Importance of a heat snap in RT-PCR quantification of rotavirus double-stranded RNA in wastewater

Quantification of copies of double stranded RNA using RT-PCR methods may require denaturation of the double stranded structure using an initial high temperature incubation followed by rapid cooling, herein called “heat snap”. Papers in the literature that report rotavirus RNA concentrations in fecal and environmental samples do not consistently report the use of such a “heat snap”. In this study, we quantified rotavirus RNA in diverse environmental samples (wastewater solids, wastewater, and drainage samples) using digital RT-PCR methods with and without a heatsnap. Concentrations were higher in samples by a factor of 125 when a heat snap was applied. This was consistent across sample types, and across laboratories and PCR instrumentation. We recommend a heat snap be used when enumerating double stranded RNA from rotavirus and other viruses in environmental samples.