Abstract
The outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), a severe respiratory disease caused by betacoronavirus SARS-CoV-2, in 2019 that further developed into a pandemic has received an unprecedented response from the scientific community and sparked a general research interest into the biology and ecology of Coronaviridae, a family of positive-sense single-stranded RNA viruses. Aquatic environments, lakes, rivers and ponds, are important habitats for bats and birds, which are hosts for various coronavirus species and strains and which shed viral particles in their feces. It is therefore of high interest to fully explore the role that aquatic environments may play in coronavirus spread, including cross-species transmissions. Besides the respiratory tract, coronaviruses pathogenic to humans can also infect the digestive system and be subsequently defecated. Considering this, it is pivotal to understand whether wastewater can play a role in their dissemination, particularly in areas with poor sanitation. This review provides an overview of the taxonomy, molecular biology, natural reservoirs and pathogenicity of coronaviruses; outlines their potential to survive in aquatic environments and wastewater; and demonstrates their association with aquatic biota, mainly waterfowl. It also calls for further, interdisciplinary research in the field of aquatic virology to explore the potential hotspots of coronaviruses in the aquatic environment and the routes through which they may enter it.
Highlights
IntroductionThe outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome caused by betacoronavirus SARS-CoV-2
The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome caused by betacoronavirus SARS-CoV-2(provisionally known as 2019nCoV) began at the end of 2019 in China and further spread to other countries [1] and across different continents, forcing the World Health Organization (WHO) to first declare a Public Health Emergency of International Concern at the end of January 2020 [2]and to later announce a pandemic of COVID-19 in March 2020 [3]
We provide a brief overview of coronaviruses, their taxonomy, molecular biology, natural reservoirs and pathogenicity; outline their potential to survive in aquatic environments and wastewater; and demonstrate their association with aquatic biota, mainly waterfowl, and other animal species related to aquatic ecosystems
Summary
The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome caused by betacoronavirus SARS-CoV-2. How frequently the infectious virus can be present in the human stool and what viral loads can be expected are yet to be explored Such data would enable understanding whether wastewater, untreated, may serve as a route of their dissemination to the aquatic environment. We provide a brief overview of coronaviruses, their taxonomy, molecular biology, natural reservoirs and pathogenicity; outline their potential to survive in aquatic environments and wastewater; and demonstrate their association with aquatic biota, mainly waterfowl, and other animal species related to aquatic ecosystems. Future research prospects regarding the association between selected coronaviruses and water-related issues are put forward with a call for interdisciplinary research in the field of aquatic virology
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