Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in Wastewater Associated with Scientific Stations in Antarctica and Possible Risk for Wildlife

Marcelo González-Aravena
* ,
Cristobal Galban-Malagon
,
Eduardo Castro-Nallar
ORCID logo ,
Gonzalo P. Barriga
,
Victor Neira
ORCID logo ,
Lucas Krüger
ORCID logo ,
Aiko D. Adell
ORCID logo ,
Jorge Olivares-Pacheco
*
Version 1 : Received: 2 February 2024 / Approved: 5 February 2024 / Online: 5 February 2024 (07:58:31 CET)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

González-Aravena, M.; Galbán-Malagón, C.; Castro-Nallar, E.; Barriga, G.P.; Neira, V.; Krüger, L.; Adell, A.D.; Olivares-Pacheco, J. Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in Wastewater Associated with Scientific Stations in Antarctica and Possible Risk for Wildlife. Microorganisms 2024, 12, 743. González-Aravena, M.; Galbán-Malagón, C.; Castro-Nallar, E.; Barriga, G.P.; Neira, V.; Krüger, L.; Adell, A.D.; Olivares-Pacheco, J. Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in Wastewater Associated with Scientific Stations in Antarctica and Possible Risk for Wildlife. Microorganisms 2024, 12, 743.

Abstract

Before December 2020, Antarctica had remained free of Covid-19 cases. The main concern during the pandemic was the limited health facilities available at Antarctic stations to deal with the disease, as well as the potential impact of SARS-CoV-2 on Antarctic wildlife through reverse zoonosis. In December 2020, 60 cases emerged in Chilean Antarctic stations, disrupting the summer campaign with ongoing isolation needs. The SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in the wastewater of several scientific stations. In Antarctica, treated wastewater is discharged directly into the seawater. No studies currently address recovery of infectious virus particles from treated wastewater, but their presence raises the risk of infecting wildlife and initiating new replication cycles. This study highlights the initial virus detection in wastewater from Antarctic stations, identifying viral RNA via RT-qPCR targeting various genomic regions. The virus's RNA was found in effluent from two wastewater plants at Maxwell Bay and O’Higgins Station on King George Island and the Antarctic Peninsula, respectively. This study explores the potential for reverse zoonotic transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from humans to Antarctic wildlife due to the direct release of viral particles into seawater. The implications of such transmission underscore the need for continued vigilance and research.

Keywords

SARS-CoV-2; Antarctica; wastewater-based epidemiology; COVID-19; Antarctic wildlife; environmental surveillance

Subject

Biology and Life Sciences, Virology

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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