Molecular Detection of Group C Rotavirus in Environmental Samples in Giza, Egypt

Group C rotavirus (RVC) has been identified as important enteric pathogen associated with acute gastroenteritis in human, especially in outbreaks. To evaluate the presence of RVC in environmental samples, one-year study was performed in Giza, Egypt. A total of 64 sewage (raw and treated) with 32 sewage sludge samples from Zenin wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and 72 drainage water with 24 sediment samples from El-Rahawy drain which receives the sewage effluent of Zenin WWTP were collected. After concentration of the collected samples, semi-nested RT-PCR using specific primers was used for amplification of the RVC VP7 gene. The overall detection rates were 21.9% (7 of 32) for the raw sewage, 6% (2 of 32) for the treated sewage, 12.5% (4 of 32) for the sewage sludge, 22% (16 of 72) for the drainage water, and 16.6% (4 of 24) for the drainage sediment. In addition, the virus was abundant in cold months (October-March) and less prevalent in hot months (April-September). The widespread occurrence of RVC in this study reflects that RVC circulates at a relatively high frequency in the Egyptian population.