Detection of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) in wastewater samples: a wake-up call, Finland, Germany, Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom, 2024
Sindy Böttcher, Julian Kreibich, Thomas Wilton, Vanessa Saliba, Soile Blomqvist, Haider Al‐Hello, Carita Savolainen‐Kopra, Magdalena Wieczorek, Beata Gad, Arleta Krzysztoszek, Rosa M Pintó, María Cabrerizo, Albert Bosch, Eugene Saxentoff, Sabine Diedrich, Javier Martín
Abstract
In 2024, circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) was detected in wastewater samples in Finland, Germany, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom (UK). All strains were genetically linked, but sequence analysis showed high genetic diversity among the strains identified within individual wastewater sites and countries and an unexpected high genetic proximity among isolates from different countries. Taken together these results, with sequential samples having tested positive in various sites, a broader geographic distribution beyond positive sampling sites must be considered.