Microbiological risk of viral infections associated with aquatic transmission

Introduction. Drinking unsafe water leads to the development of certain viral infectious diseases. The World Health Organization (2022) has identified the role of water in the transmission of Enterovirus, Rotavirus, Norovirus, and other viruses.

The aim of the work is to study the contamination of various types of waters with pathogenic viruses as a microbiological risk factor for intestinal infections.

Materials and methods. During 2014–2023, as part of control and preventive measures, samples (n=4,458,116) of centralized and decentralized water supply, surface water bodies, and wastewater were taken in all Russian Federation regions. Contamination of water with intestinal infection viruses and coliphages was determined by nucleic acid amplification (MANC) (Rotavirus, Adenovirus F, Norovirus, Astrovirus, Enterovirus), serological (hepatitis A) and cultural methods (Enterovirus, coliphages). Linear regression analysis was used to assess the possible relationship between water contamination factors and prevalence.

Results. The as detected higher detectability of nucleic acids of viruses compared to coliphages in disinfected water (p<0.05); higher virus contamination of non-centralized water compared to centralized water supply and surface water (p<0.05); decreased contamination of surface water with rotavirus, norovirus, astrovirus, hepatitis A virus, enterovirus, coliphages compared to with waste water (p<0.05). Contamination of centralized water supply and surface reservoirs affected the incidence of rotavirus infection (R²=0.56–0.59); non-centralized water supply affected the incidence of viral hepatitis A (R² =0.56).

Limitations. When studying the incidence in the Russian population in the transmission waterway, official statistical data for 2014–2023 were used, which is a sufficient reference sample.

Conclusion. The results of the study indicate the need to introduce additional disinfection technologies and diagnostic tests to determine the infectivity of viruses. The inclusion in monitoring programs of direct detection of Rotavirus for surface and underground water supply sources and HCV for non-centralized water supply in regions with an increased level of viral diseases will allow timely implementating of preventive measures.

Compliance with ethical standards. This study does not require the submission of an opinion from the biomedical ethics committee or other documents.

Contribution:
Badamshina G.G. – research concept and design, material collection and processing, statistical data processing, text writing, editing, approval of the final version of the article, responsibility for the integrity of all parts of the article;
Trukhina G.M. – research concept and design, text writing, editing, approval of the final version of the article, responsibility for the integrity of all parts of the article;
Fatkhutdinova L.M. – writing the text, editing, approving the final version of the article;
Poptsova E.A. – collection and processing of the material; approval of the final version of the article;
Gafarova L.F. – collection and processing of material; statistical data processing.

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Funding. The study had no sponsorship.

Received: October 31, 2025 / Accepted: December 2, 2025 / Published: February 10, 2026

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