Viral Detector Test: Which One Works Best for Wastewater?

Scientists tested three ways to check if viruses in wastewater are still alive. They used heat-treated and 'live' viruses in water and wastewater samples. They also looked at viruses naturally found in wastewater. The viruses included Human adenovirus 5, enterovirus A71, hepatitis-A virus, influenza-A H3N2, respiratory syncytial virus A2, norovirus GI and GII, and SARS-CoV-2.

All three methods could tell the difference between dead, heat-treated, and live viruses in water. But, when it came to wastewater, one method, PMAxx, found fewer gene copies for some viruses. For viruses found naturally in wastewater, there was no big difference between PMAxx and another method, TruTiter. Both PMAxx and TruTiter could find intact, possibly infectious viruses in wastewater, even after treatment. One interesting thing they found was that the flu virus (IAV) might stick together in clumps. This could mess with tests using dyes that stick to virus shells. Overall, these findings could help improve how we check for live viruses in wastewater. This could help warn about new, dangerous viruses and make public health better.

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