Genetic and evolutionary characterization of norovirus from sewage and surface waters in Córdoba City, Argentina

Noroviruses (NoVs) are among the most common viral agents that cause gastroenteritis in humans of all ages worldwide. They are excreted in the feces and introduced into environmental waters as raw or treated sewage. In this work, sewage and water samples collected from the Suquía River in the city of Córdoba, Argentina, were evaluated for the presence of NoV. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that the main genotype detected was GII.4, belonging to the widely-distributed 2006b variant, followed by strains related to the putative recombinant GII.g virus. Detected NoVs were more phylogenetically related with recent viruses from other countries than with previous local sequences, suggesting a rapid and wide spread of viral strains that prevents a geographically structured phylogeny. A Bayesian coalescent analysis demonstrated that variants isolated in this work have a most recent common ancestor placed in 2007-2008 with estimated substitution rates of 3.7-5.8 × 10−3 s/s/y. Environmental samples showed a mixture of both viral types, pointing up to the co-circulation and the risk of mixed infections and recombination. This is the first report on the detection and characterization of NoV in sewage and river water in Argentina.

► Noroviruses (NoV) were isolated from sewage and environmental waters in Argentina. ► Genotypes GII.4 (2006b variant) and GII.g were found. ► Their diversification in Argentina would have started in 2007-2008. ► They were more related with NoV from other countries than with previous local ones. ► The rapid and wide spread might prevent a geographically structured phylogeny.