Precautionary findings on the utilization of FilmArray® to detect human astroviruses in fecal and sewage samples.

The FilmArray® Gastrointestinal (GI) Panel is a modern, sensitive, and comprehensive stool testing technique for identifying common gastrointestinal pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, and parasites. Its increasing demand is due to ease of operation and automation. Pathogens, particularly viruses, undergo constant genetic evolution. For instance, human astrovirus (HAstV), which causes gastroenteritis in children, the elderly, and immune-compromised individuals, can be identified by the GI Panel. HAstV has evolved into several clades, including the classic (HAstV1-8), novel Melbourne (MLB1-3), and Virginia (VA1-5) clades. This study investigated whether the GI Panel accurately detects all HAstV clades. A total of 12 stool and three sewage water (SW) samples were selected post-confirmation of distinct HAstV strains using conventional RT-PCR and sequence-based genotyping for reassessment by the GI Panel. The GI Panel accurately detected the classic HAstV in stool and SW samples. However, our results confirm the GI Panel's inability to detect the novel MLB (MLB1-3) and VA (VA2) clades in fecal samples, raising the possibility of false-negative results in HAstV testing. Although the GI Panel is useful for identifying a variety of gastrointestinal pathogens in stool and SW samples in a single test, our findings highlight the need to exercise caution when interpreting HAstV results from the GI Panel.

The Emergence and Widespread Circulation of Enteric Viruses Throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Wastewater-Based Evidence.

Growing evidence shed light on the importance of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) during the pandemic, when the patients rarely visited the clinics despite the fact that the infections were still prevalent in the community as before. The abundance of infections in the community poses a constant threat of the emergence of new epidemic strains. Herein, we investigated enteric viruses in raw sewage water (SW) from Japan's Tohoku region and compared them to those from the Kansai region to better understand the circulating strains and their distribution across communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Raw SW was collected between 2019 and 2022, concentrated by polyethylene-glycol-precipitation method, and investigated for major AGE viruses by RT-PCR. Sequence-based analyses were used to assess genotypes and evolutionary relationships. The most commonly detected enteric virus was rotavirus A (RVA) at 63.8%, followed by astrovirus (AstV) at 61.1%, norovirus (NoV) GII and adenovirus (AdV) at 33.3%, sapovirus (SV) at 25.0%, enterovirus (EV) at 19.4%, and NoV GI at 13.9%. The highest prevalence (46.0%) was found in the spring. Importantly, enteric viruses did not decline during the pandemic. Rather, several strains like NoV GII.2, DS-1-like human G3 (equine) RVA, MLB1 AstV, and different F41 HAdV emerged throughout the pandemic and spread widely over the Tohoku and Kansai regions. Tohoku's detection rate remained lower than that of the Kansai area (36 vs 58%). This study provides evidence for the emergence and spread of enteric viruses during the pandemic.