Fanok S, Monis PT, Keegan AR, King BJ. The detection of Japanese encephalitis virus in municipal wastewater during an acute disease outbreak.
J Appl Microbiol 2023;
134:lxad275. [PMID:
37977849 DOI:
10.1093/jambio/lxad275]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Revised: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
AIM
To demonstrate the capability of wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) as a tool for detecting potential cases of Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV) infection in the community.
METHODS AND RESULTS
In this study, we explore the potential of WBS to detect cases of JEV infection by leveraging from an established SARS-CoV-2 wastewater surveillance program. We describe the use of two reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RTqPCR) assays targeting JEV to screen archived samples from two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). JEV was detected in wastewater samples collected during a timeframe coinciding with a cluster of acute human encephalitis cases, alongside concurrent evidence of JEV detection in mosquito surveillance and the sentinel chicken programs within South Australia's Riverland and Murraylands regions.
CONCLUSIONS
Current surveillance measures for JEV encounter multiple constraints, which may miss the early stages of JEV circulation or fail to capture the full extent of transmission. The detection of JEV in wastewater during a disease outbreak highlights the potential WBS has as a complementary layer to existing monitoring efforts forming part of the One Health approach required for optimal disease response and control.
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