Haiti Poliovirus Environmental Surveillance

Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2019 Dec;101(6):1240-1248. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.19-0469.

Abstract

Poliovirus (PV) environmental surveillance was established in Haiti in three sites each in Port-au-Prince and Gonaïves, where sewage and fecal-influenced environmental open water channel samples were collected monthly from March 2016 to February 2017. The primary objective was to monitor for the emergence of vaccine-derived polioviruses (VDPVs) and the importation and transmission of wild polioviruses (WPVs). A secondary objective was to compare two environmental sample processing methods, the gold standard two-phase separation method and a filter method (bag-mediated filtration system [BMFS]). In addition, non-polio enteroviruses (NPEVs) were characterized by next-generation sequencing using Illumina MiSeq to provide insight on surrogates for PVs. No WPVs or VDPVs were detected at any site with either concentration method. Sabin (vaccine) strain PV type 2 and Sabin strain PV type 1 were found in Port-au-Prince, in March and April samples, respectively. Non-polio enteroviruses were isolated in 75-100% and 0-58% of samples, by either processing method during the reporting period in Port-au-Prince and Gonaïves, respectively. Further analysis of 24 paired Port-au-Prince samples confirmed the detection of a human NPEV and echovirus types E-3, E-6, E-7, E-11, E-19, E-20, and E-29. The comparison of the BMFS filtration method to the two-phase separation method found no significant difference in sensitivity between the two methods (mid-P-value = 0.55). The experience of one calendar year of sampling has informed the appropriateness of the initially chosen sampling sites, importance of an adequate PV surrogate, and robustness of two processing methods.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Disease Eradication
  • Environmental Monitoring*
  • Feces / virology*
  • Filtration / methods
  • Haiti / epidemiology
  • High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing
  • Humans
  • Poliomyelitis / epidemiology*
  • Poliomyelitis / prevention & control
  • Poliovirus / genetics
  • Poliovirus / isolation & purification*
  • Poliovirus Vaccine, Oral
  • Sewage / virology*
  • Water Microbiology

Substances

  • Poliovirus Vaccine, Oral
  • Sewage