Fig 1.
The plant pathogen PMMoV has emerged as a useful viral indicator of wastewater pollution because of its presence throughout the domestic wastewater cycle.
PMMoV is excreted from humans in high concentrations after consumption of processed food products, such as hot sauces, that contain infected peppers (gray arrow). Because PMMoV is consistently found at high concentrations in domestic wastewater, it can be used as a marker to trace untreated (purple arrows) or treated (blue arrows) wastewater in the environment. Humans are commonly exposed (green arrows) to water and food resources affected directly or indirectly by wastewater discharges through the consumption of drinking water, fresh agricultural produce, or shellfish raised in polluted environmental waters, as well as the accidental ingestion of environmental water (e.g., lakes, reservoirs, rivers, coastal waters). The viral surrogate PMMoV reflects the presence and persistence of human enteric viruses in such resources, serving as a vital tool for monitoring microbial water quality, (waste)water treatment efficiency, and food safety. Artwork by Anne Martin (hungrybraindesign.com). PMMoV, pepper mild mottle virus.