Abstract Description

Respiratory pathogens contribute to substantial morbidity, mortality and pose a serious threat to human health, imposing a tremendous economic burden globally. Hence, this study sought to profile the co-occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 and Respiratory Panel 1 viruses in wastewater influents recovered from wastewater treatment plants in the Eastern Cape Region, South Africa. Raw wastewater samples were collected from the wastewater treatment facilities on a weekly basis for a 6-month sampling regime using the grab sampling technique. Total RNA was extracted and purified using the commercial Total RNA extraction kits and the extracted RNA samples were further profiled for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 and Respiratory Panel 1 viruses using RT-qPCR. In the present study, a total of 146 (69 %) samples were positive for SARS-CoV-2 of which 26 (18 %) of those were positive for respiratory panel 1 viruses targeting influenza (2), RSV (9) and influenza subtype (15). Specifically, influenza A subtype exhibited the highest percentage of positive samples (10 %), followed by RSV (6 %), indicating a notable environmental dissemination of these viruses within wastewater collection and treatment facilities. It is apparent that selected wastewater treatment facilities of the Eastern Cape Province are reservoirs of SARS-CoV-2 and Respiratory Panel 1 viral pathogens. Furthermore, the study demonstrated the co-occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 alongside Respiratory Panel 1 viruses in wastewater milieu, highlighting an exacerbated potential risk of co-infection and a major threat to public health and environmental safety.