Wastewater-based intestinal protozoa monitoring in Shanghai, China.

Intestinal protozoa spp., , and have been implicated in serious waterborne outbreaks worldwide. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is a promising approach for evaluating the disease prevalence in a catchment population in that it monitors the contamination level of the intestinal pathogens in wastewater. We collected 48 urban wastewater samples (24 from influents and 24 from effluents) from the Yangpu Wastewater Treatment Plant (YPWTP) in Shanghai, China. We identified spp., , and by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification. and subtype IdA14 were identified in two samples by analyzing the sequences of small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) and 60-kDa glycoprotein () genes, respectively. The sub-assemblage AII ( = 8) and assemblage C ( = 4) in 12 samples were determined by analyzing triosephosphate isomerase () gene sequences. The genotype A was identified in one sample by analyzing the sequence of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the rRNA gene. These findings suggest that improving wastewater treatment and monitoring the virility of pathogens in effluents is critical. We observed similar prevalence and genotypes/subtypes of the three intestinal protozoa in our wastewater samples as those reported in previous studies, providing evidence that WBE can be used as an effective epidemic management tool.IMPORTANCE spp., and are common intestinal protozoa causing diarrhea. The infective oocysts, cysts, and spores released in feces can survive in different environments, including multiple types of water bodies. Humans can acquire these intestinal protozoan infections the fecal-oral route as in waterborne transmission. Wastewater-based epidemiology can rapidly and reliably detect and monitor the emergence and spread of waterborne diseases. We detected spp., and in a wastewater treatment plant in Shanghai, China, reflecting the occurrence and genetic characterizations of the three intestinal pathogens from community members served by the wastewater treatment plant.