Harnessing Wastewater-Based Epidemiology for One Health surveillance of enteric viruses

Abstract

Wastewater-Based Epidemiology (WBE) is an approach that is widely used to monitor the occurrence and distribution of pathogens shed by human populations through wastewater. This review critically evaluates the application of WBE of enteric viruses within a One Health paradigm. It highlights how enteric viruses from human and animal sources end up in wastewater and aquatic environments, and how their presence can be used to predict the occurrence of diseases in human and animal populations. The review highlights the untapped potential for the application of WBE beyond human populations to a more holistic One Health approach. This study further highlights the challenges in implementation of WBE and proposes the integration of anthropogenic and socioeconomic determinants in contextualising WBE. Overall, this study proposes a holistic framework for improving the understanding of enteric viral epidemiology in wastewater environments and advancing predictive, evidence-driven public health interventions.