Survival Ability of the COVID-19 Causative Agent in Aquatic Environment: A Literature Review

Background. The article presents an overview of foreign and Russian scientific data on possible natural reservoirs of the COVID-19 causative agent, SARS-CoV-2 transmission routes, and measures taken to combat it in an aquatic environment. The objective of this review is to determine the possibility and features of SARS-CoV-2 dissemination through the aquatic environment, taking into account statistical significance of the results obtained and the compliance of scientific research with the criteria of evidence-based medicine.

Methods. We used keywords “COVID-19”, “wastewater”, “treatment facilities”, and “river water” to search the electronic databases, including Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, eLIBRARY, and ResearchGate, for journal articles on the topic. Out of 109 search results, we chose 85 papers and, having analyzed them, selected 55 most rel­evant articles for this review. The presence of the COVID-19 causative agent has been shown in various environmental objects including water supply systems, wastewater, and surface waters. Methods for detecting SARS-CoV-2 particles based on the detection of strains of other viruses in environmental objects have been determined. They demonstrated that the independent entry of the virus into the ecosystem occurs due to its absorption by various fomites. The review presents the results of studies conducted in a number of countries during the pandemic, confirming the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in river water. Some stud­ies indicate the resistance of viral particles present in environmental objects to disinfectants, which, in its turn, determines the relevance of in-depth studies from the standpoint of ensuring sanitary and anti-epidemic regimen at water treatment plants.

Conclusions. The analysis of the world experience enabled us to establish the SARS-CoV-2 survival ability in the aquatic envi­ronment of urbanized areas and to identify its alternative transmission routes in the environment. In modern conditions, due to a poor efficiency of sewage treatment plants in terms of virions, the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in the environment posing a potential risk of the coronavirus disease is quite possible. Our findings will help develop new preventive measures to maintain safety of water bodies and sanitary protection zones. Their implementation will contribute to improvement of the epidemic situation in our country.

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