Spectre of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the ambient urban waters of Ahmedabad and Guwahati: A tale of two Indian cities.

ABSTRACT: COVID-19 positive patients can egest live SARS-CoV-2 virus and viral genome fragments through faecal matter and urine, raising concerns about viral transmission through the faecal-oral route and/or contaminated aerosolized water. These concerns are amplified in many low- and middle-income countries, where raw sewage is often discharged into surface waterways and open defecation is common. Nonetheless, there has been no evidence of COVID-19 transmission via ambient urban water, and the virus viability in such aquatic matrices is believed to be minimal and not a matter of concern. In this manuscript, we attempt to discern the presence of SARS-CoV-2 genetic material (ORF-1ab, N and S genes) in the urban water (lakes, rivers, and drains) of the two Indian cities viz., Ahmedabad (AMD), in weste

SUBMITTER: Kumar M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8445884 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature