Viviana Parreño, National Institute of Agricultural Technology Argentine

Frydman Camila,a,b,c, Galeano Solange a,b,c, Vitali Franco c, Barbieri Elena, Dus Santos María José, Parreño Viviana, Mozgovoj Marina a,b,c a Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), Instituto Tecnología de Alimentos, Hurlingham, Argentina b Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Sistemas Alimentarios Sustentables, UEDD INTA CONICET, Hurlingham, Argentinac Universidad Nacional de Hurlingham (UNAHUR), Tte. Manuel Origone 151, Villa Tesei, Provincia de Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, Argentina

Epidemiology, Evolution, and Diversity

Rotavirus (RVA) is a significant cause of gastroenteritis in both humans and different animal species, with transmission occurring primarily through direct contact, but also via contaminated food and water. Furthermore, reported interspecies transmission underscores a notable One Health risk. The aim of this study was to determine the presence of RVA in surface waters, wastewater and shellfish from different regions in Argentina. A total of 100 untreated wastewater samples of La Plata district located in the east area of Argentina, 65 samples from Arroyo Soto stream which runs across Hurlingham district, also in Buenos Aires province and 113 composites samples of bivalve shellfish from Golfo Nuevo, Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina were collected. Virus from water and bivalve shellfish samples were concentrated by PEG/NaCl and ISO/TS 15216-1 methods, respectively. RNA was then extracted using a commercial kit. RVA detection was performed by RT-qPCR, targeting NSP3 gene. Results showed high rates of detection of RVA: 27 % (27/100) in wastewater, 43 % (28/65) in surface water and 12,4 % (14/113). Sequences from positive samples revealed the circulation of diverse genotypes: P[8] and P[3] in wastewater, G3 P[3] E3 I2 in stream waters and G8P[1] and P[1] in shellfish. To our knowledge, this is the first report of P[3] detection in waters from Argentina, highlighting the role of environmental surveillance as a Public Health tool to monitor viral strain circulation, including in asymptomatic individuals.