Polioviruses in wastewater - PIA

A syndromic surveillance of hospitalised patients with aseptic meningitis/encephalitis and acute flaccid paresis (enterovirus surveillance, EVSurv) is currently being carried out in Germany to monitor polio freedom. In the final phase of polio eradication, however, virological examination of wastewater samples as an early warning system could also play a greater role. In order to be able to respond adequately to the prospective changes in WHO requirements, a method for the safe detection of polioviruses from wastewater samples was established at the NRZ PE as part of an ongoing pilot project. This feasibility study is carried out in close cooperation with the Federal Environment Agency (UBA). Since May 2021, sewage samples from several sewage treatment plants in a major German city have been tested weekly for polioviruses. The cultivation on different cell lines (RD, L20B) with subsequent sequencing of the protein-coding VP1 region provides the best results.