Isolation and characterization of disinfection-resistant Enteroviruses

Human enteric viruses are a leading cause of waterborne disease outbreak worldwide. Their environmental persistence and resistance to disinfection treatments are two main factors that can influence the dissemination of these viruses, thus increasing the risk of person-to-person transmission. The resistance patterns of different waterborne viruses have been described to be widely variable between virus species, but even between close-related viruses (i.e among Enterovirus genus). Here we described a generally higher disinfectant resistant pattern compared to viral laboratory strains, suggesting an possible adaptation of these viruses to natural stressors.