51
|
Greenwald HD, Kennedy LC, Hinkle A, Whitney ON, Fan VB, Crits-Christoph A, Harris-Lovett S, Flamholz AI, Al-Shayeb B, Liao LD, Beyers M, Brown D, Chakrabarti AR, Dow J, Frost D, Koekemoer M, Lynch C, Sarkar P, White E, Kantor R, Nelson KL. Tools for interpretation of wastewater SARS-CoV-2 temporal and spatial trends demonstrated with data collected in the San Francisco Bay Area. WATER RESEARCH X 2021; 12:100111. [PMID: 34373850 PMCID: PMC8325558 DOI: 10.1016/j.wroa.2021.100111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 07/25/2021] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater surveillance for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA can be integrated with COVID-19 case data to inform timely pandemic response. However, more research is needed to apply and develop systematic methods to interpret the true SARS-CoV-2 signal from noise introduced in wastewater samples (e.g., from sewer conditions, sampling and extraction methods, etc.). In this study, raw wastewater was collected weekly from five sewersheds and one residential facility. The concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater samples were compared to geocoded COVID-19 clinical testing data. SARS-CoV-2 was reliably detected (95% positivity) in frozen wastewater samples when reported daily new COVID-19 cases were 2.4 or more per 100,000 people. To adjust for variation in sample fecal content, four normalization biomarkers were evaluated: crAssphage, pepper mild mottle virus, Bacteroides ribosomal RNA (rRNA), and human 18S rRNA. Of these, crAssphage displayed the least spatial and temporal variability. Both unnormalized SARS-CoV-2 RNA signal and signal normalized to crAssphage had positive and significant correlation with clinical testing data (Kendall's Tau-b (τ)=0.43 and 0.38, respectively), but no normalization biomarker strengthened the correlation with clinical testing data. Locational dependencies and the date associated with testing data impacted the lead time of wastewater for clinical trends, and no lead time was observed when the sample collection date (versus the result date) was used for both wastewater and clinical testing data. This study supports that trends in wastewater surveillance data reflect trends in COVID-19 disease occurrence and presents tools that could be applied to make wastewater signal more interpretable and comparable across studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hannah D. Greenwald
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Berkeley Water Center, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Lauren C. Kennedy
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Berkeley Water Center, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Adrian Hinkle
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Berkeley Water Center, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Oscar N. Whitney
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Vinson B. Fan
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Alexander Crits-Christoph
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Innovative Genomics Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | | | - Avi I. Flamholz
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Basem Al-Shayeb
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Innovative Genomics Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Lauren D. Liao
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Matt Beyers
- Alameda County Public Health Department, San Leandro, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Jason Dow
- Central Marin Sanitation Agency, San Rafael, CA, USA
| | - Dan Frost
- Central Contra Costa Sanitary District, Martinez, CA, USA
| | | | - Chris Lynch
- Contra Costa Health Services, Martinez, CA, USA
| | - Payal Sarkar
- San José-Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility, San José, CA, USA
| | - Eileen White
- East Bay Municipal Utility District, Oakland, CA, USA
| | - Rose Kantor
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Berkeley Water Center, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Kara L. Nelson
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Berkeley Water Center, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Innovative Genomics Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
52
|
Hillary LS, Farkas K, Maher KH, Lucaci A, Thorpe J, Distaso MA, Gaze WH, Paterson S, Burke T, Connor TR, McDonald JE, Malham SK, Jones DL. Monitoring SARS-CoV-2 in municipal wastewater to evaluate the success of lockdown measures for controlling COVID-19 in the UK. WATER RESEARCH 2021; 200:117214. [PMID: 34058486 PMCID: PMC8105641 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Revised: 03/19/2021] [Accepted: 04/30/2021] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 and the resulting COVID-19 pandemic represents one of the greatest recent threats to human health, wellbeing and economic growth. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) of human viruses can be a useful tool for population-scale monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 prevalence and epidemiology to help prevent further spread of the disease, particularly within urban centres. Here, we present a longitudinal analysis (March-July 2020) of SARS-CoV-2 RNA prevalence in sewage across six major urban centres in the UK (total population equivalent 3 million) by q(RT-)PCR and viral genome sequencing. Our results demonstrate that levels of SARS-CoV-2 RNA generally correlated with the abundance of clinical cases recorded within the community in large urban centres, with a marked decline in SARS-CoV-2 RNA abundance following the implementation of lockdown measures. The strength of this association was weaker in areas with lower confirmed COVID-19 case numbers. Further, sequence analysis of SARS-CoV-2 from wastewater suggested that multiple genetically distinct clusters were co-circulating in the local populations covered by our sample sites, and that the genetic variants observed in wastewater reflected similar SNPs observed in contemporaneous samples from cases tested in clinical diagnostic laboratories. We demonstrate how WBE can be used for both community-level detection and tracking of SARS-CoV-2 and other virus' prevalence, and can inform public health policy decisions. Although, greater understanding of the factors that affect SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentration in wastewater are needed for the full integration of WBE data into outbreak surveillance. In conclusion, our results lend support to the use of routine WBE for monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 and other human pathogenic viruses circulating in the population and assessment of the effectiveness of disease control measures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luke S Hillary
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2UW, United Kingdom.
| | - Kata Farkas
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2UW, United Kingdom; School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Menai Bridge, Anglesey, LL59 5AB, United Kingdom
| | - Kathryn H Maher
- NERC Environmental Omics Facility, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, United Kingdom
| | - Anita Lucaci
- NERC Environmental Omics Facility, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7ZB, United Kingdom
| | - Jamie Thorpe
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2UW, United Kingdom; School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Menai Bridge, Anglesey, LL59 5AB, United Kingdom
| | - Marco A Distaso
- Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2UW, United Kingdom
| | - William H Gaze
- European Centre for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter Medical School, ESI, Penryn Campus, TR10 9FE United Kingdom
| | - Steve Paterson
- NERC Environmental Omics Facility, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7ZB, United Kingdom
| | - Terry Burke
- NERC Environmental Omics Facility, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas R Connor
- Organisms and Environment Division, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF10 3AX, United Kingdom; Public Health Wales, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, CF14 4XW, United Kingdom
| | - James E McDonald
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2UW, United Kingdom
| | - Shelagh K Malham
- School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Menai Bridge, Anglesey, LL59 5AB, United Kingdom
| | - David L Jones
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2UW, United Kingdom; UWA School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
53
|
Harris-Lovett S, Nelson KL, Beamer P, Bischel HN, Bivins A, Bruder A, Butler C, Camenisch TD, De Long SK, Karthikeyan S, Larsen DA, Meierdiercks K, Mouser PJ, Pagsuyoin S, Prasek SM, Radniecki TS, Ram JL, Roper DK, Safford H, Sherchan SP, Shuster W, Stalder T, Wheeler RT, Korfmacher KS. Wastewater Surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 on College Campuses: Initial Efforts, Lessons Learned, and Research Needs. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:4455. [PMID: 33922263 PMCID: PMC8122720 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18094455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Revised: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 04/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater surveillance for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an emerging approach to help identify the risk of a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. This tool can contribute to public health surveillance at both community (wastewater treatment system) and institutional (e.g., colleges, prisons, and nursing homes) scales. This paper explores the successes, challenges, and lessons learned from initial wastewater surveillance efforts at colleges and university systems to inform future research, development and implementation. We present the experiences of 25 college and university systems in the United States that monitored campus wastewater for SARS-CoV-2 during the fall 2020 academic period. We describe the broad range of approaches, findings, resources, and impacts from these initial efforts. These institutions range in size, social and political geographies, and include both public and private institutions. Our analysis suggests that wastewater monitoring at colleges requires consideration of local information needs, sewage infrastructure, resources for sampling and analysis, college and community dynamics, approaches to interpretation and communication of results, and follow-up actions. Most colleges reported that a learning process of experimentation, evaluation, and adaptation was key to progress. This process requires ongoing collaboration among diverse stakeholders including decision-makers, researchers, faculty, facilities staff, students, and community members.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sasha Harris-Lovett
- Berkeley Water Center, University of California Berkeley, 410 O’Brien Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Kara L. Nelson
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California Berkeley, MS 1710, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA;
| | - Paloma Beamer
- Department of Community, Environment & Policy, Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, 1295 N Martin Ave., Tucson, AZ 85724, USA;
| | - Heather N. Bischel
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California Davis, 3109 Ghausi Hall, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616, USA;
| | - Aaron Bivins
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, University of Notre Dame, 156 Fitzpatrick Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA;
| | - Andrea Bruder
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Colorado College, 14 E Cache la Poudre St., Colorado Springs, CO 80903, USA;
| | - Caitlyn Butler
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 130 Natural Resources Rd., Amherst, MA 01003, USA;
| | - Todd D. Camenisch
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, St. John Fisher College, 3690 East Ave., Rochester, NY 14618, USA;
| | - Susan K. De Long
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 1301 Campus Delivery, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USA;
| | - Smruthi Karthikeyan
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, Biomedical Res. Facility 2, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA;
| | - David A. Larsen
- Department of Public Health, Syracuse University, 430C Barclay, Syracuse, New York, NY 13244, USA;
| | - Katherine Meierdiercks
- Department of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Siena College, 515 Loudon Rd., Loudonville, NY 12211, USA;
| | - Paula J. Mouser
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of New Hampshire Durham, 35 Colovos Rd., 236 Gregg Hall, Durham, NH 03824, USA;
| | - Sheree Pagsuyoin
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Massachusetts Lowell, 1 University Avenue, Lowell, MA 01854, USA;
| | - Sarah M. Prasek
- Water and Energy Sustainable Technology Center, University of Arizona, 2959 W Calle Agua Nueva, Tucson, AZ 85745, USA;
| | - Tyler S. Radniecki
- School of Chemical, Biological, and Environmental Engineering, Oregon State University, 116 Johnson Hall, 105 SW 26th St., Corvallis, OR 97331, USA;
| | - Jeffrey L. Ram
- Department of Physiology, Wayne State University, 540 E. Canfield St., Detroit, MI 48201, USA;
| | - D. Keith Roper
- Department of Biological Engineering, Utah State University, 4105 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA;
| | - Hannah Safford
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California Davis, 2001 Ghausi Hall, 480 Bainer Hall Drive, Davis, CA 95616, USA;
| | - Samendra P. Sherchan
- Department of Environmental Health Science, Tulane University, 1440 Canal St., New Orleans, LA 70112, USA;
| | - William Shuster
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Wayne State University, 5050 Anthony Wayne Drive, Detroit, MI 48202, USA;
| | - Thibault Stalder
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, 875 Perimeter Dr. MS3051, Moscow, ID 83844, USA;
| | - Robert T. Wheeler
- Department of Molecular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Maine, 5735 Hitchner Hall, Orono, ME 04473, USA;
| | - Katrina Smith Korfmacher
- Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester, 601 Elmwood Ave., Box EHSC, Rochester, NY 14642, USA;
| |
Collapse
|
54
|
Hong PY, Rachmadi AT, Mantilla-Calderon D, Alkahtani M, Bashawri YM, Al Qarni H, O'Reilly KM, Zhou J. Estimating the minimum number of SARS-CoV-2 infected cases needed to detect viral RNA in wastewater: To what extent of the outbreak can surveillance of wastewater tell us? ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2021; 195:110748. [PMID: 33465345 DOI: 10.1101/2020.08.19.20177667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Revised: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
There is increasing interest in wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) of SARS-CoV-2 RNA to serve as an early warning system for a community. Despite successful detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewaters sampled from multiple locations, there is still no clear idea on the minimal number of cases in a community that are associated with a positive detection of the virus in wastewater. To address this knowledge gap, we sampled wastewaters from a septic tank (n = 57) and biological activated sludge tank (n = 52) located on-site of a hospital. The hospital is providing treatment for SARS-CoV-2 infected patients, with the number of hospitalized patients per day known. It was observed that depending on which nucleocapsid gene is targeted by means of RT-qPCR, a range of 253-409 positive cases out of 10,000 persons are required prior to detecting RNA SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater. There was a weak correlation between N1 and N2 gene abundances in wastewater with the number of hospitalized cases. This correlation was however not observed for N3 gene. The frequency of detecting N1 and N2 gene in wastewater was also higher than that for N3 gene. Furthermore, nucleocapsid genes of SARS-CoV-2 were detected at lower frequency in the partially treated wastewater than in the septic tank. In particular, N1 gene abundance was associated with water quality parameters such as total organic carbon and pH. In instances of positive detection, the average abundance of N1 and N3 genes in the activated sludge tank were reduced by 50 and 70% of the levels detected in septic tank, suggesting degradation of the SARS-CoV-2 gene fragments already occurring in the early stages of the wastewater treatment process.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pei-Ying Hong
- Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering, Water Desalination and Reuse Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Andri Taruna Rachmadi
- Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering, Water Desalination and Reuse Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - David Mantilla-Calderon
- Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering, Water Desalination and Reuse Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohsen Alkahtani
- Environmental Health Laboratory, Jeddah, Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia
| | - Yasir M Bashawri
- General Directorate of Environment Health, Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hamed Al Qarni
- General Directorate of Environment Health, Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia
| | - Kathleen M O'Reilly
- Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health and Centre for Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Disease, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Jianqiang Zhou
- Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering, Water Desalination and Reuse Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| |
Collapse
|
55
|
Hong PY, Rachmadi AT, Mantilla-Calderon D, Alkahtani M, Bashawri YM, Al Qarni H, O'Reilly KM, Zhou J. Estimating the minimum number of SARS-CoV-2 infected cases needed to detect viral RNA in wastewater: To what extent of the outbreak can surveillance of wastewater tell us? ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2021; 195:110748. [PMID: 33465345 PMCID: PMC7831732 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.110748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Revised: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
There is increasing interest in wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) of SARS-CoV-2 RNA to serve as an early warning system for a community. Despite successful detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewaters sampled from multiple locations, there is still no clear idea on the minimal number of cases in a community that are associated with a positive detection of the virus in wastewater. To address this knowledge gap, we sampled wastewaters from a septic tank (n = 57) and biological activated sludge tank (n = 52) located on-site of a hospital. The hospital is providing treatment for SARS-CoV-2 infected patients, with the number of hospitalized patients per day known. It was observed that depending on which nucleocapsid gene is targeted by means of RT-qPCR, a range of 253-409 positive cases out of 10,000 persons are required prior to detecting RNA SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater. There was a weak correlation between N1 and N2 gene abundances in wastewater with the number of hospitalized cases. This correlation was however not observed for N3 gene. The frequency of detecting N1 and N2 gene in wastewater was also higher than that for N3 gene. Furthermore, nucleocapsid genes of SARS-CoV-2 were detected at lower frequency in the partially treated wastewater than in the septic tank. In particular, N1 gene abundance was associated with water quality parameters such as total organic carbon and pH. In instances of positive detection, the average abundance of N1 and N3 genes in the activated sludge tank were reduced by 50 and 70% of the levels detected in septic tank, suggesting degradation of the SARS-CoV-2 gene fragments already occurring in the early stages of the wastewater treatment process.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pei-Ying Hong
- Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering, Water Desalination and Reuse Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Andri Taruna Rachmadi
- Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering, Water Desalination and Reuse Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - David Mantilla-Calderon
- Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering, Water Desalination and Reuse Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohsen Alkahtani
- Environmental Health Laboratory, Jeddah, Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia
| | - Yasir M Bashawri
- General Directorate of Environment Health, Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hamed Al Qarni
- General Directorate of Environment Health, Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia
| | - Kathleen M O'Reilly
- Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health and Centre for Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Disease, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Jianqiang Zhou
- Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering, Water Desalination and Reuse Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| |
Collapse
|
56
|
Kantor RS, Nelson KL, Greenwald HD, Kennedy LC. Challenges in Measuring the Recovery of SARS-CoV-2 from Wastewater. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2021; 55:3514-3519. [PMID: 33656856 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c08210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology is an emerging tool for tracking the spread of SARS-CoV-2 through populations. However, many factors influence recovery and quantification of SARS-CoV-2 from wastewater, complicating data interpretation. Specifically, these factors may differentially affect the measured virus concentration, depending on the laboratory methods used to perform the test. Many laboratories add a proxy virus to wastewater samples to determine losses associated with concentration and extraction of viral RNA. While measuring recovery of a proxy virus is an important process control, in this piece, we describe the caveats and limitations to the interpretation of this control, including that it typically does not account for losses during RNA extraction. We recommend reporting the directly measured concentration data alongside the measured recovery efficiency, rather than attempting to correct the concentration for recovery efficiency. Even though the ability to directly compare SARS-CoV-2 concentrations from different sampling locations determined using different methods is limited, concentration data (uncorrected for recovery) can be useful for public health response.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rose S Kantor
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, 663 Davis Hall, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Kara L Nelson
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, 663 Davis Hall, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Hannah D Greenwald
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, 663 Davis Hall, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Lauren C Kennedy
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, 663 Davis Hall, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| |
Collapse
|
57
|
Harris-Lovett S, Nelson K, Beamer P, Bischel HN, Bivins A, Bruder A, Butler C, Camenisch TD, De Long SK, Karthikeyan S, Larsen DA, Meierdiercks K, Mouser P, Pagsuyoin S, Prasek S, Radniecki TS, Ram JL, Roper DK, Safford H, Sherchan SP, Shuster W, Stalder T, Wheeler RT, Korfmacher KS. Wastewater surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 on college campuses: Initial efforts, lessons learned and research needs. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2021:2021.02.01.21250952. [PMID: 33564791 PMCID: PMC7872386 DOI: 10.1101/2021.02.01.21250952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Background Wastewater surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 is an emerging approach to help identify the risk of a COVID-19 outbreak. This tool can contribute to public health surveillance at both community (wastewater treatment system) and institutional (e.g., colleges, prisons, nursing homes) scales. Objectives This research aims to understand the successes, challenges, and lessons learned from initial wastewater surveillance efforts at colleges and university systems to inform future research, development and implementation. Methods This paper presents the experiences of 25 college and university systems in the United States that monitored campus wastewater for SARS-CoV-2 during the fall 2020 academic period. We describe the broad range of approaches, findings, resource needs, and lessons learned from these initial efforts. These institutions range in size, social and political geographies, and include both public and private institutions. Discussion Our analysis suggests that wastewater monitoring at colleges requires consideration of information needs, local sewage infrastructure, resources for sampling and analysis, college and community dynamics, approaches to interpretation and communication of results, and follow-up actions. Most colleges reported that a learning process of experimentation, evaluation, and adaptation was key to progress. This process requires ongoing collaboration among diverse stakeholders including decision-makers, researchers, faculty, facilities staff, students, and community members.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sasha Harris-Lovett
- Berkeley Water Center, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Kara Nelson
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Paloma Beamer
- Department of Community, Environment & Policy, Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Heather N Bischel
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Aaron Bivins
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
| | - Andrea Bruder
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
| | - Caitlyn Butler
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Todd D Camenisch
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, St. John Fisher College, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Susan K De Long
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Smruthi Karthikeyan
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, USA
| | - David A Larsen
- Department of Public Health, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA
| | - Katherine Meierdiercks
- Department of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Siena College, Loudonville, New York, USA
| | - Paula Mouser
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of New Hampshire Durham, Durham, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Sheree Pagsuyoin
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Sarah Prasek
- Water and Energy Sustainable Technology Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Tyler S Radniecki
- School of Chemical, Biological, and Environmental Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
| | - Jeffrey L Ram
- Department of Physiology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA
| | - D Keith Roper
- Department of Biological Engineering, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA
| | - Hannah Safford
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Samendra P Sherchan
- Department of Environmental Health Science, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - William Shuster
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA
| | - Thibault Stalder
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
| | - Robert T Wheeler
- Department of Molecular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Maine, Orono, Maine, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|