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Anastopoulou Z, Kotsiri Z, Chorti-Tripsa E, Fokas R, Vantarakis A. Urban Wastewater-Based Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 Virus: A Two-Year Study Conducted in City of Patras, Greece. FOOD AND ENVIRONMENTAL VIROLOGY 2024:10.1007/s12560-024-09601-7. [PMID: 38829460 DOI: 10.1007/s12560-024-09601-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology, during the COVID-19 pandemic years, has been applied as a complementary approach, worldwide, for tracking SARS-CoV-2 virus into the community and used as an early warning of the prevalence of COVID-19 infection. The present study presents the results of the 2-year surveillance project, in the city of Patras, Greece. The purpose of the study was to monitor SARS-CoV-2 and implement WBE as an early warning method of monitoring Public Health impact. The presence of SARS-CoV-2 was determined and quantified in 310 samples using RT-qPCR assays. For the years 2022 and 2023, 93.5% and 78.7% of samples were found positive, respectively. Comparison of detection methods have been conducted to select the method with the highest recovery of the viral load. A seasonal variation of the virus was recorded, showing a recession in summer months confirming the country's epidemiological data as indicated by positive correlation of wastewater viral load with registered cases of COVID-19 infections during these years (p < 0.05) and moreover sealed with a significant negative correlation observed with Daily Average (p < 0.01) and Daily Maximum Temperature (p < 0.01). More research was carried out to elucidate a possible association of physicochemical characteristics of wastewater with viral load showing positive correlation with Chlorides (p < 0.01) advocating possible increased use of chlorine-based disinfectants and Electrical Conductivity (p < 0.01) indicates that wastewater during periods of increased infections is more heavily loaded with ions from chemical and biological pollutants. No correlation found with rainfall and physicochemical indicators, such as COD, BOD5, Total Phosphorus, Total Nitrogen, and Total Suspended Solids. According to the findings, WBE represents a useful tool in the management of epidemics based on an environmental approach and it can also shed light on the interacting parameters that capture Public Health since any infections that may lead to epidemics lead to a parallel change in the use of pharmaceuticals, antimicrobials, disinfectants, and microbial load in urban wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoi Anastopoulou
- Department of Medicine, Environmental Microbiology Unit, Department of Public Health, University of Patras, Patras, Greece.
| | - Zoi Kotsiri
- Department of Medicine, Environmental Microbiology Unit, Department of Public Health, University of Patras, Patras, Greece
| | - Eleftheria Chorti-Tripsa
- Department of Medicine, Laboratory of Hygiene and Environmental Protection, University of Thrace, Alexandroupoli, Greece
| | - Rafail Fokas
- Department of Medicine, Environmental Microbiology Unit, Department of Public Health, University of Patras, Patras, Greece
| | - Apostolos Vantarakis
- Department of Medicine, Environmental Microbiology Unit, Department of Public Health, University of Patras, Patras, Greece
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Bowes DA, Driver EM, Choi PM, Barcelo D, Beamer PI. Wastewater-based epidemiology to assess environmentally influenced disease. JOURNAL OF EXPOSURE SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENTAL EPIDEMIOLOGY 2024; 34:387-388. [PMID: 38760533 DOI: 10.1038/s41370-024-00683-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2024] [Revised: 05/01/2024] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/19/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Devin A Bowes
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, 921 Assembly Street, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA.
| | - Erin M Driver
- Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, 1001 McAllister Ave, Tempe, AZ, 85281, USA
| | - Phil M Choi
- Health Protection and Regulation Branch, Queensland Public Health and Scientific Services, Queensland Department of Health, Brisbane, QLD, 4006, Australia
| | - Damiá Barcelo
- Chemistry and Physics Department, University of Almeria, 04120, Almería, Spain
| | - Paloma I Beamer
- Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, 1295 N. Martin Ave, Tucson, AZ, 85724, USA
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3
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Kang S, Choi P, Maile-Moskowitz A, Brown CL, Gonzalez RA, Pruden A, Vikesland PJ. Highly Multiplexed Reverse-Transcription Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification and Nanopore Sequencing (LAMPore) for Wastewater-Based Surveillance. ACS ES&T WATER 2024; 4:1629-1636. [PMID: 38633369 PMCID: PMC11019537 DOI: 10.1021/acsestwater.3c00690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Revised: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
Wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) has gained attention as a strategy to monitor and provide an early warning for disease outbreaks. Here, we applied an isothermal gene amplification technique, reverse-transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP), coupled with nanopore sequencing (LAMPore) as a means to detect SARS-CoV-2. Specifically, we combined barcoding using both an RT-LAMP primer and the nanopore rapid barcoding kit to achieve highly multiplexed detection of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater. RT-LAMP targeting the SARS-CoV-2 N region was conducted on 96 reactions including wastewater RNA extracts and positive and no-target controls. The resulting amplicons were pooled and subjected to nanopore sequencing, followed by demultiplexing based on barcodes that differentiate the source of each SARS-CoV-2 N amplicon derived from the 96 RT-LAMP products. The criteria developed and applied to establish whether SARS-CoV-2 was detected by the LAMPore assay indicated high consistency with polymerase chain reaction-based detection of the SARS-CoV-2 N gene, with a sensitivity of 89% and a specificity of 83%. We further profiled sequence variations on the SARS-CoV-2 N amplicons, revealing a number of mutations on a sample collected after viral variants had emerged. The results demonstrate the potential of the LAMPore assay to facilitate WBS for SARS-CoV-2 and the emergence of viral variants in wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seju Kang
- Department
of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
- Virginia
Tech Institute of Critical Technology and Applied Science (ICTAS),
Sustainable Nanotechnology Center (VTSuN), Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Petra Choi
- Department
of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
- Virginia
Tech Institute of Critical Technology and Applied Science (ICTAS),
Sustainable Nanotechnology Center (VTSuN), Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Ayella Maile-Moskowitz
- Department
of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
- Virginia
Tech Institute of Critical Technology and Applied Science (ICTAS),
Sustainable Nanotechnology Center (VTSuN), Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Connor L. Brown
- Department
of Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Raul A. Gonzalez
- Hampton
Roads Sanitation District, Virginia Beach ,Virginia23455, United States
| | - Amy Pruden
- Department
of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
- Virginia
Tech Institute of Critical Technology and Applied Science (ICTAS),
Sustainable Nanotechnology Center (VTSuN), Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Peter J. Vikesland
- Department
of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
- Virginia
Tech Institute of Critical Technology and Applied Science (ICTAS),
Sustainable Nanotechnology Center (VTSuN), Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
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Parkins MD, Lee BE, Acosta N, Bautista M, Hubert CRJ, Hrudey SE, Frankowski K, Pang XL. Wastewater-based surveillance as a tool for public health action: SARS-CoV-2 and beyond. Clin Microbiol Rev 2024; 37:e0010322. [PMID: 38095438 PMCID: PMC10938902 DOI: 10.1128/cmr.00103-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) has undergone dramatic advancement in the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The power and potential of this platform technology were rapidly realized when it became evident that not only did WBS-measured SARS-CoV-2 RNA correlate strongly with COVID-19 clinical disease within monitored populations but also, in fact, it functioned as a leading indicator. Teams from across the globe rapidly innovated novel approaches by which wastewater could be collected from diverse sewersheds ranging from wastewater treatment plants (enabling community-level surveillance) to more granular locations including individual neighborhoods and high-risk buildings such as long-term care facilities (LTCF). Efficient processes enabled SARS-CoV-2 RNA extraction and concentration from the highly dilute wastewater matrix. Molecular and genomic tools to identify, quantify, and characterize SARS-CoV-2 and its various variants were adapted from clinical programs and applied to these mixed environmental systems. Novel data-sharing tools allowed this information to be mobilized and made immediately available to public health and government decision-makers and even the public, enabling evidence-informed decision-making based on local disease dynamics. WBS has since been recognized as a tool of transformative potential, providing near-real-time cost-effective, objective, comprehensive, and inclusive data on the changing prevalence of measured analytes across space and time in populations. However, as a consequence of rapid innovation from hundreds of teams simultaneously, tremendous heterogeneity currently exists in the SARS-CoV-2 WBS literature. This manuscript provides a state-of-the-art review of WBS as established with SARS-CoV-2 and details the current work underway expanding its scope to other infectious disease targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael D. Parkins
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- O’Brien Institute of Public Health, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Bonita E. Lee
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Nicole Acosta
- Department of Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Maria Bautista
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Casey R. J. Hubert
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Steve E. Hrudey
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Kevin Frankowski
- Advancing Canadian Water Assets, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Xiao-Li Pang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Provincial Health Laboratory, Alberta Health Services, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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Corominas L, Zammit I, Badia S, Pueyo-Ros J, Bosch LM, Calle E, Martínez D, Chesa MJ, Chincolla C, Martínez A, Llopart-Mascaró A, Varela FJ, Domene E, Garcia-Sierra M, Garcia-Acosta X, Satorras M, Raich-Montiu J, Peris R, Horno R, Rubión E, Simón S, Ribalta M, Palacín I. Profiling wastewater characteristics in intra-urban catchments using online monitoring stations. WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY : A JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION ON WATER POLLUTION RESEARCH 2024; 89:1512-1525. [PMID: 38557715 DOI: 10.2166/wst.2024.069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
This study aims to investigate the differences in intra-urban catchments with different characteristics through real-time wastewater monitoring. Monitoring stations were installed in three neighbourhoods of Barcelona to measure flow, total chemical oxygen demand (COD), pH, conductivity, temperature, and bisulfide (HS-) for 1 year. Typical wastewater profiles were obtained for weekdays, weekends, and holidays in the summer and winter seasons. The results reveal differences in waking up times and evening routines, commuting behaviour during weekends and holidays, and water consumption. The pollutant profiles contribute to a better understanding of pollution generation in households and catchment activities. Flows and COD correlate well at all stations, but there are differences in conductivity and HS- at the station level. The article concludes by discussing the operational experience of the monitoring stations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lluís Corominas
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA-CERCA), Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; University of Girona, Plaça de Sant Domènec 3, 17004 Girona, Spain E-mail:
| | - Ian Zammit
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA-CERCA), Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; University of Girona, Plaça de Sant Domènec 3, 17004 Girona, Spain
| | - Sergi Badia
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA-CERCA), Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; University of Girona, Plaça de Sant Domènec 3, 17004 Girona, Spain
| | - Josep Pueyo-Ros
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA-CERCA), Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; University of Girona, Plaça de Sant Domènec 3, 17004 Girona, Spain
| | - Lluís Maria Bosch
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA-CERCA), Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; University of Girona, Plaça de Sant Domènec 3, 17004 Girona, Spain
| | - Eusebi Calle
- University of Girona, Plaça de Sant Domènec 3, 17004 Girona, Spain
| | - David Martínez
- University of Girona, Plaça de Sant Domènec 3, 17004 Girona, Spain
| | - Maria José Chesa
- Barcelona Cicle de l'Aigua, SA (BCASA), Carrer de l'Acer, 16, 08038 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Cristian Chincolla
- Barcelona Cicle de l'Aigua, SA (BCASA), Carrer de l'Acer, 16, 08038 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ariadna Martínez
- Barcelona Cicle de l'Aigua, SA (BCASA), Carrer de l'Acer, 16, 08038 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Anna Llopart-Mascaró
- Barcelona Cicle de l'Aigua, SA (BCASA), Carrer de l'Acer, 16, 08038 Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Elena Domene
- Institut Metròpoli, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Marta Garcia-Sierra
- Institut Metròpoli, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | | | - Mar Satorras
- Institut Metròpoli, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Jordi Raich-Montiu
- scan Iberia Sistemas de Medición S.L. (s::can), Ciutat de Granada 28 bis, 08005 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Roger Peris
- scan Iberia Sistemas de Medición S.L. (s::can), Ciutat de Granada 28 bis, 08005 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Raül Horno
- scan Iberia Sistemas de Medición S.L. (s::can), Ciutat de Granada 28 bis, 08005 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Edgar Rubión
- Eurecat - Technology Centre of Catalonia, Unit of Applied Artificial Intelligence, Bilbao 72, 08005 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sergi Simón
- Eurecat - Technology Centre of Catalonia, Unit of Applied Artificial Intelligence, Bilbao 72, 08005 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marc Ribalta
- Eurecat - Technology Centre of Catalonia, Unit of Applied Artificial Intelligence, Bilbao 72, 08005 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ian Palacín
- Eurecat - Technology Centre of Catalonia, Unit of Applied Artificial Intelligence, Bilbao 72, 08005 Barcelona, Spain
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Wen J, Duan L, Wang B, Dong Q, Liu Y, Chen C, Huang J, Yu G. In-sewer stability assessment of 140 pharmaceuticals, personal care products, pesticides and their metabolites: Implications for wastewater-based epidemiology biomarker screening. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2024; 184:108465. [PMID: 38324926 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2024.108465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 01/27/2024] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
The monitoring of pharmaceuticals, personal care products (PCPs), pesticides, and their metabolites through wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) provides timely information on pharmaceutical consumption patterns, chronic disease treatment rates, antibiotic usage, and exposure to harmful chemicals. However, before applying them for quantitative WBE back-estimation, it is necessary to understand their stability in the sewer system to screen suitable WBE biomarkers thereby reducing research uncertainty. This study investigated the in-sewer stability of 140 typical pharmaceuticals, PCPs, pesticides, and their metabolites across 15 subcategories, using a series of laboratory sewer sediment and biofilm reactors. For the first time, stability results for 89 of these compounds were reported. Among the 140 target compounds, 61 biomarkers demonstrated high stability in all sewer reactors, while 41 biomarkers were significantly removed merely by sediment processes. For biomarkers exhibiting notable attenuation, the influence of sediment processes was generally more pronounced than biofilm, due to its stronger microbial activities and more pronounced diffusion or adsorption processes. Adsorption emerged as the predominant factor causing biomarker removal compared to biodegradation and diffusion. Significantly different organic carbon-water partitioning coefficient (Koc) and distribution coefficient at pH = 7 (logD) values were observed between highly stable and unstable biomarkers, with most hydrophobic substances (Koc > 100 or logD > 2) displaying instability. In light of these findings, we introduced a primary biomarker screening process to efficiently exclude inappropriate candidates, achieving a commendable 77 % accuracy. Overall, this study represents the first comprehensive report on the in-sewer stability of 89 pharmaceuticals, PCPs, pesticides, and their metabolites, and provided crucial reference points for understanding the intricate sewer sediment processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaqi Wen
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Beijing Key Laboratory for Emerging Organic Contaminants Control, Beijing Laboratory for Environmental Frontier Technologies, China
| | - Lei Duan
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Beijing Key Laboratory for Emerging Organic Contaminants Control, Beijing Laboratory for Environmental Frontier Technologies, China
| | - Bin Wang
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Beijing Key Laboratory for Emerging Organic Contaminants Control, Beijing Laboratory for Environmental Frontier Technologies, China
| | - Qian Dong
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Yanchen Liu
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Chao Chen
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Jun Huang
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Beijing Key Laboratory for Emerging Organic Contaminants Control, Beijing Laboratory for Environmental Frontier Technologies, China
| | - Gang Yu
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Beijing Key Laboratory for Emerging Organic Contaminants Control, Beijing Laboratory for Environmental Frontier Technologies, China; Advanced Interdisciplinary Institute of Environment and Ecology, Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai, 519087, China.
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Maal-Bared R, Brisolara K, Knight M, Mansfeldt C. To sample or not to sample: A governance-focused decision tree for wastewater service providers considering participation in wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) in support of public health programs. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 905:167128. [PMID: 37722431 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) provides value to public health monitoring and protection. Participation of public and private wastewater system operators in WBE efforts is critical to public health surveillance program success and sustainability. However, given the number of WBE solicitations wastewater service providers receive, the limitation of service provider resources, the concerns around privacy, ethics, and equity, and the fatigue associated with responding to COVID-19, operators are becoming more hesitant to participate in WBE efforts. While various ethical concerns and sustainability challenges associated with WBE have been documented, no efforts to date have investigated what factors should systematically influence the decision to provide samples to a WBE effort. Therefore, this study develops a decision-making tool for WBE teams to proactively monitor, manage, and avoid wastewater system operators' operational risks and potential liabilities. Ultimately, using this tool allows WBE program partners in academia, government, and industry to better understand wastewater system operators' needs and challenges surrounding data quality and use, public health ethics, and daily wastewater infrastructure operation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kari Brisolara
- LSUHSC, School of Public Health, 2020 Gravier St, New Orleans, LA, USA.
| | - Mark Knight
- LuminUltra Technologies Ltd, 520 King St, Fredericton, NB E3B 6G3, Canada.
| | - Cresten Mansfeldt
- Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, 4001 Discovery Drive, Boulder, CO, USA; Environmental Engineering Program, University of Colorado Boulder, 4001 Discovery Drive, Boulder, CO, USA.
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Lizot LDLF, Bastiani MF, Hahn RZ, Meireles YF, Freitas M, Bondan AP, do Nascimento CA, Quevedo DM, Linden R. Risk assessment of a Brazilian urban population due to the exposure to pyrethroid insecticides during the COVID-19 pandemic using wastewater-based epidemiology. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 345:140526. [PMID: 37879376 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.140526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Revised: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
Pyrethroids are synthetic insecticides commonly used in agriculture and homes due to their low toxicity to mammals and effectiveness at low doses. However, exposure to pyrethroids can cause various symptoms, depending on the route of exposure. To measure human exposure to pyrethroids, researchers used wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) with polar organic chemical integrative samplers (POCIS) sampling. This approach is a cost-effective and efficient way to assess exposure to pyrethroids. The study aimed to evaluate the exposure of an urban population in Brazil to pyrethroids during the COVID-19 pandemic using WBE with POCIS sampling. Researchers analyzed 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA) in wastewater using passive sampling with POCIS, which was extracted with methanol and analyzed using UPLC-MS/MS. The range of CTWA concentrations of 3-PBA in wastewater was 24.3-298.2 ng L-1, with a mean value of 134 ± 76.5 ng L-1. The values were used to estimate the exposure of the population to pyrethroid insecticides. Three different conversion factors were applied to determine the range of exposure to at least 20 different pyrethroid insecticides. The exposure values ranged from 18.08 to 1441.49 mg day-1 per 1000 inhabitants. The toxicological risk posed to the exposed population was evaluated by calculating the WBE toxicological level (WBE-TL). Lambda-cyhalothrin was used as a reference for risk assessment, and the WBE-TL values for lambda-cyhalothrin ranged from 0.5 to 8.29 (considering the high CF). We compared mobility trends to 3-PBA exposure during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study highlighted the effectiveness of POCIS sampling in WBE and provided useful information for policymakers and regulatory agencies. POCIS sampling has practical advantages, including analyte pre-concentration, low operational cost, and ease of use. Overall, the study shows the importance of monitoring and understanding the exposure of the population to pyrethroid insecticides, especially during the pandemic when people may be spending more time at home.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lilian de Lima Feltraco Lizot
- Laboratory of Analytical Toxicology, Universidade Feevale, Rua Rubem Berta, 200, CEP 93525-080, Novo Hamburgo, Brazil; Graduate Program on Environmental Quality, Universidade Feevale, Rodovia RS 239, 2755, CEP 93525-075, Novo Hamburgo, Brazil
| | - Marcos Frank Bastiani
- Laboratory of Analytical Toxicology, Universidade Feevale, Rua Rubem Berta, 200, CEP 93525-080, Novo Hamburgo, Brazil; Graduate Program on Environmental Quality, Universidade Feevale, Rodovia RS 239, 2755, CEP 93525-075, Novo Hamburgo, Brazil
| | - Roberta Zilles Hahn
- Laboratory of Analytical Toxicology, Universidade Feevale, Rua Rubem Berta, 200, CEP 93525-080, Novo Hamburgo, Brazil
| | - Yasmin Fazenda Meireles
- Laboratory of Analytical Toxicology, Universidade Feevale, Rua Rubem Berta, 200, CEP 93525-080, Novo Hamburgo, Brazil
| | - Mariana Freitas
- Laboratory of Analytical Toxicology, Universidade Feevale, Rua Rubem Berta, 200, CEP 93525-080, Novo Hamburgo, Brazil
| | - Amanda Pacheco Bondan
- Laboratory of Analytical Toxicology, Universidade Feevale, Rua Rubem Berta, 200, CEP 93525-080, Novo Hamburgo, Brazil
| | - Carlos Augusto do Nascimento
- Department of Production Engineering, Faculdades Integradas de Taquara, Av. Oscar Martins Rangel, 4500, CEP 95612-150, Taquara, Brazil
| | - Daniela Muller Quevedo
- Graduate Program on Environmental Quality, Universidade Feevale, Rodovia RS 239, 2755, CEP 93525-075, Novo Hamburgo, Brazil
| | - Rafael Linden
- Laboratory of Analytical Toxicology, Universidade Feevale, Rua Rubem Berta, 200, CEP 93525-080, Novo Hamburgo, Brazil; Graduate Program on Environmental Quality, Universidade Feevale, Rodovia RS 239, 2755, CEP 93525-075, Novo Hamburgo, Brazil.
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9
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Sánchez-Jiménez E, Abian J, Ginebreda A, Barceló D, Carrascal M. Shotgun proteomics to characterize wastewater proteins. MethodsX 2023; 11:102403. [PMID: 37854711 PMCID: PMC10579522 DOI: 10.1016/j.mex.2023.102403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Classically, the characterization of wastewater components has been restricted to the measurement of indirect parameters (chemical and biological oxygen demand, total nitrogen) and small molecules of interest in epidemiology or for environmental control. Despite the fact that metaproteomics has provided important knowledge about the microbial communities in these waters, practically nothing is known about other non-microbial proteins transported in the wastewater. The method described here has allowed us to perform a large-scale characterization of the wastewater proteome. Wastewater protein profiles have shown to be very different in different collection sites probably reflecting their human population and industrial activities. We believe that wastewater proteomics is opening the doors to the discovery of new environmental and health biomarkers and the development of new, more effective monitoring devices for issues like monitorization of population health, pest control, or control of industry discharges. The method developed is relatively simple and combines procedures for the separation of the soluble and particulate fractions of wastewater and their concentration, and conventional shotgun proteomics using high-resolution mass spectrometry for protein identification. •Unprecedented method for wastewater proteome characterization.•Proteins as new potential biomarkers for sewage chemical-information mining, wastewater epidemiology and environmental monitoring.•Wastewater protein profiles reflect human and industrial activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ester Sánchez-Jiménez
- Biological and Environmental Proteomics Group, Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona, Spanish National Research Council (IIBB-CSIC/IDIBAPS), Rosellón 161, Barcelona 08036, Spain
- Department of Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Studies (IDAEA-CSIC), Jordi Girona 18-26, Barcelona 08034, Spain
| | - Joaquin Abian
- Biological and Environmental Proteomics Group, Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona, Spanish National Research Council (IIBB-CSIC/IDIBAPS), Rosellón 161, Barcelona 08036, Spain
| | - Antoni Ginebreda
- Department of Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Studies (IDAEA-CSIC), Jordi Girona 18-26, Barcelona 08034, Spain
| | - Damià Barceló
- Department of Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Studies (IDAEA-CSIC), Jordi Girona 18-26, Barcelona 08034, Spain
| | - Montserrat Carrascal
- Biological and Environmental Proteomics Group, Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona, Spanish National Research Council (IIBB-CSIC/IDIBAPS), Rosellón 161, Barcelona 08036, Spain
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10
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Devianto LA, Sano D. Systematic review and meta-analysis of human health-related protein markers for realizing real-time wastewater-based epidemiology. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 897:165304. [PMID: 37419365 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Revised: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/02/2023] [Indexed: 07/09/2023]
Abstract
For effective implementation of the wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) approach, real-time quantification of markers in wastewater is critical for data acquisition before data interpretation, dissemination, and decision-making. This can be achieved by using biosensor technology, but whether the quantification/detection limits of different types of biosensors comply with the concentration of WBE markers in wastewater is unclear. In the present study, we identified promising protein markers with relatively high concentrations in wastewater samples and analyzed biosensor technologies that are potentially available for real-time WBE. The concentrations of potential protein markers in stool and urine samples were obtained through systematic review and meta-analysis. We examined 231 peer-review papers to collect information regarding potential protein markers that can enable us to achieve real-time monitoring using biosensor technology. Fourteen markers in stool samples were identified at the ng/g level, presumably equivalent to ng/L of wastewater after dilution. Moreover, relatively high average concentrations of fecal inflammatory proteins were observed, e.g., fecal calprotectin, clusterin, and lactoferrin. Fecal calprotectin exhibited the highest average log concentration among the markers identified in stool samples with its mean value being 5.24 [95 % CI: 5.05, 5.42] ng/g. We identified 50 protein markers in urine samples at the ng/mL level. Uromodulin (4.48 [95 % CI: 4.20, 4.76] ng/mL) and plasmin (4.18 [95 % CI: 3.15, 5.21] ng/mL) had the top two highest log concentrations in urine samples. Furthermore, the quantification limit of some electrochemical- and optical-based biosensors was found to be around the femtogram/mL level, which is sufficiently low to detect protein markers in wastewater even after dilution in sewer pipes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luhur Akbar Devianto
- Department of Frontier Science for Advanced Environment, Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579, Japan; Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture Technology, Brawijaya University, Malang 65145, Indonesia.
| | - Daisuke Sano
- Department of Frontier Science for Advanced Environment, Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579, Japan; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579, Japan; Wastewater Information Research Center, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579, Japan.
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11
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Sims N, Kannan A, Holton E, Jagadeesan K, Mageiros L, Standerwick R, Craft T, Barden R, Feil EJ, Kasprzyk-Hordern B. Antimicrobials and antimicrobial resistance genes in a one-year city metabolism longitudinal study using wastewater-based epidemiology. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2023; 333:122020. [PMID: 37336345 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Revised: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 06/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/21/2023]
Abstract
This longitudinal study tests correlations between antimicrobial agents (AA) and corresponding antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) generated by a community of >100 k people inhabiting one city (Bath) over a 13 month randomised monitoring programme of community wastewater. Several AAs experienced seasonal fluctuations, such as the macrolides erythromycin and clarithromycin that were found in higher loads in winter, whilst other AA levels, including sulfamethoxazole and sulfapyridine, stayed consistent over the study period. Interestingly, and as opposed to AAs, ARGs prevalence was found to be less variable, which indicates that fluctuations in AA usage might either not directly affect ARG levels or this process spans beyond the 13-month monitoring period. However, it is important to note that weekly positive correlations between individual associated AAs and ARGs were observed where seasonal variability in AA use was reported: ermB and macrolides CLR-clarithromycin and dmCLR-N-desmethyl clarithromycin, aSPY- N-acetyl sulfapyridine and sul1, and OFX-ofloxacin and qnrS. Furthermore, ARG loads normalised to 16S rRNA (gene load per microorganism) were positively correlated to the ARG loads normalised to the human population (gene load per capita), which indicates that the abundance of microorganisms is proportional to the size of human population and that the community size, and not AA levels, is a major driver of ARG levels in wastewater. Comparison of hospital and community wastewater showed higher number of AAs and their metabolites, their frequency of occurrence and concentrations in hospital wastewater. Examples include: LZD-linezolid (used only in severe bacterial infections) and AMX-amoxicillin (widely used, also in community but with very low wastewater stability) that were found only in hospital wastewater. CIP-ciprofloxacin, SMX-sulfamethoxazole, TMP-trimethoprim, MTZ-metronidazole and macrolides were found at much higher concentrations in hospital wastewater while TET-tetracycline and OTC-oxytetracycline, as well as antiretrovirals, had an opposite trend. In contrast, comparable concentrations of resistant genes were observed in both community and hospital wastewater. This supports the hypothesis that AMR levels are more of an endemic nature, developing over time in individual communities. Both hospital and community wastewater had AAs that exceeded PNEC values (e.g. CLR-clarithromycin, CIP-ciprofloxacin). In general, though, hospital effluents had a greater number of quantifiable AAs exceeding PNECs (e.g. SMX-sulfamethoxazole, ERY-erythromycin, TMP-trimethoprim). Hospitals are therefore an important consideration in AMR surveillance as could be high risk areas for AMR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie Sims
- University of Bath, Department of Chemistry, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK; Centre for Sustainable Circular Technologies, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK
| | - Andrew Kannan
- University of Bath, Department of Chemistry, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK
| | | | | | - Leonardos Mageiros
- Milner Centre for Evolution, Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
| | | | - Tim Craft
- Department of R&D, Royal United Hospitals Bath, NHS Foundation Trust, Bath, BA1 3NG, UK
| | - Ruth Barden
- Wessex Water, Claverton Down Rd, Bath, BA2 7WW, UK
| | - Edward J Feil
- Milner Centre for Evolution, Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
| | - Barbara Kasprzyk-Hordern
- University of Bath, Department of Chemistry, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK; Centre for Sustainable Circular Technologies, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK.
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12
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Yuan M, Chen X, Li Y, Zhang Z, Wang L. Collaborative optimal allocation of water resources and sewage discharge rights in watershed cities: considering equity among water sectors. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:88949-88967. [PMID: 37450184 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-28664-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Water supply systems in watershed cities face challenges due to increasing water demand and arbitrary sewage discharge allocations. Previous studies have primarily focused on water resource allocation and sewage discharge rights, neglecting the intricate interactions between the two. This study introduces a novel approach by integrating sewage discharge rights into the watershed's water resource allocation mechanism. A multi-objective optimization model was developed, employing the Gini coefficient to balance the equitable and economic aspects across various water sectors. This model takes into account the distinct water demands and sewage discharge requirements of different sectors. The findings of this study are as follows: (a) the Gini coefficients for water demand allocation and sewage discharge rights allocation exhibit simultaneous optimization and display consistent trends; (b) when the importance of sewage discharge relative to other water users increases, the return on investment for domestic and industrial water use decreases, but the fairness of water distribution improves; (c) proper allocation of sewage discharge rights can effectively enhance the economic value of agricultural water use. Overall, this strategy has the potential to enhance both the equality and economic benefits of the water supply system while ensuring the sustainable utilization of water and sewage rights in the basin cities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingkang Yuan
- College of Management Science, Chengdu University of Technology, No.1, East 3rd Road, Erxianqiao, Chenghua District, Chengdu, 610059, China
| | - Xudong Chen
- College of Management Science, Chengdu University of Technology, No.1, East 3rd Road, Erxianqiao, Chenghua District, Chengdu, 610059, China.
| | - Yue Li
- College of Management Science, Chengdu University of Technology, No.1, East 3rd Road, Erxianqiao, Chenghua District, Chengdu, 610059, China
| | - Zixuan Zhang
- College of Management Science, Chengdu University of Technology, No.1, East 3rd Road, Erxianqiao, Chenghua District, Chengdu, 610059, China
| | - Lin Wang
- College of Management Science, Chengdu University of Technology, No.1, East 3rd Road, Erxianqiao, Chenghua District, Chengdu, 610059, China
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13
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Carrascal M, Sánchez-Jiménez E, Fang J, Pérez-López C, Ginebreda A, Barceló D, Abian J. Sewage Protein Information Mining: Discovery of Large Biomolecules as Biomarkers of Population and Industrial Activities. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023. [PMID: 37463250 PMCID: PMC10399289 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c00535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology has been revealed as a powerful approach for surveying the health and lifestyle of a population. In this context, proteins have been proposed as potential biomarkers that complement the information provided by currently available methods. However, little is known about the range of molecular species and dynamics of proteins in wastewater and the information hidden in these protein profiles is still to be uncovered. In this study, we investigated the protein composition of wastewater from 10 municipalities in Catalonia with diverse populations and industrial activities at three different times of the year. The soluble fraction of this material was analyzed using liquid chromatography high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry using a shotgun proteomics approach. The complete proteomic profile, distribution among different organisms, and semiquantitative analysis of the main constituents are described. Excreta (urine and feces) from humans, and blood and other residues from livestock were identified as the two main protein sources. Our findings provide new insights into the characterization of wastewater proteomics that allow for the proposal of specific bioindicators for wastewater-based environmental monitoring. This includes human and animal population monitoring, most notably for rodent pest control (immunoglobulins (Igs) and amylases) and livestock processing industry monitoring (albumins).
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Affiliation(s)
- Montserrat Carrascal
- Biological and Environmental Proteomics Group, Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona, Spanish National Research Council (IIBB-CSIC/IDIBAPS), Rosellón 161, E-08036 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ester Sánchez-Jiménez
- Biological and Environmental Proteomics Group, Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona, Spanish National Research Council (IIBB-CSIC/IDIBAPS), Rosellón 161, E-08036 Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Studies (IDAEA-CSIC), Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jie Fang
- Biological and Environmental Proteomics Group, Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona, Spanish National Research Council (IIBB-CSIC/IDIBAPS), Rosellón 161, E-08036 Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Studies (IDAEA-CSIC), Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carlos Pérez-López
- Biological and Environmental Proteomics Group, Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona, Spanish National Research Council (IIBB-CSIC/IDIBAPS), Rosellón 161, E-08036 Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Studies (IDAEA-CSIC), Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Antoni Ginebreda
- Department of Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Studies (IDAEA-CSIC), Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Damià Barceló
- Department of Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Studies (IDAEA-CSIC), Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Joaquin Abian
- Biological and Environmental Proteomics Group, Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona, Spanish National Research Council (IIBB-CSIC/IDIBAPS), Rosellón 161, E-08036 Barcelona, Spain
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14
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Reyes-Calderón A, Mindreau-Ganoza E, Pardo-Figueroa B, Garcia-Luquillas KR, Yufra SP, Romero PE, Antonini C, Renom JM, Mota CR, Santa-Maria MC. Evaluation of low-cost SARS-CoV-2 RNA purification methods for viral quantification by RT-qPCR and next-generation sequencing analysis: Implications for wider wastewater-based epidemiology adoption. Heliyon 2023; 9:e16130. [PMID: 37228686 PMCID: PMC10188194 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Revised: 04/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Based Epidemiology (WBE) consists of quantifying biomarkers in sewerage systems to derive real-time information on the health and/or lifestyle of the contributing population. WBE usefulness was vastly demonstrated in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many methods for SARS-CoV-2 RNA determination in wastewater were devised, which vary in cost, infrastructure requirements and sensitivity. For most developing countries, implementing WBE for viral outbreaks, such as that of SARS-CoV-2, proved challenging due to budget, reagent availability and infrastructure constraints. In this study, we assessed low-cost methods for SARS-CoV-2 RNA quantification by RT-qPCR, and performed variant identification by NGS in wastewater samples. Results showed that the effect of adjusting pH to 4 and/or adding MgCl2 (25 mM) was negligible when using the adsorption-elution method, as well as basal physicochemical parameters in the sample. In addition, results supported the standardized use of linear rather than plasmid DNA for a more accurate viral RT-qPCR estimation. The modified TRIzol-based purification method in this study yielded comparable RT-qPCR estimation to a column-based approach, but provided better NGS results, suggesting that column-based purification for viral analysis should be revised. Overall, this work provides evaluation of a robust, sensitive and cost-effective method for SARS-CoV-2 RNA analysis that could be implemented for other viruses, for a wider WEB adoption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alonso Reyes-Calderón
- Centro de Investigación y Tecnología del Agua - CITA, Universidad de Ingenieria y Tecnologia - UTEC, Jr. Medrano Silva 165, Lima, 15063, Peru
| | - Elías Mindreau-Ganoza
- Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Av. Germán Amézaga s/n, Lima, 15081, Peru
| | - Braulio Pardo-Figueroa
- Centro de Investigación y Tecnología del Agua - CITA, Universidad de Ingenieria y Tecnologia - UTEC, Jr. Medrano Silva 165, Lima, 15063, Peru
| | - Katherine R Garcia-Luquillas
- Centro de Investigación y Tecnología del Agua - CITA, Universidad de Ingenieria y Tecnologia - UTEC, Jr. Medrano Silva 165, Lima, 15063, Peru
| | - Sonia P Yufra
- Departamento de Ingeniería Metalúrgica e Ingeniería Ambiental, Universidad Nacional de San Agustín, Av. Independencia s/n, Arequipa, 04001, Peru
| | - Pedro E Romero
- Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Av. Germán Amézaga s/n, Lima, 15081, Peru
| | - Claudia Antonini
- Departamento de Ingeniería Industrial, Universidad de Ingenieria y Tecnologia - UTEC, Jr. Medrano Silva 165, Lima, 15063, Peru
| | - Jose-Miguel Renom
- Departamento de Ciencias, Universidad de Ingenieria y Tecnologia - UTEC, Jr. Medrano Silva 165, Lima, 15063, Peru
| | - Cesar R Mota
- Departamento de Engenharia Sanitária e Ambiental, Escola de Engenharia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Av. Antonio Carlos, Belo Horizonte, 6.627, 31270-901, Brazil
| | - Monica C Santa-Maria
- Centro de Investigación y Tecnología del Agua - CITA, Universidad de Ingenieria y Tecnologia - UTEC, Jr. Medrano Silva 165, Lima, 15063, Peru
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15
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Kasprzyk-Hordern B, Béen F, Bijlsma L, Brack W, Castiglioni S, Covaci A, Martincigh BS, Mueller JF, van Nuijs ALN, Oluseyi T, Thomas KV. Wastewater-based epidemiology for the assessment of population exposure to chemicals: The need for integration with human biomonitoring for global One Health actions. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2023; 450:131009. [PMID: 36863100 PMCID: PMC9927796 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.131009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Revised: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
WBE has now become a complimentary tool in SARS-CoV-2 surveillance. This was preceded by the established application of WBE to assess the consumption of illicit drugs in communities. It is now timely to build on this and take the opportunity to expand WBE to enable comprehensive assessment of community exposure to chemical stressors and their mixtures. The goal of WBE is to quantify community exposure, discover exposure-outcome associations, and trigger policy, technological or societal intervention strategies with the overarching aim of exposure prevention and public health promotion. To achieve WBE's full potential, the following key aspects require further action: (1) Integration of WBE-HBM (human biomonitoring) initiatives that provide comprehensive community-individual multichemical exposure assessment. (2) Global WBE monitoring campaigns to provide much needed data on exposure in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and fill in the gaps in knowledge especially in the underrepresented highly urbanised as well as rural settings in LMICs. (3) Combining WBE with One Health actions to enable effective interventions. (4) Advancements in new analytical tools and methodologies for WBE progression to enable biomarker selection for exposure studies, and to provide sensitive and selective multiresidue analysis for trace multi-biomarker quantification in a complex wastewater matrix. Most of all, further developments of WBE needs to be undertaken by co-design with key stakeholder groups: government organisations, health authorities and private sector.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Frederic Béen
- Chemistry for Environment & Health, Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment (A-LIFE), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands; KWR Water Research Institute, Chemical Water Quality and Health, P.O. Box 1072, 3430 BB, Nieuwegein, the Netherlands
| | - Lubertus Bijlsma
- Environmental and Public Health Analytical Chemistry, Research Institute for Pesticides and Water, University Jaume I, E-12071 Castellón, Spain
| | - Werner Brack
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH - UFZ, Department of Effect-Directed Analysis, Permoserstraße 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany; Goethe University Frankfurt, Department of Evolutionary Ecology and Environmental Toxicology, Max-von-Laue-Strasse 13, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Sara Castiglioni
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri - IRCCS, Department of Environmental Health Science, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Adrian Covaci
- Toxicological Centre, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Bice S Martincigh
- School of Chemistry and Physics, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, Private Bag X54001, Durban 4000, South Africa
| | - Jochen F Mueller
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, 4102 Queensland, Australia
| | | | - Temilola Oluseyi
- Analytical and Environmental Chemistry Research Group, Department of Chemistry, University of Lagos, Nigeria
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, 4102 Queensland, Australia
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16
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Wen J, Duan L, Wang B, Dong Q, Liu Y, Huang J, Yu G. Stability and WBE biomarkers possibility of 17 antiviral drugs in sewage and gravity sewers. WATER RESEARCH 2023; 238:120023. [PMID: 37150064 PMCID: PMC10149109 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Revised: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is a promising technique for monitoring the rapidly increasing use of antiviral drugs during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is essential to evaluate the in-sewer stability of antiviral drugs in order to determine appropriate biomarkers. This study developed an analytical method for quantification of 17 typical antiviral drugs, and investigated the stability of target compounds in sewer through 4 laboratory-scale gravity sewer reactors. Nine antiviral drugs (lamivudine, acyclovir, amantadine, favipiravir, nevirapine, oseltamivir, ganciclovir, emtricitabine and telbivudine) were observed to be stable and recommended as appropriate biomarkers for WBE. As for the other 8 unstable drugs (abacavir, arbidol, ribavirin, zidovudine, ritonavir, lopinavir, remdesivir and efavirenz), their attenuation was driven by adsorption, biodegradation and diffusion. Moreover, reaction kinetics revealed that the effects of sediments and biofilms were regarded to be independent in gravity sewers, and the rate constants of removal by biofilms was directly proportional to the ratio of surface area against wastewater volume. The study highlighted the potential importance of flow velocity for compound stability, since an increased flow velocity significantly accelerated the removal of unstable biomarkers. In addition, a framework for graded evaluation of biomarker stability was proposed to provide reference for researchers to select suitable WBE biomarkers. Compared with current classification method, this framework considered the influences of residence time and different removal mechanisms, which additionally screened four antiviral drugs as viable WBE biomarkers. This is the first study to report the stability of antiviral drugs in gravity sewers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaqi Wen
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Beijing Key Laboratory for Emerging Organic Contaminants Control, Beijing Laboratory for Environmental Frontier Technologies, China
| | - Lei Duan
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Beijing Key Laboratory for Emerging Organic Contaminants Control, Beijing Laboratory for Environmental Frontier Technologies, China
| | - Bin Wang
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Beijing Key Laboratory for Emerging Organic Contaminants Control, Beijing Laboratory for Environmental Frontier Technologies, China
| | - Qian Dong
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Yanchen Liu
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Jun Huang
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Beijing Key Laboratory for Emerging Organic Contaminants Control, Beijing Laboratory for Environmental Frontier Technologies, China
| | - Gang Yu
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Beijing Key Laboratory for Emerging Organic Contaminants Control, Beijing Laboratory for Environmental Frontier Technologies, China; Advanced Interdisciplinary Institute of Environment and Ecology, Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai, 519087, China.
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17
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Rainey AL, Liang S, Bisesi JH, Sabo-Attwood T, Maurelli AT. A multistate assessment of population normalization factors for wastewater-based epidemiology of COVID-19. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0284370. [PMID: 37043469 PMCID: PMC10096268 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0284370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 04/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has become a valuable tool for monitoring SARS-CoV-2 infection trends throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Population biomarkers that measure the relative human fecal contribution to normalize SARS-CoV-2 wastewater concentrations are needed for improved analysis and interpretation of community infection trends. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Wastewater Surveillance System (CDC NWSS) recommends using the wastewater flow rate or human fecal indicators as population normalization factors. However, there is no consensus on which normalization factor performs best. In this study, we provided the first multistate assessment of the effects of flow rate and human fecal indicators (crAssphage, F+ Coliphage, and PMMoV) on the correlation of SARS-CoV-2 wastewater concentrations and COVID-19 cases using the CDC NWSS dataset of 182 communities across six U.S. states. Flow normalized SARS-CoV-2 wastewater concentrations produced the strongest correlation with COVID-19 cases. The correlation from the three human fecal indicators were significantly lower than flow rate. Additionally, using reverse transcription droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (RT-ddPCR) significantly improved correlation values over samples that were analyzed with real-time reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (rRT-qPCR). Our assessment shows that utilizing flow normalization with RT-ddPCR generate the strongest correlation between SARS-CoV-2 wastewater concentrations and COVID-19 cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew L. Rainey
- Department of Environmental and Global Health, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
- Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Song Liang
- Department of Environmental and Global Health, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
- Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Joseph H. Bisesi
- Department of Environmental and Global Health, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
- Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
- Center for Environmental and Human Toxicology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Tara Sabo-Attwood
- Department of Environmental and Global Health, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
- Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
- Center for Environmental and Human Toxicology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Anthony T. Maurelli
- Department of Environmental and Global Health, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
- Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
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18
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Amin V, Bowes DA, Halden RU. Systematic scoping review evaluating the potential of wastewater-based epidemiology for monitoring cardiovascular disease and cancer. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 858:160103. [PMID: 36370774 PMCID: PMC9643312 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Revised: 11/05/2022] [Accepted: 11/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer are collectively responsible for tens of millions of global deaths each year. These rates are projected to intensify as the COVID-19 pandemic has caused delays in individualized diagnostics, or exacerbated prevalence due to Post Acute Coronavirus (COVID-19) Syndrome. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has successfully been employed as a useful tool for generating population-level health assessments, and was examined here in this systematic scoping literature review to (i) identify endogenous human biomarkers reported to indicate CVD or cancer in clinical practice, (ii) assess specificity to the indicated diseases, (iii) evaluate the utility for estimating population-level disease prevalence in community wastewater, and (iv) contextualize the obtained information for monitoring CVD and cancer presence via WBE. A total of 48 peer-reviewed papers were critically examined identifying five urinary protein biomarkers: cardiac troponin I (cTnI) (heart attack/heart failure), cystatin C (atherosclerosis), normetanephrine (tumor presence), α-fetoprotein (prostate and liver cancer), and microtubule assisted serine/threonine kinase 4 (MAST4) (breast cancer). Next, urinary excretion information was utilized to predict biomarker concentrations extant in community wastewater, resulting in average healthy concentrations ranging from 0.02 to 1159 ng/L, and disease-indicating thresholds from 0.16 to 3041 ng/L. Finally, estimating prevalence-adjusted wastewater measurements was explored in order to assess community-level CVD and cancer presence utilizing U.S. reported prevalence rates. Results obtained suggest that WBE can serve as a viable tool in support of current methods for CVD and cancer assessment to reduce morbidities and mortalities worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivek Amin
- The Biodesign Institute Center for Environmental Health Engineering, Arizona State University, 1001 S. McAllister Ave, AZ 85287-8101, USA
| | - Devin A Bowes
- The Biodesign Institute Center for Environmental Health Engineering, Arizona State University, 1001 S. McAllister Ave, AZ 85287-8101, USA
| | - Rolf U Halden
- The Biodesign Institute Center for Environmental Health Engineering, Arizona State University, 1001 S. McAllister Ave, AZ 85287-8101, USA; School for Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University, 1001 S. McAllister Ave, AZ 85287-8101, USA; OneWaterOneHealth, The Arizona State University Foundation, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, 1001 S. McAllister Ave, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA; Global Futures Laboratory, Arizona State University, 800 S. Cady Mall, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA.
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19
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Gagliano E, Biondi D, Roccaro P. Wastewater-based epidemiology approach: The learning lessons from COVID-19 pandemic and the development of novel guidelines for future pandemics. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 313:137361. [PMID: 36427570 PMCID: PMC9678975 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.137361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Revised: 11/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) provides a comprehensive real-time framework of population attitude and health status. This approach is attracting the interest of medical community and health authorities to monitor the prevalence of a virus (such as the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, SARS-CoV-2) among a community. Indeed, WBE is currently fine-tuning as environmental surveillance tool for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. After a bibliometric analysis conducted to discover the research trends in WBE field, this work aimed to side-by-side compare the conventional method based on clinical testing with WBE approach. Furthermore, novel guidelines were developed to apply the WBE approach to a pandemic. The growing interest on WBE approach for COVID-19 pandemic is demonstrated by looking at the sharp increase in scientific papers published in the last years and at the ongoing studies on viral quantification methods and analytical procedures. The side-by-side comparison highlighted the ability of WBE to identify the hot-spot areas faster than the conventional approach, reducing the costs (e.g., rational use of available resources) and the gatherings at medical centers. Contrary to clinical testing, WBE has the surveillance capacity for preventing the virus resurgence, including asymptomatic contribution, and ensuring the preservation of medical staff health by avoiding the exposure to the virus infection during clinical testing. As extensively reported, the time in collecting epidemiological data is crucial for establishing the prevention and mitigation measures that are essential for curbing a pandemic. The developed guidelines can help to build a WBE system useful to control any future pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica Gagliano
- Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Catania, Catania, Italy; Department of Civil, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Deborah Biondi
- Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Paolo Roccaro
- Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
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20
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Maryam S, Ul Haq I, Yahya G, Ul Haq M, Algammal AM, Saber S, Cavalu S. COVID-19 surveillance in wastewater: An epidemiological tool for the monitoring of SARS-CoV-2. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2023; 12:978643. [PMID: 36683701 PMCID: PMC9854263 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.978643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has prompted a lot of questions globally regarding the range of information about the virus's possible routes of transmission, diagnostics, and therapeutic tools. Worldwide studies have pointed out the importance of monitoring and early surveillance techniques based on the identification of viral RNA in wastewater. These studies indicated the presence of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA in human feces, which is shed via excreta including mucus, feces, saliva, and sputum. Subsequently, they get dumped into wastewater, and their presence in wastewater provides a possibility of using it as a tool to help prevent and eradicate the virus. Its monitoring is still done in many regions worldwide and serves as an early "warning signal"; however, a lot of limitations of wastewater surveillance have also been identified.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sajida Maryam
- Department of Biosciences, The Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS) University Islamabad (CUI), Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Ihtisham Ul Haq
- Department of Biosciences, The Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS) University Islamabad (CUI), Islamabad, Pakistan
- Department of Physical Chemistry and Polymers Technology, Silesian University of Technology, Gliwice, Poland
- Joint Doctoral School, Silesian University of Technology, Gliwice, Poland
| | - Galal Yahya
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt
| | - Mehboob Ul Haq
- Department of Biosciences, The Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS) University Islamabad (CUI), Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Abdelazeem M Algammal
- Department of Bacteriology, Immunology, and Mycology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt
| | - Sameh Saber
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Delta University for Science and Technology, Gamasa, Egypt
| | - Simona Cavalu
- Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Oradea, Oradea, Romania
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21
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Othman AA, Simpson BS, Jaunay EL, White JM, Bade R, Gerber C. A method for improved detection of 8-isoprostaglandin F 2α/β and benzodiazepines in wastewater. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 851:158061. [PMID: 35985578 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Revised: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology is a tool incorporating biomarker analysis that can be used to monitor the health status of a population. Indicators of health include endogenous oxidative stress biomarkers and hormones, or exogenous such as alcohol and nicotine. 8-Iso-prostaglandin F2α/β is a biomarker of endogenous metabolism that can be used to measure oxidative stress in a community. Benzodiazepines are a harmful subclass of anxiolytics either prescribed or sourced illegally. The analysis of oxidative stress markers and uptake of benzodiazepines in wastewater may provide information about distress in the community. A method has been applied to detect 8-isoPGF2α/β and the illicit benzodiazepines clonazolam, flubromazolam and flualprazolam in addition to other prescribed benzodiazepines in wastewater. These substances have been sold as counterfeit pharmaceutical products, such as Xanax, which was formulated to include alprazolam. Deconjugation was initially performed on wastewater samples, followed by liquid-liquid extraction for isoprostanes and solid phase extraction for benzodiazepines to determine the total levels of these analytes. Limits of quantification were in the range of 0.5-2 ng/L for all the analytes except 8-isoPGF2α/β which was 50 ng/L. Stability, recovery and matrix effect studies were also conducted. Finally, this method was applied to influent wastewater from South Australia which showed the prevalence of 8-isoPGF2α/β and benzodiazepines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed Adel Othman
- University of South Australia, Clinical and Health Sciences (CHS), Health and Biomedical Innovation, South Australia 5000, Australia
| | - Bradley S Simpson
- University of South Australia, Clinical and Health Sciences (CHS), Health and Biomedical Innovation, South Australia 5000, Australia
| | - Emma L Jaunay
- University of South Australia, Clinical and Health Sciences (CHS), Health and Biomedical Innovation, South Australia 5000, Australia
| | - Jason M White
- University of South Australia, Clinical and Health Sciences (CHS), Health and Biomedical Innovation, South Australia 5000, Australia
| | - Richard Bade
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), the University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Cobus Gerber
- University of South Australia, Clinical and Health Sciences (CHS), Health and Biomedical Innovation, South Australia 5000, Australia.
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22
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Eaton CJ, Coxon S, Pattis I, Chappell A, Hewitt J, Gilpin BJ. A Framework for Public Health Authorities to Evaluate Health Determinants for Wastewater-Based Epidemiology. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2022; 130:125001. [PMID: 36520537 PMCID: PMC9754092 DOI: 10.1289/ehp11115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Revised: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is rapidly developing as a powerful public health tool. It can provide information about a wide range of health determinants (HDs), including community exposure to environmental hazards, trends in consumption of licit and illicit substances, spread of infectious diseases, and general community health. As such, the list of possible candidate HDs for WBE is almost limitless. Consequently, a means to evaluate and prioritize suitable candidates for WBE is useful, particularly for public health authorities, who often face resource constraints. OBJECTIVES We have developed a framework to assist public health authorities to decide what HDs may be appropriate for WBE and what biomarkers could be used. This commentary reflects the experience of the authors, who work at the interface of research and public health implementation. DISCUSSION To be suitable for WBE, a candidate HD should address a public health or scientific issue that would benefit from better understanding at the population level. For HDs where information on individual exposures or stratification by population subgroups is required, WBE is less suitable. Where other methodologies are already used to monitor the candidate HD, consideration must be given to whether WBE could provide better or complementary information to the current approach. An essential requirement of WBE is a biomarker specific for the candidate HD. A biomarker in this context refers to any human-excreted chemical or biological that could act as an indicator of consumption or exposure to an environmental hazard or of the human health state. Suitable biomarkers should meet several criteria outlined in this commentary, which requires background knowledge for both the biomarker and the HD. An evaluation tree summarizing key considerations for public health authorities when assessing the suitability of candidate HDs for WBE and an example evaluation are presented. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP11115.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla J. Eaton
- Institute of Environmental Science and Research Ltd., Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Sarah Coxon
- Institute of Environmental Science and Research Ltd., Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Isabelle Pattis
- Institute of Environmental Science and Research Ltd., Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Andrew Chappell
- Institute of Environmental Science and Research Ltd., Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Joanne Hewitt
- Institute of Environmental Science and Research Ltd., Porirua, New Zealand
| | - Brent J. Gilpin
- Institute of Environmental Science and Research Ltd., Christchurch, New Zealand
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23
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Campos-Mañas M, Fabregat-Safont D, Hernández F, de Rijke E, de Voogt P, van Wezel A, Bijlsma L. Analytical research of pesticide biomarkers in wastewater with application to study spatial differences in human exposure. CHEMOSPHERE 2022; 307:135684. [PMID: 35850214 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.135684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Revised: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) relies on the assessment and interpretation of levels of biomarkers in wastewater originating from a well-defined community. It has provided unique information on spatial and temporal trends of licit and illicit drug consumption, and has also the potential to give complementary information on human exposure to chemicals. Here, we focus on the accurate quantification of pesticide biomarkers (i.e., predominantly urinary metabolites) in influent wastewater at the ng L-1 level to be used for WBE. In the present study, an advanced analytical methodology has been developed based on ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS), for the simultaneous determination of 11 specific human biomarkers of triazines, urea herbicides, pyrethroids and organophosphates in urban wastewater. The sample treatment consisted of solid-phase extraction using Oasis HLB cartridges. Direct injection of the samples was also tested for all compounds, as a simple and rapid way to determine these compounds without sample manipulation (i.e., minimizing potential analytical errors). However, if extraction recoveries are satisfactory, SPE is the preferred approach that allow reaching lower concertation levels. Six isotopically labelled internal standards were evaluated and used to correct for matrix effects. Due to the difficulties associated with this type of analysis, special emphasis has been placed on the analytical challenges encountered. The satisfactory validated methodology was applied to urban wastewater samples collected from different locations across Europe revealing the presence of 2,6-EA, 3,4-DCA, 3-PBA and 4-HSA i.e, metabolites of metolachlor-s, urea herbicides, pyrethroids and chlorpropham, respectively. Preliminary data reported in this paper illustrate the applicability of this analytical approach for assessing human exposure to pesticides through WBE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Campos-Mañas
- Environmental and Public Health Analytical Chemistry, Research Institute for Pesticides and Water, University Jaume I, Castellón, Spain
| | - David Fabregat-Safont
- Environmental and Public Health Analytical Chemistry, Research Institute for Pesticides and Water, University Jaume I, Castellón, Spain; Applied Metabolomics Research Laboratory, IMIM-Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute, 88 Doctor Aiguader, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Félix Hernández
- Environmental and Public Health Analytical Chemistry, Research Institute for Pesticides and Water, University Jaume I, Castellón, Spain
| | - Eva de Rijke
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Pim de Voogt
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Annemarie van Wezel
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Lubertus Bijlsma
- Environmental and Public Health Analytical Chemistry, Research Institute for Pesticides and Water, University Jaume I, Castellón, Spain; Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
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24
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Prieto Riquelme M, Garner E, Gupta S, Metch J, Zhu N, Blair MF, Arango-Argoty G, Maile-Moskowitz A, Li AD, Flach CF, Aga DS, Nambi IM, Larsson DGJ, Bürgmann H, Zhang T, Pruden A, Vikesland PJ. Demonstrating a Comprehensive Wastewater-Based Surveillance Approach That Differentiates Globally Sourced Resistomes. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:14982-14993. [PMID: 35759608 PMCID: PMC9631994 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c08673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) for disease monitoring is highly promising but requires consistent methodologies that incorporate predetermined objectives, targets, and metrics. Herein, we describe a comprehensive metagenomics-based approach for global surveillance of antibiotic resistance in sewage that enables assessment of 1) which antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are shared across regions/communities; 2) which ARGs are discriminatory; and 3) factors associated with overall trends in ARGs, such as antibiotic concentrations. Across an internationally sourced transect of sewage samples collected using a centralized, standardized protocol, ARG relative abundances (16S rRNA gene-normalized) were highest in Hong Kong and India and lowest in Sweden and Switzerland, reflecting national policy, measured antibiotic concentrations, and metal resistance genes. Asian versus European/US resistomes were distinct, with macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin, phenicol, quinolone, and tetracycline versus multidrug resistance ARGs being discriminatory, respectively. Regional trends in measured antibiotic concentrations differed from trends expected from public sales data. This could reflect unaccounted uses, captured only by the WBS approach. If properly benchmarked, antibiotic WBS might complement public sales and consumption statistics in the future. The WBS approach defined herein demonstrates multisite comparability and sensitivity to local/regional factors.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Emily Garner
- Department
of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia24061, United States
- Department
of Civil and Environmental Engineering, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia26506, United States
| | - Suraj Gupta
- Department
of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia24061, United States
- The
Interdisciplinary PhD Program in Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational
Biology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia24061, United States
| | - Jake Metch
- Department
of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia24061, United States
| | - Ni Zhu
- Department
of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia24061, United States
| | - Matthew F. Blair
- Department
of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia24061, United States
| | - Gustavo Arango-Argoty
- Department
of Computer Science, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia24061, United States
| | - Ayella Maile-Moskowitz
- Department
of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia24061, United States
| | - An-dong Li
- Department
of Civil Engineering, The University of
Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Carl-Fredrik Flach
- Centre for
Antibiotic Resistance Research (CARe), University
of Gothenburg, 405 30Göteborg, Sweden
- Department
of Infectious Diseases, University of Gothenburg, 405 30Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Diana S. Aga
- Department
of Chemistry, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York14260, United States
| | - Indumathi M. Nambi
- Department
of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of
Technology, Madras,
Chennai600036, India
| | - D. G. Joakim Larsson
- Centre for
Antibiotic Resistance Research (CARe), University
of Gothenburg, 405 30Göteborg, Sweden
- Department
of Infectious Diseases, University of Gothenburg, 405 30Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Helmut Bürgmann
- Eawag:
Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, CH-6047Kastanienbaum, Switzerland
| | - Tong Zhang
- Department
of Civil Engineering, The University of
Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Amy Pruden
- Department
of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia24061, United States
| | - Peter J. Vikesland
- Department
of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia24061, United States
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25
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Cooper B, Donner E, Crase L, Robertson H, Carter D, Short M, Drigo B, Leder K, Roiko A, Fielding K. Maintaining a social license to operate for wastewater-based monitoring: The case of managing infectious disease and the COVID-19 pandemic. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 320:115819. [PMID: 35930884 PMCID: PMC9304157 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Revised: 07/04/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater monitoring as a public health tool is well-established and the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic has seen its widespread uptake. Given the significant potential of wastewater monitoring as a public health surveillance and decision support tool, it is important to understand what measures are required to allow the long-term benefits of wastewater monitoring to be fully realized, including how to establish and/or maintain public support. The potential for positive SARS-CoV-2 detections to trigger enforced, community-wide public health interventions (e.g., lockdowns and other impacts on civil liberties) further emphasises the need to better understand the role of public engagement in successful wastewater-based monitoring programs. This paper systematically reviews the processes of building and maintaining the social license to operate wastewater monitoring. We specifically explore the relationship between different stakeholder communities and highlight the information and actions that are required to establish a social license to operate and then prevent its loss. The paper adds to the literature on social license to operate by extending its application to new domains and offers a dynamic model of social license to help guide the agenda for researcher and practitioner communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bethany Cooper
- University of South Australia, School of Business, GPO Box 2471, Adelaide, South Australia, 5001, Australia.
| | - Erica Donner
- University of South Australia, Future Industries Institute, GPO Box 2471, Adelaide, South Australia, 5001, Australia.
| | - Lin Crase
- University of South Australia, School of Business, GPO Box 2471, Adelaide, South Australia, 5001, Australia.
| | - Hamish Robertson
- University of Technology Sydney, Faculty of Health, 15 Broadway Ultimo, NSW, Australia.
| | - David Carter
- University of Technology Sydney, Faculty of Law, 15 Broadway Ultimo, NSW, Australia.
| | - Michael Short
- University of South Australia, Future Industries Institute, GPO Box 2471, Adelaide, South Australia, 5001, Australia.
| | - Barbara Drigo
- University of South Australia, Future Industries Institute, GPO Box 2471, Adelaide, South Australia, 5001, Australia.
| | - Karin Leder
- Monash University, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, 553 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia.
| | - Anne Roiko
- Griffith University, School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, Gold Coast, QLD, 4222, Australia.
| | - Kelly Fielding
- The University of Queensland, School of Communication and Arts, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia.
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26
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Robins K, Leonard AFC, Farkas K, Graham DW, Jones DL, Kasprzyk-Hordern B, Bunce JT, Grimsley JMS, Wade MJ, Zealand AM, McIntyre-Nolan S. Research needs for optimising wastewater-based epidemiology monitoring for public health protection. JOURNAL OF WATER AND HEALTH 2022; 20:1284-1313. [PMID: 36170187 DOI: 10.2166/wh.2022.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is an unobtrusive method used to observe patterns in illicit drug use, poliovirus, and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). The pandemic and need for surveillance measures have led to the rapid acceleration of WBE research and development globally. With the infrastructure available to monitor SARS-CoV-2 from wastewater in 58 countries globally, there is potential to expand targets and applications for public health protection, such as other viral pathogens, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), pharmaceutical consumption, or exposure to chemical pollutants. Some applications have been explored in academic research but are not used to inform public health decision-making. We reflect on the current knowledge of WBE for these applications and identify barriers and opportunities for expanding beyond SARS-CoV-2. This paper critically reviews the applications of WBE for public health and identifies the important research gaps for WBE to be a useful tool in public health. It considers possible uses for pathogenic viruses, AMR, and chemicals. It summarises the current evidence on the following: (1) the presence of markers in stool and urine; (2) environmental factors influencing persistence of markers in wastewater; (3) methods for sample collection and storage; (4) prospective methods for detection and quantification; (5) reducing uncertainties; and (6) further considerations for public health use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie Robins
- Environmental Monitoring for Health Protection, UK Health Security Agency, Nobel House, London SW1P 3HX, UK E-mail: ; School of Engineering, Newcastle University, Cassie Building, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Anne F C Leonard
- Environmental Monitoring for Health Protection, UK Health Security Agency, Nobel House, London SW1P 3HX, UK E-mail: ; University of Exeter Medical School, European Centre for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Kata Farkas
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, UK
| | - David W Graham
- School of Engineering, Newcastle University, Cassie Building, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
| | - David L Jones
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, UK; SoilsWest, Centre for Sustainable Farming Systems, Food Futures Institute, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6105, Australia
| | | | - Joshua T Bunce
- Environmental Monitoring for Health Protection, UK Health Security Agency, Nobel House, London SW1P 3HX, UK E-mail: ; School of Engineering, Newcastle University, Cassie Building, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Jasmine M S Grimsley
- Environmental Monitoring for Health Protection, UK Health Security Agency, Nobel House, London SW1P 3HX, UK E-mail:
| | - Matthew J Wade
- Environmental Monitoring for Health Protection, UK Health Security Agency, Nobel House, London SW1P 3HX, UK E-mail: ; School of Engineering, Newcastle University, Cassie Building, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Andrew M Zealand
- Environmental Monitoring for Health Protection, UK Health Security Agency, Nobel House, London SW1P 3HX, UK E-mail:
| | - Shannon McIntyre-Nolan
- Environmental Monitoring for Health Protection, UK Health Security Agency, Nobel House, London SW1P 3HX, UK E-mail: ; Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service, Ministry of Justice, London, SW1H 9AJ, UK
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27
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Gao J, Li L, Duan L, Yang M, Zhou X, Zheng Q, Ou Y, Li Z, Lai FY. Exploring antibiotic consumption between urban and sub-urban catchments using both parent drugs and related metabolites in wastewater-based epidemiology. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 827:154171. [PMID: 35231503 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2021] [Revised: 01/30/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Consumption of antibiotics leads to the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance worldwide. Better knowledge of temporal and spatial consumption of antibiotics helps public health authorities to control their usage and combat antimicrobial resistance. However, measuring antibiotic consumption with population surveys, sales data, and production statistics remains challenging due to the complexity of prescription preference, patient compliance, and direct disposal of unused drugs. With the approach of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE), this study aims to evaluate the consumption of eight commonly-used antibiotics between developed urban and developing sub-urban catchments in China and to characterise the ratios of parent drugs to metabolites in studying the consumption. Seven parent antibiotics were detected in all the wastewater samples (n = 56), whereas some metabolites were detected sporadically. The ratios of parent chemicals to metabolites varied among locations and were often higher than the ratios in pharmacokinetic studies. Estimated consumption of antibiotics ranged from 3.2 ± 2.0 mg/day/1000 inhabitants for trimethoprim to 28,400 ± 7800 mg/day/1000 inhabitants for roxithromycin in the studied catchments. Higher consumption of sulfapyridine, sulfadiazine and roxithromycin was observed in urban than suburban catchments, while consumption of sulfamethoxazole, norfloxacin, and trimethoprim was higher in suburban than in urban catchments. Using the literature data, we found more than 95% reduction of antibiotic use in an urban catchment. Our study revealed the geographical pattern in antibiotic use across different urban and suburban catchments via WBE, and the potential of monitoring parent-to-metabolite ratios for WBE in estimating antibiotic use. These results provide a basis for health authorities to plan different drug-specific control policies between urban and suburban catchments, and for future WBE studies to be aware of other sources, such as animal husbandry and disposals of unused drugs, that can influence the estimated consumption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianfa Gao
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Liangzhong Li
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Health Risk Assessment, South Institute of Environmental Science, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Guangzhou 510530, China
| | - Lei Duan
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Emerging Organic Contaminants Control, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Mengting Yang
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China.
| | - Xi Zhou
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Qiuda Zheng
- The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, Woolloongabba 4102, Australia
| | - Yingjuan Ou
- College of Rosources and Environment, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410028, China
| | - Zongrui Li
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Health Risk Assessment, South Institute of Environmental Science, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Guangzhou 510530, China
| | - Foon Yin Lai
- Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), SE-75007, Uppsala, Sweden
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28
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Abstract
Wastewater surveillance (WS), when coupled with advanced molecular techniques, offers near real-time monitoring of community-wide transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and allows assessing and mitigating COVID-19 outbreaks, by evaluating the total microbial assemblage in a community. Composite wastewater samples (24 h) were collected weekly from a manhole between December 2020 and November 2021 in Maryland, USA. RT-qPCR results showed concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 RNA recovered from wastewater samples reflected incidence of COVID-19 cases. When a drastic increase in COVID-19 was detected in February 2021, samples were selected for microbiome analysis (DNA metagenomics, RNA metatranscriptomics, and targeted SARS-CoV-2 sequencing). Targeted SARS-CoV-2 sequencing allowed for detection of important genetic mutations, such as spike: K417N, D614G, P681H, T716I, S982A, and D1118H, commonly associated with increased cell entry and reinfection. Microbiome analysis (DNA and RNA) provided important insight with respect to human health-related factors, including detection of pathogens and their virulence/antibiotic resistance genes. Specific microbial species comprising the wastewater microbiome correlated with incidence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA, suggesting potential association with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Climatic conditions, namely, temperature, were related to incidence of COVID-19 and detection of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater, having been monitored as part of an environmental risk score assessment carried out in this study. In summary, the wastewater microbiome provides useful public health information, and hence, a valuable tool to proactively detect and characterize pathogenic agents circulating in a community. In effect, metagenomics of wastewater can serve as an early warning system for communicable diseases, by providing a larger source of information for health departments and public officials. IMPORTANCE Traditionally, testing for COVID-19 is done by detecting SARS-CoV-2 in samples collected from nasal swabs and/or saliva. However, SARS-CoV-2 can also be detected in feces of infected individuals. Therefore, wastewater samples can be used to test all individuals of a community contributing to the sewage collection system, i.e., the infrastructure, such as gravity pipes, manholes, tanks, lift stations, control structures, and force mains, that collects used water from residential and commercial sources and conveys the flow to a wastewater treatment plant. Here, we profile community wastewater collected from a manhole, detect presence of SARS-CoV-2, identify genetic mutations of SARS-CoV-2, and perform COVID-19 risk score assessment of the study area. Using metagenomics analysis, we also detect other microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, protists, and viruses) present in the samples. Results show that by analyzing all microorganisms present in wastewater, pathogens circulating in a community can provide an early warning for contagious diseases.
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Biswas P, Vellanki BP, Kazmi AA. Investigating a broad range of emerging contaminants in a set of anthropogenically impacted environmental compartments. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 824:153757. [PMID: 35151754 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Revised: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Environmental compartments are repositories of probably thousands of emerging contaminants (ECs) released along with treated/untreated wastewater. Despite extensive studies on the detection of ECs in surface water, other environmental compartments such as sediments and groundwater are yet to be thoroughly investigated. To assess the heavy anthropogenic impact on the environment, 24 environmental samples comprising of surface water, sediment and groundwater collected from the Yamuna River basin of India were analyzed via target and suspect screening. The surface water and sediment samples were collected from upstream and downstream of densely populated cities and towns situated along the heavily contaminated river Yamuna. The groundwater samples were collected from shallow drinking water wells of the catchment. Liquid chromatography tandem mass-spectroscopy was used to quantify 10 widely consumed pharmaceuticals in the samples. The study also analyzed the potential health hazards posed by the quantified contaminants. In order to evaluate further, the surface water and groundwater samples were subjected to high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) screening against a library resulting in a list of 450 ECs in the surface water and 309 ECs in the groundwater. Agricultural chemicals and pharmaceuticals found abundantly in the samples and half of whom were reported first time. The risk quotient was calculated to assess the potential hazard of the target analytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pinakshi Biswas
- Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Uttarakhand 247667, India.
| | - Bhanu Prakash Vellanki
- Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Uttarakhand 247667, India.
| | - Absar Ahmad Kazmi
- Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Uttarakhand 247667, India.
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30
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Duan L, Zhang Y, Wang B, Yu G, Gao J, Cagnetta G, Huang C, Zhai N. Wastewater surveillance for 168 pharmaceuticals and metabolites in a WWTP: Occurrence, temporal variations and feasibility of metabolic biomarkers for intake estimation. WATER RESEARCH 2022; 216:118321. [PMID: 35339048 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.118321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Revised: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is amply used for mining information about public health such as the estimation of consumption/intake of certain substances. Yet, proper biomarker selection is critical to obtain reliable data. This study measured a broad range of pharmaceuticals and metabolites in a wastewater treatment plant in Beijing, China, and evaluated their suitability as consumption estimation biomarkers. Wastewater sampling was conducted during a normal week and two holiday weeks to assess the impact of the holiday on population normalized daily mass loads (PNDLs). One hundred and forty-nine out of 168 pharmaceuticals were detected, with 94 analytes being quantified in all sampling events. Moreover, digestive drug cimetidine (<MDL∼672 ng L - 1) and anabolic steroid trenbolone (<MDL∼53 ng L - 1) were only detected during holiday weeks. PNDLs of some substances showed disparities between weekdays and weekends during the normal week. This study proposed a framework to diagnose whether a parent compound or its metabolite is suitable for intake/prevalence rate estimation. Our results support that not all the metabolites can be employed as biomarkers for back-calculation when the in-sewer stability of these compounds is unclear, such as metoprolol acid and O-desmethyl venlafaxine. Public healthcare data for drug utilization were applied to validate the prevalence of average substance use in this study. As a popular anti-epileptic ranging from hundreds to thousands of ng L - 1 in this study, the parent compound levetiracetam is more appropriate to be used in WBE under our framework, referring to public healthcare data. This WBE study illustrates the changes in pharmaceutical use and population lifestyle that stem from holidays and commutes. In addition, it can provide data support for the selection of more suitable biomarkers in WBE studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Duan
- Beijing Laboratory of Environmental Frontier Technology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Emerging Organic Contaminants Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Research Institute for Environmental Innovation (Suzhou), Tsinghua, Suzhou 215163, China
| | - Yizhe Zhang
- Beijing Laboratory of Environmental Frontier Technology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Emerging Organic Contaminants Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Research Institute for Environmental Innovation (Suzhou), Tsinghua, Suzhou 215163, China
| | - Bin Wang
- Beijing Laboratory of Environmental Frontier Technology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Emerging Organic Contaminants Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Research Institute for Environmental Innovation (Suzhou), Tsinghua, Suzhou 215163, China.
| | - Gang Yu
- Beijing Laboratory of Environmental Frontier Technology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Emerging Organic Contaminants Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Research Institute for Environmental Innovation (Suzhou), Tsinghua, Suzhou 215163, China
| | - Jianfa Gao
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, 1066 Xueyuan Avenue, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Giovanni Cagnetta
- Beijing Laboratory of Environmental Frontier Technology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Emerging Organic Contaminants Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Cunrui Huang
- Vanke School of Public Health, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Nannan Zhai
- Shanghai Sciex Analytical Instrument Trading Co., Ltd Beijing Branch Company, Beijing 100015, China
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31
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Adhikari S, Halden RU. Opportunities and limits of wastewater-based epidemiology for tracking global health and attainment of UN sustainable development goals. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2022; 163:107217. [PMID: 35395576 PMCID: PMC9815123 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2022.107217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Revised: 03/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) emerged as a powerful, actionable health management tool during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hypothesizing future uses, we explored its potential for real-time, tracking of progress in attaining United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) globally as a non-expensive method using existing infrastructure. We inventoried (i) literature-documented sewerage infrastructure, (ii) demographics of populations served, and (iii) WBE markers informative of 9 SDGs. Among the 17 different sustainable development goals listed by the UN 2030 agenda, more than half of these may be monitored by using WBE monitoring at centralized treatment infrastructure as tabulated in this study. Driven mainly by COVID-19, WBE currently is practiced in at least 55 countries, reaching about 300 million people. Expansion of WBE to 109,000 + treatment plants inventoried in 129 countries would increase global coverage 9-fold to 34.7% or 2.7 billion, leaving out 5 billion people not served by centralized sewerage systems. Associations between population demographics and present-day infrastructure are explored, and geospatial regions particularly vulnerable to infectious disease outbreaks are identified. The results suggest that difference in the differential outcomes in well-being is an outcome of the sanitation infrastructure inequalities and lack of sanitation infrastructure creates doubly disadvantaged populations at risk of poor hygiene and cut off from the early-warning benefits of conventional WBE. This is the first study to explore the feasibility and potential barriers to the use of WBE for tracking the attainment of SDGs globally with at least 9 out of 17 SDGs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sangeet Adhikari
- School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; Biodesign Center for Environmental Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Rolf U Halden
- School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; Biodesign Center for Environmental Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; OneWaterOneHealth, Nonprofit Project of the Arizona State University Foundation, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; Global Futures Laboratory, Arizona State University, 800 S. Cady Mall, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA.
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32
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Temporal monitoring of stimulants during the COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium through the analysis of influent wastewater. THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DRUG POLICY 2022; 104:103679. [PMID: 35427945 PMCID: PMC8977453 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2022.103679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2022] [Revised: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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33
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Tharak A, Kopperi H, Hemalatha M, Kiran U, C. G. G, Moharir S, Mishra RK, Mohan SV. Longitudinal and Long-Term Wastewater Surveillance for COVID-19: Infection Dynamics and Zoning of Urban Community. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19052697. [PMID: 35270390 PMCID: PMC8910010 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19052697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2022] [Revised: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is emerging as a potential approach to study the infection dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 at a community level. Periodic sewage surveillance can act as an indicative tool to predict the early surge of pandemic within the community and understand the dynamics of infection and, thereby, facilitates for proper healthcare management. In this study, we performed a long-term epidemiological surveillance to assess the SARS-CoV-2 spread in domestic sewage over one year (July 2020 to August 2021) by adopting longitudinal sampling to represent a selected community (~2.5 lakhs population). Results indicated temporal dynamics in the viral load. A consistent amount of viral load was observed during the months from July 2020 to November 2020, suggesting a higher spread of the viral infection among the community, followed by a decrease in the subsequent two months (December 2020 and January 2021). A marginal increase was observed during February 2021, hinting at the onset of the second wave (from March 2021) that reached it speak in April 2021. Dynamics of the community infection rates were calculated based on the viral gene copies to assess the severity of COVID-19 spread. With the ability to predict the infection spread, longitudinal WBE studies also offer the prospect of zoning specific areas based on the infection rates. Zoning of the selected community based on the infection rates assists health management to plan and manage the infection in an effective way. WBE promotes clinical inspection with simultaneous disease detection and management, in addition to an advance warning signal to anticipate outbreaks, with respect to the slated community/zones, to tackle, prepare for and manage the pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Athmakuri Tharak
- Bioengineering and Environmental Sciences Lab, Department of Energy and Environmental Engineering (DEEE), CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT), Hyderabad 500007, India; (A.T.); (H.K.); (M.H.)
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India;
| | - Harishankar Kopperi
- Bioengineering and Environmental Sciences Lab, Department of Energy and Environmental Engineering (DEEE), CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT), Hyderabad 500007, India; (A.T.); (H.K.); (M.H.)
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India;
| | - Manupati Hemalatha
- Bioengineering and Environmental Sciences Lab, Department of Energy and Environmental Engineering (DEEE), CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT), Hyderabad 500007, India; (A.T.); (H.K.); (M.H.)
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India;
| | - Uday Kiran
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India;
- CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CSIR-CCMB), Hyderabad 500007, India; (G.C.G.); (S.M.)
| | - Gokulan C. G.
- CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CSIR-CCMB), Hyderabad 500007, India; (G.C.G.); (S.M.)
| | - Shivranjani Moharir
- CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CSIR-CCMB), Hyderabad 500007, India; (G.C.G.); (S.M.)
| | - Rakesh K. Mishra
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India;
- CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CSIR-CCMB), Hyderabad 500007, India; (G.C.G.); (S.M.)
- Correspondence: (R.K.M.); (S.V.M.)
| | - S. Venkata Mohan
- Bioengineering and Environmental Sciences Lab, Department of Energy and Environmental Engineering (DEEE), CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT), Hyderabad 500007, India; (A.T.); (H.K.); (M.H.)
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India;
- Correspondence: (R.K.M.); (S.V.M.)
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34
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Wade MJ, Lo Jacomo A, Armenise E, Brown MR, Bunce JT, Cameron GJ, Fang Z, Farkas K, Gilpin DF, Graham DW, Grimsley JMS, Hart A, Hoffmann T, Jackson KJ, Jones DL, Lilley CJ, McGrath JW, McKinley JM, McSparron C, Nejad BF, Morvan M, Quintela-Baluja M, Roberts AMI, Singer AC, Souque C, Speight VL, Sweetapple C, Walker D, Watts G, Weightman A, Kasprzyk-Hordern B. Understanding and managing uncertainty and variability for wastewater monitoring beyond the pandemic: Lessons learned from the United Kingdom national COVID-19 surveillance programmes. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2022; 424:127456. [PMID: 34655869 PMCID: PMC8498793 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.127456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2021] [Revised: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2021] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has put unprecedented pressure on public health resources around the world. From adversity, opportunities have arisen to measure the state and dynamics of human disease at a scale not seen before. In the United Kingdom, the evidence that wastewater could be used to monitor the SARS-CoV-2 virus prompted the development of National wastewater surveillance programmes. The scale and pace of this work has proven to be unique in monitoring of virus dynamics at a national level, demonstrating the importance of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) for public health protection. Beyond COVID-19, it can provide additional value for monitoring and informing on a range of biological and chemical markers of human health. A discussion of measurement uncertainty associated with surveillance of wastewater, focusing on lessons-learned from the UK programmes monitoring COVID-19 is presented, showing that sources of uncertainty impacting measurement quality and interpretation of data for public health decision-making, are varied and complex. While some factors remain poorly understood, we present approaches taken by the UK programmes to manage and mitigate the more tractable sources of uncertainty. This work provides a platform to integrate uncertainty management into WBE activities as part of global One Health initiatives beyond the pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Wade
- UK Health Security Agency, Environmental Monitoring for Health Protection, Windsor House, Victoria Street, London SW1H 0TL, UK; Newcastle University, School of Engineering, Cassie Building, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE1 7RU, UK.
| | - Anna Lo Jacomo
- UK Health Security Agency, Environmental Monitoring for Health Protection, Windsor House, Victoria Street, London SW1H 0TL, UK; Bristol University, Department of Engineering Mathematics, Bristol BS8 1TW, UK
| | - Elena Armenise
- Environment Agency, Research, Horizon House, Deanery Road, Bristol BS1 5AH, UK
| | - Mathew R Brown
- UK Health Security Agency, Environmental Monitoring for Health Protection, Windsor House, Victoria Street, London SW1H 0TL, UK; Newcastle University, School of Engineering, Cassie Building, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Joshua T Bunce
- UK Health Security Agency, Environmental Monitoring for Health Protection, Windsor House, Victoria Street, London SW1H 0TL, UK; Newcastle University, School of Engineering, Cassie Building, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE1 7RU, UK; Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Seacole Building, 2 Marsham Street, London SW1P 4DF, UK
| | - Graeme J Cameron
- Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Strathallan House, Stirling FK9 4TZ, UK
| | - Zhou Fang
- Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland, James Clerk Maxwell Building, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, UK
| | - Kata Farkas
- Bangor University, School of Natural Sciences, Deiniol Road, Bangor LL57 2UW, UK
| | - Deidre F Gilpin
- Queen's University Belfast, School of Pharmacy, Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK
| | - David W Graham
- Newcastle University, School of Engineering, Cassie Building, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Jasmine M S Grimsley
- UK Health Security Agency, Environmental Monitoring for Health Protection, Windsor House, Victoria Street, London SW1H 0TL, UK
| | - Alwyn Hart
- Environment Agency, Research, Horizon House, Deanery Road, Bristol BS1 5AH, UK
| | - Till Hoffmann
- UK Health Security Agency, Environmental Monitoring for Health Protection, Windsor House, Victoria Street, London SW1H 0TL, UK; Imperial College London, Department of Mathematics, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Katherine J Jackson
- Environment Agency, Research, Horizon House, Deanery Road, Bristol BS1 5AH, UK
| | - David L Jones
- Bangor University, School of Natural Sciences, Deiniol Road, Bangor LL57 2UW, UK; The University of Western Australia, UWA School of Agriculture and Environment, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Chris J Lilley
- UK Health Security Agency, Environmental Monitoring for Health Protection, Windsor House, Victoria Street, London SW1H 0TL, UK
| | - John W McGrath
- Queen's University Belfast, School of Biological Sciences, Chlorine Gardens, Belfast BT9 5DL, UK
| | - Jennifer M McKinley
- Queen's University Belfast, School of Natural and Built Environment, Stranmills Road, Belfast BT9 5AG, UK
| | - Cormac McSparron
- Queen's University Belfast, School of Natural and Built Environment, Stranmills Road, Belfast BT9 5AG, UK
| | - Behnam F Nejad
- Queen's University Belfast, School of Natural and Built Environment, Stranmills Road, Belfast BT9 5AG, UK
| | - Mario Morvan
- UK Health Security Agency, Environmental Monitoring for Health Protection, Windsor House, Victoria Street, London SW1H 0TL, UK; University College London, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Marcos Quintela-Baluja
- Newcastle University, School of Engineering, Cassie Building, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Adrian M I Roberts
- Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland, James Clerk Maxwell Building, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, UK
| | - Andrew C Singer
- UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Benson Lane, Wallingford OX10 8BB, UK
| | - Célia Souque
- UK Health Security Agency, Environmental Monitoring for Health Protection, Windsor House, Victoria Street, London SW1H 0TL, UK; University of Oxford, Department of Zoology, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
| | - Vanessa L Speight
- University of Sheffield, Department of Civil and Structural Engineering, Mappin Street, Sheffield S1 3JD, UK
| | - Chris Sweetapple
- UK Health Security Agency, Environmental Monitoring for Health Protection, Windsor House, Victoria Street, London SW1H 0TL, UK; University of Exeter, Centre for Water Systems, College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences, Exeter EX4 4QF, UK
| | - David Walker
- Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Barrack Road, Weymouth DT4 8UB, UK
| | - Glenn Watts
- Environment Agency, Research, Horizon House, Deanery Road, Bristol BS1 5AH, UK
| | - Andrew Weightman
- Cardiff University, Cardiff School of Biosciences, The Sir Martin Evans Building, Museum Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3AX, UK
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Zhao L, Atoni E, Nyaruaba R, Du Y, Zhang H, Donde O, Huang D, Xiao S, Ren N, Ma T, Shu Z, Yuan Z, Tong L, Xia H. Environmental surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater systems and related environments in Wuhan: April to May of 2020. J Environ Sci (China) 2022; 112:115-120. [PMID: 34955194 DOI: 10.1101/2020.08.19.20172924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Revised: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has emerged as an effective environmental surveillance tool in monitoring fecal-oral pathogen infections within a community. Congruently, SARS-CoV-2, the etiologic agent of COVID-19, has been demonstrated to infect the gastrointestinal tissues, and be shed in feces. In the present study, SARS-CoV-2 RNA was concentrated from wastewater, sludge, surface water, ground water, sediment, and soil samples of municipal and hospital wastewater systems and related environments in Wuhan during the COVID-19 middle and low risk periods, and the viral RNA copies quantified using reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). From the findings of this study, during the middle risk period, one influent sample and three secondary effluents collected from waste water treatment plant 2, as well as two samples from Jinyintan Hospital wastewater system influent were SARS-CoV-2 RNA positive. One sludge sample collected from Guanggu Branch of Tongji Hospital, which was obtained during the low risk period, was also positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. These study findings demonstrate the significance of WBE in continuous surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 at the community level, even when the COVID-19 prevalence is low. Overall, this study can be used as an important reference for contingency management of wastewater treatment plants and COVID-19 prevention and control departments of Wuhan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Wuhan 430071, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Evans Atoni
- Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Wuhan 430071, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Raphael Nyaruaba
- Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Wuhan 430071, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Microbiology, Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, 6200-00200, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Yao Du
- School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Huaiyu Zhang
- Central and Southern China Municipal Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd., Wuhan 430010, China
| | - Oscar Donde
- Department of Environmental Science, Egerton University, 536-20115, Egerton, Kenya
| | - Doudou Huang
- Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Shuqi Xiao
- Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Nanjie Ren
- Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Wuhan 430071, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Teng Ma
- School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Zhu Shu
- School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Zhiming Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Wuhan 430071, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Lei Tong
- School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan 430074, China.
| | - Han Xia
- Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Wuhan 430071, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
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36
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Gwenzi W. Wastewater, waste, and water-based epidemiology (WWW-BE): A novel hypothesis and decision-support tool to unravel COVID-19 in low-income settings? THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 806:150680. [PMID: 34599955 PMCID: PMC8481624 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2021] [Revised: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 09/26/2021] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Traditional wastewater-based epidemiology (W-BE) relying on SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection in wastewater is attractive for understanding COVID-19. Yet traditional W-BE based on centralized wastewaters excludes putative SARS-CoV-2 reservoirs such as: (i) wastewaters from shared on-site sanitation facilities, (ii) solid waste including faecal sludge from non-flushing on-site sanitation systems, and COVID-19 personal protective equipment (PPE), (iii) raw/untreated water, and (iv) drinking water supply systems in low-income countries (LICs). A novel hypothesis and decision-support tool based on Wastewater (on-site sanitation, municipal sewer systems), solid Waste, and raw/untreated and drinking Water-based epidemiology (WWW-BE) is proposed for understanding COVID-19 in LICs. The WWW-BE conceptual framework, including components and principles is presented. Evidence on the presence of SARS-CoV-2 and its proxies in wastewaters, solid materials/waste (papers, metals, fabric, plastics), and raw/untreated surface water, groundwater and drinking water is discussed. Taken together, wastewaters from municipal sewer and on-site sanitation systems, solid waste such as faecal sludge and COVID-19 PPE, raw/untreated surface water and groundwater, and drinking water systems in LICs act as potential reservoirs that receive and harbour SARS-CoV-2, and then transmit it to humans. Hence, WWW-BE could serve a dual function in estimating the prevalence and potential transmission of COVID-19. Several applications of WWW-BE as a hypothesis and decision support tool in LICs are discussed. WWW-BE aggregates data from various infected persons in a spatial unit, hence, putatively requires less resources (analytical kits, personnel) than individual diagnostic testing, making it an ideal decision-support tool for LICs. The novelty, and a critique of WWW-BE versus traditional W-BE are presented. Potential challenges of WWW-BE include: (i) biohazards and biosafety risks, (ii) lack of expertise, analytical equipment, and accredited laboratories, and (iii) high uncertainties in estimates of COVID-19 cases. Future perspectives and research directions including key knowledge gaps and the application of novel and emerging technologies in WWW-BE are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Willis Gwenzi
- Biosystems and Environmental Engineering Research Group, Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Environment and Food Systems, University of Zimbabwe, P. O. Box MP 167, Mount Pleasant, Harare, Zimbabwe.
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Zhao L, Atoni E, Nyaruaba R, Du Y, Zhang H, Donde O, Huang D, Xiao S, Ren N, Ma T, Shu Z, Yuan Z, Tong L, Xia H. Environmental surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater systems and related environments in Wuhan: April to May of 2020. J Environ Sci (China) 2022; 112:115-120. [PMID: 34955194 PMCID: PMC8120438 DOI: 10.1016/j.jes.2021.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Revised: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has emerged as an effective environmental surveillance tool in monitoring fecal-oral pathogen infections within a community. Congruently, SARS-CoV-2, the etiologic agent of COVID-19, has been demonstrated to infect the gastrointestinal tissues, and be shed in feces. In the present study, SARS-CoV-2 RNA was concentrated from wastewater, sludge, surface water, ground water, sediment, and soil samples of municipal and hospital wastewater systems and related environments in Wuhan during the COVID-19 middle and low risk periods, and the viral RNA copies quantified using reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). From the findings of this study, during the middle risk period, one influent sample and three secondary effluents collected from waste water treatment plant 2, as well as two samples from Jinyintan Hospital wastewater system influent were SARS-CoV-2 RNA positive. One sludge sample collected from Guanggu Branch of Tongji Hospital, which was obtained during the low risk period, was also positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. These study findings demonstrate the significance of WBE in continuous surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 at the community level, even when the COVID-19 prevalence is low. Overall, this study can be used as an important reference for contingency management of wastewater treatment plants and COVID-19 prevention and control departments of Wuhan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Wuhan 430071, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Evans Atoni
- Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Wuhan 430071, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Raphael Nyaruaba
- Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Wuhan 430071, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Microbiology, Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, 6200-00200, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Yao Du
- School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Huaiyu Zhang
- Central and Southern China Municipal Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd., Wuhan 430010, China
| | - Oscar Donde
- Department of Environmental Science, Egerton University, 536-20115, Egerton, Kenya
| | - Doudou Huang
- Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Shuqi Xiao
- Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Nanjie Ren
- Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Wuhan 430071, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Teng Ma
- School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Zhu Shu
- School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Zhiming Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Wuhan 430071, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Lei Tong
- School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan 430074, China.
| | - Han Xia
- Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Wuhan 430071, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
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38
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Wu F, Xiao A, Zhang J, Moniz K, Endo N, Armas F, Bonneau R, Brown MA, Bushman M, Chai PR, Duvallet C, Erickson TB, Foppe K, Ghaeli N, Gu X, Hanage WP, Huang KH, Lee WL, Matus M, McElroy KA, Nagler J, Rhode SF, Santillana M, Tucker JA, Wuertz S, Zhao S, Thompson J, Alm EJ. SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations in wastewater foreshadow dynamics and clinical presentation of new COVID-19 cases. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 805:150121. [PMID: 34534872 PMCID: PMC8416286 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 139] [Impact Index Per Article: 69.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2021] [Revised: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Current estimates of COVID-19 prevalence are largely based on symptomatic, clinically diagnosed cases. The existence of a large number of undiagnosed infections hampers population-wide investigation of viral circulation. Here, we quantify the SARS-CoV-2 concentration and track its dynamics in wastewater at a major urban wastewater treatment facility in Massachusetts, between early January and May 2020. SARS-CoV-2 was first detected in wastewater on March 3. SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations in wastewater correlated with clinically diagnosed new COVID-19 cases, with the trends appearing 4-10 days earlier in wastewater than in clinical data. We inferred viral shedding dynamics by modeling wastewater viral load as a convolution of back-dated new clinical cases with the average population-level viral shedding function. The inferred viral shedding function showed an early peak, likely before symptom onset and clinical diagnosis, consistent with emerging clinical and experimental evidence. This finding suggests that SARS-CoV-2 concentrations in wastewater may be primarily driven by viral shedding early in infection. This work shows that longitudinal wastewater analysis can be used to identify trends in disease transmission in advance of clinical case reporting, and infer early viral shedding dynamics for newly infected individuals, which are difficult to capture in clinical investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fuqing Wu
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA; Center for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA
| | - Amy Xiao
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA; Center for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA
| | - Jianbo Zhang
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA; Center for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA
| | - Katya Moniz
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA; Center for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA
| | | | - Federica Armas
- Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, Antimicrobial Resistance Interdisciplinary Research Group, Singapore; Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE), Singapore
| | - Richard Bonneau
- Center for Data Science NYU, Center for Social Media and Politics, New York University, USA
| | - Megan A Brown
- Center for Data Science NYU, Center for Social Media and Politics, New York University, USA
| | - Mary Bushman
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Peter R Chai
- Division of Medical Toxicology, Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, USA; The Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Timothy B Erickson
- Division of Medical Toxicology, Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, USA; Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Harvard University, USA
| | | | | | - Xiaoqiong Gu
- Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, Antimicrobial Resistance Interdisciplinary Research Group, Singapore; Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE), Singapore
| | | | | | - Wei Lin Lee
- Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, Antimicrobial Resistance Interdisciplinary Research Group, Singapore; Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE), Singapore
| | | | | | - Jonathan Nagler
- Center for Data Science NYU, Center for Social Media and Politics, New York University, USA
| | - Steven F Rhode
- Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Mauricio Santillana
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Computational Health Informatics Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Joshua A Tucker
- Center for Data Science NYU, Center for Social Media and Politics, New York University, USA
| | - Stefan Wuertz
- Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE), Singapore; Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore; School of Civil and Environmental Enginering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| | - Shijie Zhao
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA; Center for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA
| | - Janelle Thompson
- Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE), Singapore; Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore; Asian School of the Environment, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| | - Eric J Alm
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA; Center for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA; Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, Antimicrobial Resistance Interdisciplinary Research Group, Singapore; Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE), Singapore; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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Coprostanol as a Population Biomarker for SARS-CoV-2 Wastewater Surveillance Studies. WATER 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/w14020225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater surveillance is a cost-effective tool for monitoring SARS-CoV-2 transmission in a community. However, challenges remain with regard to interpretating such studies, not least in how to compare SARS-CoV-2 levels between different-sized wastewater treatment plants. Viral faecal indicators, including crAssphage and pepper mild mottle virus, have been proposed as population biomarkers to normalise SARS-CoV-2 levels in wastewater. However, as these indicators exhibit variability between individuals and may not be excreted by everyone, their utility as population biomarkers may be limited. Coprostanol, meanwhile, is a bacterial metabolite of cholesterol which is excreted by all individuals. In this study, composite influent samples were collected from a large- and medium-sized wastewater treatment plant in Dublin, Ireland and SARS-CoV-2 N1, crAssphage, pepper mild mottle virus, HF183 and coprostanol levels were determined. SARS-CoV-2 N1 RNA was detected and quantified in all samples from both treatment plants. Regardless of treatment plant size, coprostanol levels exhibited the lowest variation in composite influent samples, while crAssphage exhibited the greatest variation. Moreover, the strongest correlations were observed between SARS-CoV-2 levels and national and Dublin COVID-19 cases when levels were normalised to coprostanol. This work demonstrates the usefulness of coprostanol as a population biomarker for wastewater surveillance studies.
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Kilbane JJ. Shining a Light on Wastewater Treatment with Microalgae. ARABIAN JOURNAL FOR SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING 2022; 47:45-56. [PMID: 35036288 PMCID: PMC8752175 DOI: 10.1007/s13369-021-06444-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Microalgae can produce biofuels, nutriceuticals, pigments and many other products, but commercialization has been limited by the cost of growing, harvesting and processing algal biomass. Nutrients, chiefly nitrogen and phosphorus, are a key cost for growing microalgae, but these nutrients are present in abundance in municipal wastewater where they pose environmental problems if not removed. This is not a traditional review article; rather, it is a fact-based set of suggestions that will have to be investigated by scientists and engineers. It is suggested that if microalgae were grown as biofilms rather than as planktonic cells, and if internal illumination rather than external illumination were employed, then the use of microalgae may provide useful improvements to the wastewater treatment process. The use of microalgae to remove nutrients from wastewater has been demonstrated, but has not yet been widely implemented due to cost, and because microalgae derived from wastewater treatment has not yet been demonstrated as a commercial source for value-added products. Future facilities are likely to be called Municipal Resource Recovery Facilities as wastewater will increasingly be viewed as a resource for water, biofuels, fertilizer, monitoring public health and value-added products. Advances in photonics will accelerate this transition.
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41
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Mainardi PH, Bidoia ED. Challenges and emerging perspectives of an international SARS-CoV-2 epidemiological surveillance in wastewater. AN ACAD BRAS CIENC 2021; 93:e20210163. [PMID: 34878048 DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765202120210163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2020] [Accepted: 01/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 is a new type of coronavirus capable to infect humans and cause the severe acute respiratory syndrome COVID-19, a disease that has been causing huge impacts across the Earth. COVID-19 patients, including mild, pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic cases, were often seen to contain infectious fragments of SARS-CoV-2 in feces and urine samples. Therefore, studies to detect the new coronavirus in wastewater, which collect and concentrate human excreta, have been extremely useful as a viral tracking tool in communities. This type of monitoring, in addition to serve as a non-invasive early warning of COVID-19 outbreaks, would provide better predictions about the SARS-CoV-2 spread and strongly contribute to maintenance the global health. Although current methods to detect viruses in wastewater, based on molecular RT-PCR and RT-qPCR techniques, were considered as reliable and provided accurate qualitative and quantitative results, they have been facing considerable challenges concerning the SARS-CoV-2 surveillance. In this review, the methods used to detect the SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater and the challenges to implement an international viral monitoring network were described. The article also addressed the emerging perspectives associated with the SARS-CoV-2 epidemiological surveillance in this environment and the importance of a worldwide collaboration to generate and disseminate the detection results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro H Mainardi
- Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho /UNESP, Instituto de Biociências, Departamento de Biologia Geral e Aplicada, Av. 24A, 1515, Bela Vista, 13506900 Rio Claro, SP, Brazil
| | - Ederio D Bidoia
- Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho /UNESP, Instituto de Biociências, Departamento de Biologia Geral e Aplicada, Av. 24A, 1515, Bela Vista, 13506900 Rio Claro, SP, Brazil
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42
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Eloffy MG, El-Sherif DM, Abouzid M, Elkodous MA, El-nakhas HS, Sadek RF, Ghorab MA, Al-Anazi A, El-Sayyad GS. Proposed approaches for coronaviruses elimination from wastewater: Membrane techniques and nanotechnology solutions. NANOTECHNOLOGY REVIEWS 2021; 11:1-25. [DOI: 10.1515/ntrev-2022-0001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Since the beginning of the third Millennium, specifically during the last 18 years, three outbreaks of diseases have been recorded caused by coronaviruses (CoVs). The latest outbreak of these diseases was Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), which has been declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a pandemic. For this reason, current efforts of the environmental, epidemiology scientists, engineers, and water sector professionals are ongoing to detect CoV in environmental components, especially water, and assess the relative risk of exposure to these systems and any measures needed to protect the public health, workers, and public, in general. This review presents a brief overview of CoV in water, wastewater, and surface water based on a literature search providing different solutions to keep water protected from CoV. Membrane techniques are very attractive solutions for virus elimination in water. In addition, another essential solution is nanotechnology and its applications in the detection and protection of human and water systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. G. Eloffy
- National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, NIOF , Cairo , Egypt
| | - Dina M. El-Sherif
- National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, NIOF , Cairo , Egypt
| | - Mohamed Abouzid
- Department of Physical Pharmacy and Pharmacokinetics, Poznan University of Medical Sciences , 6 Święcickiego Street , 60-781 Poznan , Poland
| | - Mohamed Abd Elkodous
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Information Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology , Toyohashi , Aichi 441-8580 , Japan
| | | | - Rawia F. Sadek
- Chemical Maintenance Unit, Experimental Training Research Reactor Number two (ETRR-2), Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority (EAEA) , P.O. Box 13759 , Cairo , Egypt
- Drug Radiation Research Department, Drug Microbiology Laboratory, National Center for Radiation Research and Technology (NCRRT), Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority (EAEA) , P.O. Box 13759 , Nasr City, Cairo , Egypt
| | - Mohamed A. Ghorab
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP), Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) , Washington , DC , USA
- Department of Animal Science, Wildlife Toxicology Laboratory, Institute for Integrative Toxicology (IIT), Michigan State University , East Lansing , MI 48824 , USA
| | - Abdulaziz Al-Anazi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering King Saud University (KSU) , P.O. Box 800 , Riyadh 11421 , Saudi
| | - Gharieb S. El-Sayyad
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Galala University , New Galala city , Suez , Egypt
- Drug Radiation Research Department, Drug Microbiology Laboratory, National Center for Radiation Research and Technology (NCRRT), Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority (EAEA) , P.O. Box 29 , Nasr City, Cairo , Egypt
- Chemical Engineering Department, Military Technical College (MTC), Egyptian Armed Forces , Cairo , Egypt
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Picó Y, Barceló D. Identification of biomarkers in wastewater-based epidemiology: Main approaches and analytical methods. Trends Analyt Chem 2021; 145:116465. [PMID: 34803197 PMCID: PMC8591405 DOI: 10.1016/j.trac.2021.116465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has become popular to estimate the use of drugs of abuse and recently to establish the incidence of CoVID 19 in large cities. However, its possibilities have been expanded recently as a technique that allows to establish a fingerprint of the characteristics of a city, such as state of health/disease, healthy/unhealthy living habits, exposure to different types of contaminants, etc. with respect to other cities. This has been thanks to the identification of human biomarkers as well as to the fingerprinting and profiling of the characteristics of the wastewater catchment that determine these circumstances. The purpose of this review is to analyze the different methodological schemes that have been developed to perform this biomarker identification as well as the most characteristic analytical techniques in each scheme, their advantages and disadvantages and the knowledge gaps identified. We also discussed the future scope for development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yolanda Picó
- Environmental and Food Safety Research Group of the University of Valencia (SAMA-UV), Desertification Research Centre (CIDE), CSIC-GV-UV, Moncada Naquera Road Km 4.3, 46113 Moncada, Valencia, Spain,Corresponding author
| | - Damià Barceló
- Department of Environmental Chemistry, IDAEA-CSIC, Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain,Catalan Institute for Water Research, ICRA – CERCA, Technological Park of the University of Girona, Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain
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44
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Picó Y, Barceló D. Mass Spectrometry in Wastewater-Based Epidemiology for the Determination of Small and Large Molecules as Biomarkers of Exposure: Toward a Global View of Environment and Human Health under the COVID-19 Outbreak. ACS OMEGA 2021; 6:30865-30872. [PMID: 34841130 PMCID: PMC8613814 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c04362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) estimates collective consumption or exposure to chemicals or pathogens by monitoring the substances excreted in the population's wastewater. Advances in mass spectrometry (MS) and the application of some clinical diagnostic tools and proteomics to wastewater fingerprinting have been linked to the discovery of new biomarkers and indicators of population health and are broadening the scope of WBE that nowadays cover not only small molecule biomarkers but also genetic biomarkers, large molecules, viruses, infection diseases, resistance, etc. This mini-review highlights recent WBE advances using MS and how this progress can create a fingerprint of a city's health hazards, habits, and lifestyle, which is gaining in public health emphasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yolanda Picó
- Environmental
and Food Safety Research Group-University of Valencia (SAMA-UV), Desertification
Research Centre (CIDE), Joint Center CSIC-University
of Valencia-Generalitat Valenciana, Moncada Naquera Road km 4.3, 46113 Moncada, Valencia, Spain
| | - Damià Barceló
- Water
and Soil Quality Research Group, Department of Environmental Chemistry, IDAEA-CSIC, C/Jordi Girona 18−26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
- Catalan
Institute for Water Research, ICRA − CERCA, Technological Park of the University of Girona, Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain
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Ou Y, Cao S, Zhang J, Dong W, Yang Z, Yu Z. Droplet microfluidics on analysis of pathogenic microbes for wastewater-based epidemiology. Trends Analyt Chem 2021; 143:116333. [PMID: 34720276 PMCID: PMC8547957 DOI: 10.1016/j.trac.2021.116333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Infectious diseases caused by pathogenic microbes have posed a major health issue for the public, such as the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic. In recent years, wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is emerging as an effective and unbiased method for monitoring public health. Despite its increasing importance, the advancement of WBE requires more competent and streamlined analytical platforms. Herein we discuss the interactions between WBE and droplet microfluidics, focusing on the analysis of pathogens in droplets, which is hard to be tackled by traditional analytical tools. We highlight research works from three aspects, namely, quantitation of pathogen biomarkers in droplets, single-cell analysis in droplets, and living cell biosensors in droplets, as well as providing future perspectives on the synergy between WBE and droplet microfluidics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yangteng Ou
- State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, 30 Puzhu South Road, Nanjing, 211816, PR China.,Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Shixiang Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, 30 Puzhu South Road, Nanjing, 211816, PR China
| | - Jing Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, 30 Puzhu South Road, Nanjing, 211816, PR China
| | - Weiliang Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, 30 Puzhu South Road, Nanjing, 211816, PR China
| | - Zhugen Yang
- School of Water, Energy and Environment, Cranfield University, Cranfield, MK43 0AL, UK
| | - Ziyi Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, 30 Puzhu South Road, Nanjing, 211816, PR China
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Boogaerts T, Ahmed F, Choi PM, Tscharke B, O'Brien J, De Loof H, Gao J, Thai P, Thomas K, Mueller JF, Hall W, Covaci A, van Nuijs ALN. Current and future perspectives for wastewater-based epidemiology as a monitoring tool for pharmaceutical use. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 789:148047. [PMID: 34323839 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Revised: 05/21/2021] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The medical and societal consequences of the misuse of pharmaceuticals clearly justify the need for comprehensive drug utilization research (DUR). Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) employs the analysis of human metabolic excretion products in wastewater to monitor consumption patterns of xenobiotics at the population level. Recently, WBE has demonstrated its potential to evaluate lifestyle factors such as illicit drug, alcohol and tobacco consumption at the population level, in near real-time and with high spatial and temporal resolution. Up until now there have been fewer WBE studies investigating health biomarkers such as pharmaceuticals. WBE publications monitoring the consumption of pharmaceuticals were systematically reviewed from three databases (PubMed, Web of Science and Google Scholar). 64 publications that reported population-normalised mass loads or defined daily doses of pharmaceuticals were selected. We document that WBE could be employed as a complementary information source for DUR. Interest in using WBE approaches for monitoring pharmaceutical use is growing but more foundation research (e.g. compound-specific uncertainties) is required to link WBE data to routine pharmacoepidemiologic information sources and workflows. WBE offers the possibility of i) estimating consumption of pharmaceuticals through the analysis of human metabolic excretion products in wastewater; ii) monitoring spatial and temporal consumption patterns of pharmaceuticals continuously and in near real-time; and iii) triangulating data with other DUR information sources to assess the impacts of strategies or interventions to reduce inappropriate use of pharmaceuticals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Boogaerts
- Toxicological Centre, University of Antwerp, Belgium, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium.
| | - Fahad Ahmed
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall St, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Phil M Choi
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall St, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia; Water Unit, Health Protection Branch, Prevention Division, Queensland Health, GPO Box 48, Brisbane, QLD 4001, Australia
| | - Benjamin Tscharke
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall St, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Jake O'Brien
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall St, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Hans De Loof
- Laboratory of Physiopharmacology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Jianfa Gao
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, 1066 Xueyuan Avenue, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Phong Thai
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall St, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Kevin Thomas
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall St, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Jochen F Mueller
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall St, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Wayne Hall
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall St, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia; Centre for Youth Substance Abuse, University of Queensland, 17 Upland Road, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Adrian Covaci
- Toxicological Centre, University of Antwerp, Belgium, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Alexander L N van Nuijs
- Toxicological Centre, University of Antwerp, Belgium, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium.
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47
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Sanchez-Galan JE, Ureña G, Escovar LF, Fabrega-Duque JR, Coles A, Kurt Z. Challenges to detect SARS-CoV-2 on environmental media, the need and strategies to implement the detection methodologies in wastewaters. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING 2021; 9:105881. [PMID: 34221893 PMCID: PMC8239206 DOI: 10.1016/j.jece.2021.105881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Revised: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Understanding risks, putting in place preventative methods to seamlessly continue daily activities are essential tools to fight a pandemic. All social, commercial and leisure activities have an impact on the environmental media. Therefore, to accurately predict the fate and behavior of viruses in the environment, it is necessary to understand and analyze available detection methods, possible transmission pathways and preventative techniques. The aim of this review is to critically analyze and summarize the research done regarding SARS-COV-2 virus detection, focusing on sampling and laboratory detection methods in environmental media. Special attention will be given to wastewater and sewage sludge. This review has summarized the survival of the virus on surfaces to estimate the risk carried by different environmental media (water, wastewater, air and soil) in order to explain which communities are under higher risk. The critical analysis concludes that the detection of SARS-CoV-2 with current technologies and sampling strategies would reveal the presence of the virus. This information could be used to design systematic sampling points throughout the sewage systems when available, taking into account peak flows and more importantly economic factors on when to sample. Such approaches will provide clues for potential future viral outbreak, saving financial resources by reducing testing necessities for viral detection, hence contributing for more appropriate confinement policies by governments and could be further used to define more precisely post-pandemic or additional waves measures if/ when needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier E Sanchez-Galan
- Facultad de Ingeniería de Sistemas Computacionales (FISC), Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá, Panama
- Grupo de Investigación en Biotecnología, Bioinformática y Biología de Sistemas (GIBBS), Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá, Panama
- Institute of Scientific Research and High Technology Services, Panama City, Panama
| | - Grimaldo Ureña
- Grupo de Investigación en Biotecnología, Bioinformática y Biología de Sistemas (GIBBS), Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá, Panama
- Theoretical Evolutionary Genetics Laboratory, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | - Jose R Fabrega-Duque
- Centro de Investigaciones Hidráulicas e Hidrotécnicas (CIHH), Universidad Tecnologica de Panama, Panama
| | - Alexander Coles
- Centro de Investigaciones Hidráulicas e Hidrotécnicas (CIHH), Universidad Tecnologica de Panama, Panama
| | - Zohre Kurt
- Grupo de Investigación en Biotecnología, Bioinformática y Biología de Sistemas (GIBBS), Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá, Panama
- Urban Risk Center, Florida State University-Panama, Panama
- Institute of Scientific Research and High Technology Services, Panama City, Panama
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey
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48
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Ahmed F, Li J, O'Brien JW, Tscharke BJ, Samanipour S, Thai PK, Yuan Z, Mueller JF, Thomas KV. In-sewer stability of selected analgesics and their metabolites. WATER RESEARCH 2021; 204:117647. [PMID: 34536687 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2021] [Revised: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the in-sewer stability of analgesic biomarkers is important for interpreting wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) data to estimate community-wide analgesic drugs consumption. The in-sewer stability of a suite of 19 analgesics and their metabolites was assessed using lab-scale sewer reactors. Target biomarkers were spiked into wastewater circulating in simulated gravity, rising main and control (no biofilm) sewer reactors. In-sewer transformation was observed over a hydraulic retention time of 12 h. All investigated biomarkers were stable under control reactor conditions. In gravity sewer conditions, diclofenac, desmetramadol, ibuprofen carboxylic acid, ketoprofen, lidocaine and tapentadol were highly stable (0-20% transformation in 12 h). Valdecoxib, parecoxib, etoricoxib, indomethacin, naltrexone, naloxone, piroxicam, ketoprofen, lidocaine, tapentadol, oxymorphone, hydrocodone, meperidine, hydromorphone were considered as moderately stable biomarkers (20-50% transformation in 12 h). Celecoxib and sulindac were considered unstable biomarkers (>50% transformation in 12 h). Ketoprofen, lidocaine, tapentadol, meperidine, hydromorphone were transformed to 0-20% whereas diclofenac, desmetramadol, ibuprofen carboxylic acid, valdecoxib, parecoxib, etoricoxib, indomethacin, naltrexone, piroxicam were transformed up to 20-50% in 12 h in rising main reactor (RMR). These biomarkers were considered as highly stable and stable biomarkers in RMR, respectively. Sulindac, celecoxib, naloxone, oxymorphone and hydrocodone were transformed more than 50% in 12 h and considered as unstable biomarkers in RMR. This study provides the information for a better understanding of the in-sewer loss of the analgesics before using them in WBE biomarkers for estimating drug loads at the population level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fahad Ahmed
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, QLD 4102, Australia.
| | - Jiaying Li
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, QLD 4102, Australia; Advanced Water Management Centre (AWMC), The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Jake W O'Brien
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Benjamin J Tscharke
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Saer Samanipour
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, QLD 4102, Australia; Van't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Phong K Thai
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Zhiguo Yuan
- Advanced Water Management Centre (AWMC), The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Jochen F Mueller
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, QLD 4102, Australia
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Erickson TB, Endo N, Duvallet C, Ghaeli N, Hess K, Alm EJ, Matus M, Chai PR. "Waste Not, Want Not" - Leveraging Sewer Systems and Wastewater-Based Epidemiology for Drug Use Trends and Pharmaceutical Monitoring. J Med Toxicol 2021; 17:397-410. [PMID: 34402038 PMCID: PMC8366482 DOI: 10.1007/s13181-021-00853-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Revised: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
During the current global COVID-19 pandemic and opioid epidemic, wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has emerged as a powerful tool for monitoring public health trends by analysis of biomarkers including drugs, chemicals, and pathogens. Wastewater surveillance downstream at wastewater treatment plants provides large-scale population and regional-scale aggregation while upstream surveillance monitors locations at the neighborhood level with more precise geographic analysis. WBE can provide insights into dynamic drug consumption trends as well as environmental and toxicological contaminants. Applications of WBE include monitoring policy changes with cannabinoid legalization, tracking emerging illicit drugs, and early warning systems for potent fentanyl analogues along with the resurging wave of stimulants (e.g., methamphetamine, cocaine). Beyond drug consumption, WBE can also be used to monitor pharmaceuticals and their metabolites, including antidepressants and antipsychotics. In this manuscript, we describe the basic tenets and techniques of WBE, review its current application among drugs of abuse, and propose methods to scale and develop both monitoring and early warning systems with respect to measurement of illicit drugs and pharmaceuticals. We propose new frontiers in toxicological research with wastewater surveillance including assessment of medication assisted treatment of opioid use disorder (e.g., buprenorphine, methadone) in the context of other social burdens like COVID-19 disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy B Erickson
- Department of Emergency Medicine / Division of Toxicology, Brigham & Women's Hospital / Harvard Medical School, 10 Vining St, Boston, MA, 02155, USA.
- Division of Medical Toxicology, Department of Emergency Medicine, Mass General Brigham, Boston, USA.
- Harvard Humanitarian Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | | | | | | | | | - Eric J Alm
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Center for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Antimicrobial Resistance Interdisciplinary Research Group, Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, Singapore, Singapore
- Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE), Singapore, Singapore
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Peter R Chai
- Department of Emergency Medicine / Division of Toxicology, Brigham & Women's Hospital / Harvard Medical School, 10 Vining St, Boston, MA, 02155, USA
- Division of Medical Toxicology, Department of Emergency Medicine, Mass General Brigham, Boston, USA
- The Fenway Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- The Koch Institute for Integrated Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, USA
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50
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Yan J, Lin W, Gao Z, Ren Y. Use of selected NSAIDs in Guangzhou and other cities in the world as identified by wastewater analysis. CHEMOSPHERE 2021; 279:130529. [PMID: 33878693 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2021] [Revised: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The mass load of pharmaceuticals in the municipal wastewater based on wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is a good indication of population consumption in the catchment. After successful application of illicit drugs' estimation, this method holds the potential to measure the geographical and temporal consumption of prescription medicines. In this study, we investigated the occurrence of four non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), acetaminophen (ACM), diclofenac (DCF), ibuprofen (IBU) and naproxen (NPX), in two wastewater treatment plants in Guangzhou City, China and compared the spatial and temporal consumption variation of them. Over a period of 28 days' sampling, the detection frequency of ACM, DCF, IBU, and NPX in the influent of two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Guangzhou City were 91%, 66%, 100%, and 95%, and their concentrations were up to 128, 131, 372, and 324 ng/L, respectively. No significant inter-catchment difference was observed regarding the per capita mass load in the two WWTPs investigated. A literature review which covered 160 WWTPs in 18 countries was conducted to compare the population normalized mass load of four commonly used NSAIDs. ACM had the highest population normalized mass loads (29-17,430 mg/d/1000 inhabitants) and DCF had the lowest population normalized mass load (6.5-628 mg/d/1000 inhabitants) in the catchments located in 18 countries. The mass loads of selected NSAIDs in China were lower than those in European and North American. ACM and IBU consumptions were at least 2 times higher in winter than that in summer, in contrast, DCF and NPX consumptions had no significant seasonal variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingna Yan
- School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Higher Education Mega Center, Panyu District, Guangzhou, 510006, China; Guangdong Zhongzheng Environmental Science and Technology Service Co.,Ltd, 505, 5th Floor, Times-park Building, No.231 Gaotang Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, 510630, China.
| | - Wenting Lin
- School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Higher Education Mega Center, Panyu District, Guangzhou, 510006, China.
| | - Zhihan Gao
- School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Higher Education Mega Center, Panyu District, Guangzhou, 510006, China.
| | - Yuan Ren
- School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Higher Education Mega Center, Panyu District, Guangzhou, 510006, China; The Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Ecosystem Restoration in Industry Clusters, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, 510006, China; The Key Laboratory of Environmental Protection and Eco-Remediation of Guangdong Regular Higher Education Institutions, Guangzhou, 510006, China.
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