An integrated cell culture–nanopore sequencing (ICC-NanoporeSeq) method for the simultaneous detection of multiple enterovirus types and quantification of infectious Enterovirus B
Aina Astorch-Cardona, Simon Rouault, Tamar KohnABSTRACT
Enteroviruses (EVs) are ubiquitous contaminants of surface waters, where they can remain infectious for long periods of time. Most methods used for EV monitoring are unable to distinguish between infectious and non-infectious particles, or between EV types. Because different types exhibit both distinct environmental persistence and health implications, there is a need for type-resolved infectivity measurements. Here, we developed integrated cell culture–nanopore sequencing (ICC-NanoporeSeq), a method combining short-term cell culture amplification with nanopore sequencing of the VP1 gene. The ICC approach was adapted from a previously described ICC–reverse transcriptase quantitative PCR (ICC-RTqPCR) protocol, while the NanoporeSeq workflow was derived from a clinical EV typing protocol and optimized for environmentally circulating EV types. Using samples containing known concentrations of 10 EV types, the NanoporeSeq method accurately and reproducibly recovered the original proportions of all EV types after correction of biases. When applied to wastewater extracts, the method detected 45 EV types across five species. Furthermore, type-specific calibration curves generated with ICC-NanoporeSeq enabled quantification of the infectious concentrations of six EV types of the Enterovirus B species, allowing a simultaneous and type-resolved assessment of infectivity in mixed samples. Overall, ICC-NanoporeSeq provides a scalable approach for the parallel analysis of multiple EV types. Compared with the predecessor ICC-RTqPCR method, it eliminates the need for multiple type-specific PCR primers, and can therefore be readily expanded to include additional EV types.
IMPORTANCE
Current methods used to detect enteroviruses (EVs) in environmental samples generally measure viral genome copies without determining whether viruses remain infectious, limiting their use in public health risk assessment or water quality monitoring. At the same time, available infectivity assays are often labor-intensive and cannot distinguish between different EV types. Here, we developed integrated cell culture–nanopore sequencing (ICC-NanoporeSeq), a method combining cell culture and nanopore sequencing to simultaneously quantify the infectious concentrations of multiple EV types in samples containing mixed EV populations. The method provides an efficient and scalable approach for studying EVs in complex environmental matrices. ICC-NanoporeSeq has potential applications in wastewater-based epidemiology, environmental surveillance, and disinfection studies, where understanding the persistence of different EV types simultaneously is crucial.