Detection of Monkeypox virus DNA in the wastewater of an airport in Rome, Italy: expanding environmental surveillance to emerging threats

Abstract

AbstractSince May 2022, monkeypox cases have been reported in non-endemic countries, and the disease was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Rapid identification of new cases is critical for outbreak control. Environmental surveillance can be used as a complementary tool for detecting pathogens circulating in communities. This study aimed to investigate whether Monkeypox DNA can be detected in wastewater from a transportation hub.Twenty samples were collected in Italy’s first airport in Rome and tested using published and modified real-time PCR assays targeting the G2R region (TFN gene), F3L, and N3R genes. Nested PCR assays were also used for confirmation by sequencing. Three samples tested positive by real-time PCR and/or by nested PCR, confirming the occurrence of the virus in the airport’s wastewater.Wastewater surveillance can be quickly adapted to investigate emerging threats and can be used to track the introduction and/or the diffusion of the Monkeypox virus in communities.