Analysis of the distribution characteristics of enterovirus types based on environmental surveillance from 2013 to 2021 in Fujian Province, China

•Significance of the study. This study confirmed that after the vaccine switch in 2016, poliovirus (PV) type 2 circulating in Fujian province had been interrupted. Furthermore, it showed that environmental surveillance improved the sensitivity of poliovirus monitoring and demonstrated its practical value for non-poliovirus surveillance.•Scientific questions. Multiple viruses could be detected from sewage based on the cell-culture assay. Continuously monitoring Polioviruses and Non-Polio viruses would significantly confirm the polio-free status and illuminate the spatial and temporal dynamics of different serotypes in a given region.•Evidence before this study. It has been shown that environmental surveillance, as a supplementary method for PV surveillance, played a crucial role in tracing PV transmission. For example, non-polio enterovirus and HAdV could be detected in sewage samples.•New findings. The numbers and serotype distribution of PV isolations from sewage were sensitive to reflect the adjustment of the PV immunization strategy. 6 of 24 serotypes non-polio enteroviruses were the main serotypes with different temporal dynamics. Environmental surveillance (ES) is a useful approach for monitoring circulating viruses, including polioviruses (PVs) and non-polio enteroviruses (NPEVs). In this study, the results of nine years of ES from 2013 to 2021 at six sampling sites in three cities in Fujian Province, China, were summarized. It showed that the sewage samples contained abundant viruses, but the positive rate was affected by different sampling sites. From the 520 samples, 431 PVs, 1,713 NPEVs, and 281 human adenoviruses (HAdVs) were isolated. PV isolates had been markedly affected following the adjustment of the immunization strategy. All but one PV isolate were Sabin-like strains without wild PVs. One isolate was vaccine-derived PV type 3 with 10 variation points in the VP1 region. After May 2016, PV type 2 was no longer detected, and PV type 3 became a superior serotype. Of 1,713 NPEVs, 24 serotypes were identified, including echovirus11 (E11), E6, coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3), CVB5, E7, and E3 were the predominant serotypes (37.65%, 20.96%, 11.50%, 8.87%, 8.23%, and 7.06%, respectively). The temporal dynamic of the six common serotypes was inconsistent. E3 was frequently isolated, but the number of isolates was low, with no obvious peaks. E6, E7, and CVB3 exhibited periodic changes with a high peak every three to four years, and E11 only had one high pe