Background

Group A rotaviruses are the most significant cause of acute gastroenteritis in children worldwide. Rotaviruses are shed in high numbers and dispersed widely throughout bodies of water in the environment. This represents a significant health hazard for humans, mainly due to the stability of the viruses during wastewater treatment processes. This study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of rotaviruses, to determine G genotypes of circulating rotaviruses and to assess the efficiency of rotavirus removal in urban and hospital sewage treatment plants in Shiraz, Iran.

Materials and methods

During the period from October 2010 to June 2011, a total of sixty sewage samples from urban and hospital sewage disposal systems were collected by Grab Sampling in Shiraz, Iran. All the samples were concentrated in pellet form and two-phase methods and then group A rotaviruses were investigated with enzyme immunoassays (EIA). Rotavirus-positive specimens were genotyped by the nested RT-PCR and by using different types of specific primers.

Results

In total, rotaviruses were identified in 25% (15 cases) of sewage samples, representing 73.33% (11 cases) of influent and 26.67% (4 cases) of effluent systems. The frequency of rotavirus detection in autumn, winter and spring was 46.67%, 33.33% and 20%, respectively (P= 0.004). The most common circulating genotype was G1 (73.33%), followed by G1G4 (20%) and non-typeable (6.67%), respectively.

Conclusions

The high prevalence of rotaviruses in urban and hospital sewage systems highlights the importance of environmental surveillance as a tool to detect new genotypes and to investigate the epidemiology of rotaviruses circulating in the community.