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Presence of Torque Teno Virus (TTV) in Tap Water in Public Schools from Southern Brazil

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Abstract

Torque teno virus (TTV) was surveyed in tap water collected in schools from three municipalities located in the south of Brazil. TTV genomes were found in 11.7 % (4/34) of the samples. TTV DNA was detected in 10.5 % (2/19) of the samples collected at the city of Caxias do Sul and in 25 % (2/8) of the samples from Pelotas. Those cities have a low rate of sewage treatment. All samples from Santa Cruz do Sul, which has nearly 92 % of its sewage treated, were negative. These results suggest that the amount of sewage treated may have an effect on the detection rates of TTV DNA in drinking water in a given urban area, showing a mild negative correlation (r = −0.76), when comparing the percentage of sewage treatment to the detection of TTV genomes. The detection rate of TTV was also compared with Escherichia coli, showing a strong correlation (r = 0.97), indicating that TTV may be a suitable marker of fecal contamination.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Grants from the Brazilian National Council for Scientific Development (CNPq), the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul (FAPERGS), and the Brazilian Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Level Personnel (Capes). PMR and FRS are CNPq research fellows.

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Correspondence to Fernando R. Spilki.

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Vecchia, A.D., Kluge, M., dos Santos da Silva, J.V. et al. Presence of Torque Teno Virus (TTV) in Tap Water in Public Schools from Southern Brazil. Food Environ Virol 5, 41–45 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12560-012-9096-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12560-012-9096-7

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