Abstract
The occurrence and survival of enteric viruses in open surface waters can be impacted by a host of factors including fecal emission levels, seasonal variations, virus stability and the physicochemical parameters. In this research, we aimed to document the association between contaminations of water samples with human enteric viruses (adenoviruses and enteroviruses) from a freshwater lake with variations in chemical contaminants. We collected 216 water samples from October 2010 to April 2012, from a 4 km stretch along Lake Victoria (LV) basin in Homa Bay town located in the western region of Kenya. The samples were analyzed for the existence of human adenoviruses (HAdV) and human enteroviruses (HEV), using the nested PCR (nPCR). We also assessed in the water samples the levels of twelve chemical contaminants consisting of six heavy metal elements and six anions. About 8.3 % of the samples were found to be contaminated with the enteric viruses. The concentrations of the 12 chemical contaminants were found to be largely within the WHO suggested limits. Most of the chemical contaminants were not related to the detection rates of the viruses from the statistical analysis. However, some positive and negative associations between the viral genome's detection and the chemical concentrations were established for only three metals (Fe, Pb, Cd) and the PO43− Radical. Cd had a weak positive significant relationship with HAdV (rho = 0.146, p = 0.032) while Pb and Fe had a weak positive significant relationship with HEV genome detection (rho = 0.156, p = 0.022) and (rho = 0.148 and p = 0.029) respectively. There was a modest negative relationship between phosphate ions and HEV (rho = −0.174, p = 0.010). The results of our study do not provide support for the hypothesis of an association between the presence of human enteric viruses and the levels of twelve chemical contaminants.
Highlights
Water quality issues have escalated over time globally in response to increased population growth and the corresponding socioeconomic activities [1]
human adenoviruses (HAdV) was at 5.09% (11 of 216 samples) while detection of human enteroviruses (HEV) was 3.24 % (7 of 216 samples) A comparatively higher percentage of viral genome detection was reported from the sampling points to the east of the stretch (A5 and A6), with a total contamination percentage of 6.02% (13 of 216 samples) for the two sets of viruses
At A4 where low population density characterized the surrounding area with reduced human activity, only HEV was reported at 0.046% (1/216) while HAdV was not detected at all
Summary
Water quality issues have escalated over time globally in response to increased population growth and the corresponding socioeconomic activities [1]. Kenya’s freshwater ecosystems, just like in other low- and middle-income countries have been increasingly at risk of chemical contamination in recent years, due to rapid demographic changes, which coincided with the development of human settlements accompanied by the limited establishment of adequate sanitary infrastructure [2]. Changes in land use exacerbated by agricultural and industrial development have led to the contamination of LV by different sets of pollutants, including chemical contaminants. Contaminated water supplies can directly impact the health of the contact populations as well as act as a reservoir for incidence and survival of potentially pathogenic microorganisms such as enteric viruses [3]. Microbial communities are usually one of the biota commonly directly affected by various chemical pollutants including anions and heavy metals [4]. Different chemical contaminants have been reported to affect bacterial, fungal, archaea, and protozoan communities in various aquatic ecosystems [5]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
