For the first time, researchers have detected and tracked all major cancer-associated viruses in wastewater, a discovery that could revolutionize prevention and surveillance of oncogenic infections.
A study led by Anthony Maresso and Justin Clark at Baylor College of Medicine, published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, analyzed wastewater samples from over 40 sites across 16 Texas cities from May 2022 to May 2025. Using advanced hybrid-capture genetic sequencing, the team identified more than 3,000 known human viruses and potential new mutations in a single test.
"Oncogenic viruses can cause around one in five cancers globally," Maresso said. Since these infections often remain asymptomatic for years, many people don't know they're infected until cancer develops, making early prevention difficult.
The wastewater analysis detected HPV, hepatitis B and C, cancer-associated polyomaviruses, Epstein-Barr virus, and the herpesvirus linked to Kaposi's sarcoma. Notably, there was a significant increase in several oncogenic viruses after 2024, possibly due to resumed travel and social contact post-pandemic.
HPV-16 and HPV-18, which together cause more than 70% of cervical cancers worldwide, were identified. The Gardasil 9 vaccine's targeted HPV types were all detected, suggesting wastewater monitoring could assess vaccination campaign effectiveness.
"This opens up new opportunities to better understand the relationship between these viruses and the human population and to develop more effective public health strategies," Maresso concluded.