Towards an early-warning tool predicting enteric virus contamination in coastal watersheds (PreVir)

Project summary

Enteric viruses originating from sewage spill-over into water catchments pose a threat to human health through food production and water-based recreational activities. Despite wastewater treatment and the microbiological monitoring of water quality, viral contamination of food during production still occurs in Europe, with adverse health effects for consumers and economic consequences for food producers. Shellfish filter large amounts of their growing waters and norovirus contamination in shellfish is a major cause of foodborne outbreaks. While rainfall affects this contamination, the precise influence of weather events, especially extreme hydroclimatic events, remains unclear. Our objective is to contribute to the safe and sustainable use of water, especially in shellfish production, by advancing our understanding of viral contamination in catchments and developing an early-warning tool. This tool aims to assist end-users in mitigating the impact of viral water contamination during extreme hydroclimatic events.