The availability of drinking water is one of the main determinants of quality of life, disease prevention and the promotion of health. Viruses are important agents of waterborne diseases and have been described as important markers of human faecal contamination. This study aimed to investigate viruses’ presence as an indicator of drinking water quality in low-income communities in the Manguinhos area, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Three hundred and four drinking water samples (2L/each) were collected along the drinking water distribution-to-consumption pathway in households, as well as healthcare and school units. Water samples were collected both directly from the water supply prior to distribution and after storage in tanks and filtration units. Using qPCR, viruses were detected 50 times in 45 water samples (15%), 19 of these being human adenovirus, 17 rotavirus A and 14 norovirus GII. Viral loads recovered ranged from 5E+10 to 8.7E+10⁶ genome copies/Liter. Co-detection was observed in five household water samples and there was no difference regarding virus detection across sampling sites. Precarious and inadequate environmental conditions characterized by the lack of local infrastructure regarding basic sanitation and waste collection in the territory, as well as negligent hygiene habits, could explain viral detection in drinking water in regions with a water supply system.

中文翻译：

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里约热内卢低收入社区饮用水分配消费系统中的胃肠道病毒检测。

饮用水的供应是生活质量，疾病预防和健康促进的主要决定因素之一。病毒是水传播疾病的重要媒介，并已被描述为人类粪便污染的重要标志。这项研究旨在调查病毒的存在，以此作为巴西里约热内卢Manguinhos地区低收入社区饮用水水质的指标。沿着家庭，医疗保健和学校单位的饮用水分配至消费途径，收集了304个饮用水样本（每升2升）​​。在分配之前以及在储罐和过滤装置中储存之后，直接从供水中收集水样。使用qPCR，在45个水样（15％）中检测出50次病毒，其中19个是人腺病毒，17个轮状病毒A和14个诺如病毒GII。恢复的病毒载量范围从5E + 10到8.7E + 10^6个基因组拷贝/升。在五个家庭用水样本中发现了共检测，并且在各个采样点之间的病毒检测没有差异。不稳定和不充分的环境条件，其特征是缺乏当地基本卫生和废物收集基础设施，以及过失的卫生习惯，这可以解释在有供水系统的地区对饮用水进行病毒检测的原因。