PCR-based detection of Bovine, Porcine, and Fowl Adenoviruses in Angono Lakeside Eco Park, Laguna Lake, Philippines

Abstract

Adenoviruses are double-stranded DNA viruses that infect both animals and humans as its host. These viruses can act as waterborne pathogens that can persist in the environment and spread via water systems. Several studies have been done in human viruses but only limited studies cover animal adenoviruses in environmental waters. The objective of this study is to detect the presence of the bovine, porcine and fowl adenoviruses in the body of water near Angono Lakeside Eco Park. Collected water samples were processed using a vacuum filtration setup and were filtered using 0.2 µm filter membranes. Commercially available DNA extraction kits were used to extract the genomic DNA from the filtered membranes before subjecting the samples to conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and agarose gel electrophoresis for viewing. The results showed that all samples for all animal adenoviruses collected from July and August 2022, and March 2023 tested negative for sequencing. However, the virus may still be present but undetected in environmental waters due to the challenges in viral detection including ecological factors such as sampling site description, viral dilution, sampling frequency, and temperature and molecular factors such as PCR setup, viral concentration, and agarose gel electrophoresis that may affect the detection capacity of animal adenoviruses. It is recommended for future research to explore modifications in the methodology of the study including the filtration of water samples and PCR optimizations for increased DNA yield for detection.