价模型,对场地内苯系物的分布及人体健康风险进行了综合分析,并据此提出相应的风险调控对策建议.结果表明,厂区内土壤、灰尘、空气、地下水及废水中均不同程度检出苯系物,生产区内灰尘中苯系物含量较高(7.33 mg.kg-1),其中甲苯的含量(5.64 mg.kg-1)超过了加拿大工业用地标准.设定10 a、20 a、30 a这3个工作年限情景,相应的总非致癌危害指数分别为4.19×10-3、8.25×10-3和1.22×10-2,均小于1;苯的致癌危害指数依次是1.70×10-7、3.34×10-7和4.92×10-7,小于10-6,表明该企业场地苯系物对职工尚没有造成明显的致癌和非致癌风险,但是随着工作年限的增加,职工受到健康危害的风险程度加大.基于研究结果,提出了厂区环境质量改善和人员安全防护的风险对策建议.     

Precision of the radiochemical OH measurement method

Twenty-eight radiochemical ¹⁴C tracer measurement of tropospheric hydroxyl radical (OH) concentrations were obtained at a rural site near Washington State University, Pullman, WA (117°W, 47°N). Diurnal OH concentration variations were observed for the five days between 9 August and 14 August 1990. These data made it possible to estimate the midday precision and detection limit of the radiochemical OH measurement method. Experiments performed at a peak O₃ photolysis rate J (O(¹D)) of (3.0±0.2) × 10⁻⁵ s⁻¹ yielded a mean midday OH concentration of (5.6±0.1 (1σ)) × 10⁶ cm⁻³. Other data put an upper bound of 16% on fluctuations of instrument sensitivity. Low-light or nighttime background OH concentrations were less than (2.6±2) × 10⁵ cm⁻³. A lower detection limit of 10⁵ cm⁻³ was obtained when extra care was taken with the low-level ¹⁴C counting procedure.     

Environmental Surveillance for Noroviruses in Selected South African Wastewaters 2015–2016: Emergence of the Novel GII.17

Norovirus (NoV) GII.4 is the predominant genotype associated with gastroenteritis pandemics and new strains emerge every 2–3 years. Between 2008 and 2011, environmental studies in South Africa (SA) reported NoVs in 63% of the sewage-polluted river water samples. The aim of this study was to assess whether wastewater samples could be used for routine surveillance of NoVs, including GII.4 variants. From April 2015 to March 2016, raw sewage and effluent water samples were collected monthly from five wastewater treatment plants in SA. A total of 108 samples were screened for NoV GI and GII using real-time RT-qPCR. Overall 72.2% (78/108) of samples tested positive for NoVs with 4.6% (5/108) GI, 31.5% (34/108) GII and 36.1% (39/108) GI + GII strains being detected. Norovirus concentrations ranged from 1.02 × 10² to 3.41 × 10⁶ genome copies/litre for GI and 5.00 × 10³ to 1.31 × 10⁶ genome copies/litre for GII. Sixteen NoV genotypes (GI.2, GI.3, GI.4, GI.5, GI.6, GII.2, GII.3, GII.4, GII.7, GII.9, GII.10, GII.14, GII.16, GII.17, GII.20, and GII.21) were identified. Norovirus GII.2 and GII.17 co-dominated and the majority of GII.17 strains clustered with the novel Kawasaki 2014 variant. Sewage surveillance facilitated detection of Kawasaki 2014 in SA, which to date has not been detected with surveillance in children with gastroenteritis <5 years of age. Combined surveillance in the clinical setting and environment appears to be a valuable strategy to monitor emergence of NoV strains in countries that lack NoV outbreak surveillance.     

Laboratory studies of some halogenated ethanes and ethers: Measurements of rates of reaction with OH and of infrared absorption cross-sections

We have measured, using a conventional discharge-flow resonance-fluorescence technique, the rates of reaction between the hydroxyl radical and a series of halogenated ethanes and ethers for the temperature range 230–423 K. Our measurements gave the following Arrhenius expressions (units are cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹): CF₂HCH₃ (HFC-152), 14.2 × 10⁻¹³ exp-(1050/T); CF₂ClCH₃ (HCFC-142b), 2.6 × 10⁻¹³ exp-(1230/T); CFCl₂CH₃ (HCFC-141b), 5.8 × 10⁻¹³ exp-(1100/T); CF₃CFH₂ (HFC-134a), 5.8 × 10⁻¹³ exp-(1350/T); CF₃CF₂H (HFC-125), 2.8 × 10⁻¹³ exp-(1350/T); CF₃CCl₂H (HCFC-123), 11.8 × 10⁻¹³ exp-(900/T); CF₂HOCF₂CFClH, (enflurane), 6.1 × 10⁻¹³ exp-(1080/T); CFH₂OCH(CF₃)₂, (sevoflurane), 15.3 × 10⁻¹³ exp-(900/T). In two cases, we measured rate constants only at room temperature: CF₃CClBrH (halothane), 6 × 10⁻¹⁴ and CF₂HOCClHCF₃ (isoflurane), 2.1 × 10⁻¹⁴.We also report the following values for the integrated absorption cross-sections of the compounds in the spectral region 800–1200 cm⁻¹ in units of cm⁻² atm⁻¹: CF₂HCH₃, 1155; CF₂ClCH₃, 1422; CFCl₂CH₃, 1995; CF₃CFH₂, 2686; CF₃CF₂H, 1970, CF₃CCl₂H, 1411; CF₃CClBrH, 1400; CF₂HOCF₂CFClH, 4800; CF₂HOCClHCF₃, 3900; CFH₂OCH(CF₃)₂, 2550. We use our measurements to calculate ozone depletion potentials and greenhouse warming potentials relative to CFCl₃ for each compound.     

Environmental surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater systems and related environments in Wuhan: April to May of 2020

Wastewater-based epidemiology(WBE) has emerged as an effective environmental surveillance tool in monitoring fecal-oral pathogen infections within a community. Congruently, SARS-Co V-2, the etiologic agent of COVID-19, has been demonstrated to infect the gastrointestinal tissues, and be shed in feces. In the present study, SARS-Co V-2 RNA was concentrated from wastewater, sludge, surface water, ground water, sediment, and soil samples of municipal and hospital wastewater systems and related envi...     

Occurrence of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pepper Mild Mottle Virus</Emphasis> (PMMoV) in Groundwater from a Karst Aquifer System in the Yucatan Peninsula,Mexico

The Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico hosts a karst aquifer system that is the only source of freshwater for the area; however, it is vulnerable to human-mediated contamination. Pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) is one of the most abundant RNA viruses associated with human feces, making it a viable indicator for tracking fecal pollution in aquatic environments, including groundwater. In this study, groundwater samples collected from a karst aquifer from fresh and brackish water locations were analyzed for fecal indicator bacteria, somatic and male F+ specific coliphages, and PMMoV during the rainy and dry seasons. Total coliform bacteria were detected at all sites, whereas Escherichia coli were found at relatively low levels <40 MPN/100 ml. The highest average concentrations of somatic and male F+ specific coliphages were 920 and 330 plaque forming units per 100 ml, respectively, detected in freshwater during the rainy season. PMMoV RNA was detected in 85% of the samples with gene sequences sharing 99–100% of nucleotide identity with PMMoV sequences available in GenBank. Quantification of PMMoV genome copies (GC) by quantitative real-time PCR indicated concentrations ranging from 1.7 × 10¹ to 1.0 × 10⁴ GC/L, with the highest number of GC detected during the rainy season. No significant correlation was observed between PMMoV occurrence by season or water type (p > 0.05). Physicochemical and indicator bacteria were not correlated with PMMoV concentrations. The abundance and prevalence of PMMoV in the karst aquifer may reflect its environmental persistence and its potential as a fecal indicator in this karst aquifer system.     

Human Sapovirus in Mussels from Ría do Burgo,A Coruña (Spain)

The prevalence and genetical diversity of human Sapovirus were studied during an 18-month study in Ría do Burgo, an estuary nearby the city of A Coruña in Galicia (NW Spain). Sapovirus was detected using RT-qPCR procedure in 30 out of 80 mussel samples (37.5 %). Quantifications ranged from 2.2 × 10³ to 2.1 × 10⁵ RNA copies per gram of digestive tissue. Detection occurred mainly during the cold and rainy seasons of the period studied. Sequences obtained could be distributed into 5 genotypes being the most abundant GI.1 and GI.3. Results obtained indicate that the hydrodynamic characteristics of the harvesting area and the proximity of population density clearly influence the presence of the virus in shellfish.     

1992—2008年我国工业废水排放变化效应

工业废水排放使我国水环境受到严重威胁,为剖析工业废水排放变化驱动机制,应用LMDI(对数平均迪氏指数)法将其分解为规模、结构和技术3种效应. 结果表明:1992—2008年我国工业废水排放整体上呈先降后升的二次抛物线趋势. 其中,1992—2002年工业废水减排498583×104t,由工业规模效应、结构效应和技术效应产生的贡献值分别为1829988×104、206807×104和-2535378×104t;2002—2008年工业废水排放增加了333826×104t,相应地,3种效应的贡献值分别为1470045×104、-66094×104、-1070126×104t. 规模效应是造成工业废水排放增加的主要原因,技术效应是工业废水排放减少的关键因素,结构效应多表现为绝对值较小的负值,表明工业经济结构调整倾向于减小污染但贡献不大. 规模效应的主要影响行业是化工原料及化学制品制造业,造纸及纸制品业和食品、烟草及饮料制造业,为减少这些部门的废水排放,可通过政策减缓经济规模的扩张趋势;结构效应的主要影响行业是电气、煤气及水的生产供应业,黑色金属冶炼及延压业和非金属矿物制造业,可通过鼓励重组促使产业结构升级,达到减排工业废水的目标;技术效应的主要影响行业是皮革、毛皮、羽绒及其制品业,为实现工业废水减排,应加大技术投入、提高生产水平.      

萘降解性质粒的筛选及其在炼油污水处理场中的转移

从炼油污水处理场活性污泥中分离到一株能以萘为唯一碳源的假单胞杆菌(Pseudomonas sp.)S13。通过质粒接合转移、质粒消除以及分子杂交,证明假单胞杆菌S13降解萘的功能是由质粒编码的。应用膜扩散器在炼油污水处理场进行的现场试验证明,假单胞杆菌S13的萘降解性质粒,可在污水处理场里通过接合转移传递到另一个从同一环境分离的假单胞杆菌T9中去,并使后者获得利用萘的能力。这一结果表明,当条件合适时,降解性质粒可在自然环境里的细菌群体中扩散。     

Determinations of methyl iodide in the Antarctic atmosphere and the south polar sea

Methyl iodide (CH₃I) concentrations were determined in the atmosphere and in surface sea water near the Antarctic Peninsula with a GC/ECD system during October–December 1987. The mean air concentration of methyl iodide was 2.4 pptv with a corresponding seawater concentration of 2.6 ng l⁻¹. In addition chloroiodomethane (CH₂ClI) was detected in some of the seawater samples as a second volatile organoiodine species. No relationship between methyl iodide and biogenic brominated methanes was found. From this it follows that methyl iodide has a different pathway of biogenic production in marine organisms than the brominated methanes. Based on a two-phase model a global sea-to-air flux for methyl iodide of 8 × 10¹¹ g yr⁻¹ was calculated. This is important for the balance of the global biogeochemical iodine cycle assuming that methyl iodide is by far the dominant volatile organoiodine species in the environment.