Detection of Rotavirus in Sewage Water Within Maiduguri Metropolis, Borno State Nigeria

A modified adsorption- elution method for the concentration of enteric viruses in sewage and water samples was used to concentrate water samples and detect the presence of Rotavirus virus using the Enzyme linked immune-sorbent assay (ELISA). The viruses in water were concentrated by negatively charged membrane filtration, eluted with 0.05M Glycine at pH 11.5, and re-concentrated by centrifugation at 12,000rpm for one hour. The presence of Rotavirus was determined by an ELISA. A total of 170 sewage and water samples (underground and surface waters) were collected from various sources in high density and low density areas of the metropolis in Maiduguri. Of the 60 domestic sewage samples collected from high-density areas, 8.3% were positive for Rotavirus ELISA antigen, and none of the samples collected from low-density areas were positive for Rotavirus. Rotavirus was not detected in underground and surface water samples. This study has demonstrated the potential usefulness of the virus concentration method, and ELISA for the determination of Rotavirus antigen in environmental water samples. The implications of these findings for environmental health are discussed from public health viewpoints.