Emerging technologies for the rapid detection of enteric viruses in the aquatic environment

Because of the high diversity of enteric viruses in the environment, there is an increasing need for methods enabling the multiple detection of different pathogens. Quantitative, emerging digital polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and isothermal amplification approaches are capable of quantification of multiple targets and hence are suitable for long-term monitoring and source tracking of enteric viruses in the aquatic environment. The combination of culturing with PCR-based detection enables rapid viral risk assessment, especially with host tissues capable of propagation of several viral strains. Viability assays may provide a better understanding on viral survival than PCR-based approaches alone; however, the usefulness of these assays in waste water and environmental water samples should be further investigated. Undoubtedly, emerging sequencing-based technologies provide invaluable data on the ecology and diversity of viruses and along with rapid on-site technologies, for example, biosensors, may be implemented in viral risk assessment in the aquatic environment in the near future.