Fate of viruses during wastewater sludge treatment processes

Infectious viruses are shed from humans by many routes. These include coughing and sneezing, contact with and aerosolization from external body lesions, urinary and intestinal excretions. Viruses shed by the latter two routes, urinary and intestinal excretions, are likely to be present as contaminants in domestic wastewater. The purpose of this review is to summarize recent information on the pathways which viruses follow during wastewater sludge‐generation processes and to examine information pertinent to the fate of viruses during wastewater sludge disposal. Information is included on viruses capable of causing human illness, as well as on bacterial viruses also present in wastewater, which, in some ways, may serve as indicators when assessing the likely fate of human viruses.