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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, September 2008, p. 5608-5614, Vol. 74, No. 18
0099-2240/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.02764-07
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Isolation of Sabin-Like Polioviruses from Wastewater in a Country Using Inactivated Polio Vaccine

Sebastian Zurbriggen,¹ Kurt Tobler,¹ Carlos Abril,^1, Sabine Diedrich,² Mathias Ackermann,¹ Mark A. Pallansch,³ and Alfred Metzler^1*

Institute of Virology, University of Zurich, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland,¹ Robert Koch Institute, Regional Reference Laboratory for Poliomyelitis, D-13302 Berlin, Germany,² Division of Viral Diseases, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30333³

Received 7 December 2007/ Accepted 3 July 2008

From 2001 to 2004, Switzerland switched from routine vaccination with oral polio vaccine (OPV) to inactivated polio vaccine (IPV), using both vaccines in the intervening period. Since IPV is less effective at inducing mucosal immunity than OPV, this change might allow imported poliovirus to circulate undetected more easily in an increasingly IPV-immunized population. Environmental monitoring is a recognized tool for identifying polioviruses in a community. To look for evidence of poliovirus circulation following cessation of OPV use, two sewage treatment plants located in the Zurich area were sampled from 2004 to 2006. Following virus isolation using either RD or L20B cells, enteroviruses and polioviruses were identified by reverse transcription-PCR. A total of 20 out of 174 wastewater samples were positive for 62 Sabin-like isolates. One isolate from each poliovirus-positive sample was analyzed in more detail. Sequencing the complete viral protein 1 (VP1) capsid coding region, as well as intratypic differentiation (ITD), identified 3 Sabin type 1, 13 Sabin type 2, and 4 Sabin type 3 strains. One serotype 1 strain showed a discordant result in the ITD. Three-quarters of the strains showed mutations within the 5' untranslated region and VP1, known to be associated with reversion to virulence. Moreover, three strains showed heterotypic recombination (S2/S1 and S3/S2/S3). The low number of synonymous mutations and the partial temperature sensitivity are not consistent with extended circulation of these Sabin virus strains. Nevertheless, the continuous introduction of polioviruses into the community emphasizes the necessity for uninterrupted child vaccination to maintain high herd immunity.

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* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Institute of Virology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 266a, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland. Phone: 41(44)635-87-42. Fax: 41(44)635-89-11. E-mail: ametzler{at}vetvir.uzh.ch

Published ahead of print on 18 July 2008.

Present address: Institute of Veterinary Bacteriology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Länggass-Strasse 122, CH-3001 Bern, Switzerland.

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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, September 2008, p. 5608-5614, Vol. 74, No. 18
0099-2240/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.02764-07
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.