Fecal pollution of water is a serious concern because it is associated with the transmission of pathogens. The aim of this study was to analyze the occurrence of group A rotavirus (RVA) in surface waters from the Arias–Arenales River in Salta, a northern city in Argentina, and to define possible sources of fecal viral pollution. A total of 116 water samples were analyzed and RVA was detected in 3.4% (95% CI: 0.1–7.0%), with concentrations ranging from 1.9 × 10⁵ to 3.8 × 10⁶ genome copies per liter. RVA strains were characterized as G1P[8], G4P[8] and G9P[8], which are common genotypes circulating in the local population. The Arias–Arenales River presented unusual and sporadic contamination by RVA, originated from stormwater discharges and a variety of non-identified sources, and support the essential need of viral indicators for enhanced monitoring of water quality.

粪便污染水是一个严重的问题，因为它与病原体的传播有关。这项研究的目的是分析阿根廷北部城市萨尔塔的Arias-Arenales河地表水中甲型轮状病毒（RVA）的发生，并确定粪便病毒污染的可能来源。总共分析了116个水样本，检测到的RVA浓度为1.9×10 ⁵至3.8×10 ⁶，占3.4％（95％CI：0.1–7.0％）。每升基因组拷贝数。RVA菌株的特征是G1P [8]，G4P [8]和G9P [8]，它们是当地人群中常见的基因型。阿里亚斯-阿雷纳雷斯河的RVA造成了异常和零星的污染，其源于​​雨水排放和各种不确定的来源，并支持病毒指标对加强水质监测的基本需求。