Detection of enteroviruses near deep marine sewage outfalls

At the present time there are approximately 160 million gallons per day of municipal sewage being discharged into the waters off the southeastern coast of Florida. Present in these sewage effluents are human pathogenic viruses whose fate in marine waters is not completely understood. Virus surveillance in waters receiving domestic wastewater discharge has concentrated on estuarine areas where water quality and depth are significantly different from the deep marine outfalls. Using the membrane filter adsorption technique, viruses were detected in the vicinity of deep marine outfalls discharging both raw and chlorinated, secondarily treated sewage.