Waterborne Human Pathogenic Viruses in Complex Microbial Communities: Environmental Implication on Virus Infectivity, Persistence, and Disinfection

Waterborne human pathogenic viruses challenge global health andeconomy. Viruses were long believed to transmit among hosts as individual, free particles.However, recent evidence indicates that viruses also transmit in populations, so-called enbloc transmission, by either interacting with coexisting bacteria, free-living amoebas, andother higher organisms through endosymbiosis and surface binding, or by being clusteredinside membrane-bound vesicles or simply self-aggregating with themselves. En bloctransmission of viruses and virus-microbiome interactions could enable viruses to enhancetheir infectivity, increase environmental persistence, and resist inactivation fromdisinfection. Overlooking this type of transmission and virus-microbiome interactionsmay underestimate the environmental and public health risks of the viruses. We hereinprovide a critical perspective on waterborne human pathogenic viruses in complexmicrobial communities to elucidate the environmental implication of virus-microbiomeinteractions on virus infectivity, persistence, and disinfection. This perspective also providesinsights on advancing disinfection and sanitation guidelines and regulations to protect thepublic health