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Feng S, Owens SM, Shrestha A, Poretsky R, Hartmann EM, Wells G. Intensity of sample processing methods impacts wastewater SARS-CoV-2 whole genome amplicon sequencing outcomes. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 876:162572. [PMID: 36871720 PMCID: PMC9984232 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2022] [Revised: 02/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater SARS-CoV-2 surveillance has been deployed since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic to monitor the dynamics in virus burden in local communities. Genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater, particularly efforts aimed at whole genome sequencing for variant tracking and identification, are still challenging due to low target concentration, complex microbial and chemical background, and lack of robust nucleic acid recovery experimental procedures. The intrinsic sample limitations are inherent to wastewater and are thus unavoidable. Here, we use a statistical approach that couples correlation analyses to a random forest-based machine learning algorithm to evaluate potentially important factors associated with wastewater SARS-CoV-2 whole genome amplicon sequencing outcomes, with a specific focus on the breadth of genome coverage. We collected 182 composite and grab wastewater samples from the Chicago area between November 2020 to October 2021. Samples were processed using a mixture of processing methods reflecting different homogenization intensities (HA + Zymo beads, HA + glass beads, and Nanotrap), and were sequenced using one of the two library preparation kits (the Illumina COVIDseq kit and the QIAseq DIRECT kit). Technical factors evaluated using statistical and machine learning approaches include sample types, certain sample intrinsic features, and processing and sequencing methods. The results suggested that sample processing methods could be a predominant factor affecting sequencing outcomes, and library preparation kits was considered a minor factor. A synthetic SARS-CoV-2 RNA spike-in experiment was performed to validate the impact from processing methods and suggested that the intensity of the processing methods could lead to different RNA fragmentation patterns, which could also explain the observed inconsistency between qPCR quantification and sequencing outcomes. Overall, extra attention should be paid to wastewater sample processing (i.e., concentration and homogenization) for sufficient and good quality SARS-CoV-2 RNA for downstream sequencing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuchen Feng
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Sarah M Owens
- Biosciences Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, USA
| | - Abhilasha Shrestha
- Department of Environmental and Occupation Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Rachel Poretsky
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Erica M Hartmann
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - George Wells
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
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Whitmore L, McCauley M, Farrell JA, Stammnitz MR, Koda SA, Mashkour N, Summers V, Osborne T, Whilde J, Duffy DJ. Inadvertent human genomic bycatch and intentional capture raise beneficial applications and ethical concerns with environmental DNA. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:873-888. [PMID: 37188965 PMCID: PMC10250199 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02056-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
The field of environmental DNA (eDNA) is advancing rapidly, yet human eDNA applications remain underutilized and underconsidered. Broader adoption of eDNA analysis will produce many well-recognized benefits for pathogen surveillance, biodiversity monitoring, endangered and invasive species detection, and population genetics. Here we show that deep-sequencing-based eDNA approaches capture genomic information from humans (Homo sapiens) just as readily as that from the intended target species. We term this phenomenon human genetic bycatch (HGB). Additionally, high-quality human eDNA could be intentionally recovered from environmental substrates (water, sand and air), holding promise for beneficial medical, forensic and environmental applications. However, this also raises ethical dilemmas, from consent, privacy and surveillance to data ownership, requiring further consideration and potentially novel regulation. We present evidence that human eDNA is readily detectable from 'wildlife' environmental samples as human genetic bycatch, demonstrate that identifiable human DNA can be intentionally recovered from human-focused environmental sampling and discuss the translational and ethical implications of such findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liam Whitmore
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and Sea Turtle Hospital, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
| | - Mark McCauley
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and Sea Turtle Hospital, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL, USA
- Department of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Jessica A Farrell
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and Sea Turtle Hospital, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL, USA
- Department of Biology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Maximilian R Stammnitz
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Samantha A Koda
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and Sea Turtle Hospital, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL, USA
| | - Narges Mashkour
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and Sea Turtle Hospital, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL, USA
| | - Victoria Summers
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and Sea Turtle Hospital, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL, USA
| | - Todd Osborne
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and Sea Turtle Hospital, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL, USA
| | - Jenny Whilde
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and Sea Turtle Hospital, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL, USA
| | - David J Duffy
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and Sea Turtle Hospital, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL, USA.
- Department of Biology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
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Cheng L, Lan L, Ramalingam M, He J, Yang Y, Gao M, Shi Z. A review of current effective COVID-19 testing methods and quality control. Arch Microbiol 2023; 205:239. [PMID: 37195393 DOI: 10.1007/s00203-023-03579-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
COVID-19 is a highly infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which primarily affects the respiratory system and can lead to severe illness. The virus is extremely contagious, early and accurate diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 is crucial to contain its spread, to provide prompt treatment, and to prevent complications. Currently, the reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is considered to be the gold standard for detecting COVID-19 in its early stages. In addition, loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LMAP), clustering rule interval short palindromic repeats (CRISPR), colloidal gold immunochromatographic assay (GICA), computed tomography (CT), and electrochemical sensors are also common tests. However, these different methods vary greatly in terms of their detection efficiency, specificity, accuracy, sensitivity, cost, and throughput. Besides, most of the current detection methods are conducted in central hospitals and laboratories, which is a great challenge for remote and underdeveloped areas. Therefore, it is essential to review the advantages and disadvantages of different COVID-19 detection methods, as well as the technology that can enhance detection efficiency and improve detection quality in greater details.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lijia Cheng
- Clinical Medical College & Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Chengdu University, Chengdu, 610106, China.
| | - Liang Lan
- Clinical Medical College & Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Chengdu University, Chengdu, 610106, China
| | - Murugan Ramalingam
- Clinical Medical College & Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Chengdu University, Chengdu, 610106, China
| | - Jianrong He
- Clinical Medical College & Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Chengdu University, Chengdu, 610106, China
| | - Yimin Yang
- Clinical Medical College & Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Chengdu University, Chengdu, 610106, China
| | - Min Gao
- Clinical Medical College & Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Chengdu University, Chengdu, 610106, China
| | - Zheng Shi
- Clinical Medical College & Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Chengdu University, Chengdu, 610106, China.
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54
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Anand U, Pal T, Zanoletti A, Sundaramurthy S, Varjani S, Rajapaksha AU, Barceló D, Bontempi E. The spread of the omicron variant: Identification of knowledge gaps, virus diffusion modelling, and future research needs. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 225:115612. [PMID: 36871942 PMCID: PMC9985523 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.115612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2022] [Revised: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The World Health Organization (WHO) recognised variant B.1.1.529 of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) as a variant of concern, termed "Omicron", on November 26, 2021. Its diffusion was attributed to its several mutations, which allow promoting its ability to diffuse worldwide and its capability in immune evasion. As a consequence, some additional serious threats to public health posed the risk to undermine the global efforts made in the last two years to control the pandemic. In the past, several works were devoted to discussing a possible contribution of air pollution to the SARS-CoV-2 spread. However, to the best of the authors' knowledge, there are still no works dealing with the Omicron variant diffusion mechanisms. This work represents a snapshot of what we know right now, in the frame of an analysis of the Omicron variant spread. The paper proposes the use of a single indicator, commercial trade data, to model the virus spread. It is proposed as a surrogate of the interactions occurring between humans (the virus transmission mechanism due to human-to-human contacts) and could be considered for other diseases. It allows also to explain the unexpected increase in infection cases in China, detected at beginning of 2023. The air quality data are also analyzed to evaluate for the first time the role of air particulate matter (PM) as a carrier of the Omicron variant diffusion. Due to emerging concerns associated with other viruses (such as smallpox-like virus diffusion in Europe and America), the proposed approach seems to be promising to model the virus spreading.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uttpal Anand
- Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, 8499000, Israel
| | - Tarun Pal
- Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, 8499000, Israel
| | - Alessandra Zanoletti
- INSTM and Chemistry for Technologies Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Brescia, Via Branze, 38, 25123, Brescia, Italy
| | - Suresh Sundaramurthy
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal, 462003, Madhya Pradesh, India
| | - Sunita Varjani
- School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong; Sustainability Cluster, School of Engineering, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun, 248007, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Anushka Upamali Rajapaksha
- Ecosphere Resilience Research Center, Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda, CO, 10250, Sri Lanka; Instrument Center, Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda, 10250, Sri Lanka
| | - Damià Barceló
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA-CERCA), H2O Building, Scientific and Technological Park of the University of Girona, Emili Grahit 101, Girona, 17003, Spain; Water and Soil Quality Research Group, Department of Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC), JordiGirona, 1826, Barcelona, 08034, Spain
| | - Elza Bontempi
- INSTM and Chemistry for Technologies Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Brescia, Via Branze, 38, 25123, Brescia, Italy.
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Carneiro J, Pascoal F, Semedo M, Pratas D, Tomasino MP, Rego A, Carvalho MDF, Mucha AP, Magalhães C. Mapping human pathogens in wastewater using a metatranscriptomic approach. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 231:116040. [PMID: 37150387 PMCID: PMC10172761 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Revised: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
The monitoring of cities' wastewaters for the detection of potentially pathogenic viruses and bacteria has been considered a priority during the COVID-19 pandemic to monitor public health in urban environments. The methodological approaches frequently used for this purpose include deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)/Ribonucleic acid (RNA) isolation followed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and reverse transcription (RT)‒qPCR targeting pathogenic genes. More recently, the application of metatranscriptomic has opened opportunities to develop broad pathogenic monitoring workflows covering the entire pathogenic community within the sample. Nevertheless, the high amount of data generated in the process requires an appropriate analysis to detect the pathogenic community from the entire dataset. Here, an implementation of a bioinformatic workflow was developed to produce a map of the detected pathogenic bacteria and viruses in wastewater samples by analysing metatranscriptomic data. The main objectives of this work was the development of a computational methodology that can accurately detect both human pathogenic virus and bacteria in wastewater samples. This workflow can be easily reproducible with open-source software and uses efficient computational resources. The results showed that the used algorithms can predict potential human pathogens presence in the tested samples and that active forms of both bacteria and virus can be identified. By comparing the computational method implemented in this study to other state-of-the-art workflows, the implementation analysis was faster, while providing higher accuracy and sensitivity. Considering these results, the processes and methods to monitor wastewater for potential human pathogens can become faster and more accurate. The proposed workflow is available at https://github.com/waterpt/watermonitor and can be implemented in currently wastewater monitoring programs to ascertain the presence of potential human pathogenic species.
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Affiliation(s)
- João Carneiro
- CIIMAR, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Terminal de Cruzeiros Do Porto de Leixões, Av. General Norton de Matos, S/n, 4450-208, Matosinhos, Portugal.
| | - Francisco Pascoal
- CIIMAR, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Terminal de Cruzeiros Do Porto de Leixões, Av. General Norton de Matos, S/n, 4450-208, Matosinhos, Portugal; Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Rua Do Campo Alegre S/n, 4169- 007, Porto, Portugal
| | - Miguel Semedo
- CIIMAR, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Terminal de Cruzeiros Do Porto de Leixões, Av. General Norton de Matos, S/n, 4450-208, Matosinhos, Portugal
| | - Diogo Pratas
- IEETA - Institute of Electronics and Informatics Engineering of Aveiro, University of Aveiro, Portugal; Department of Virology, University of Helsinki, Finland; Department of Electronics Telecommunications and Informatics, University of Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Maria Paola Tomasino
- CIIMAR, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Terminal de Cruzeiros Do Porto de Leixões, Av. General Norton de Matos, S/n, 4450-208, Matosinhos, Portugal
| | - Adriana Rego
- CIIMAR, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Terminal de Cruzeiros Do Porto de Leixões, Av. General Norton de Matos, S/n, 4450-208, Matosinhos, Portugal
| | - Maria de Fátima Carvalho
- CIIMAR, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Terminal de Cruzeiros Do Porto de Leixões, Av. General Norton de Matos, S/n, 4450-208, Matosinhos, Portugal; School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (ICBAS), University of Porto, Portugal
| | - Ana Paula Mucha
- CIIMAR, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Terminal de Cruzeiros Do Porto de Leixões, Av. General Norton de Matos, S/n, 4450-208, Matosinhos, Portugal; Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Rua Do Campo Alegre S/n, 4169- 007, Porto, Portugal
| | - Catarina Magalhães
- CIIMAR, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Terminal de Cruzeiros Do Porto de Leixões, Av. General Norton de Matos, S/n, 4450-208, Matosinhos, Portugal; Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Rua Do Campo Alegre S/n, 4169- 007, Porto, Portugal
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56
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Li J, Hosegood I, Powell D, Tscharke B, Lawler J, Thomas KV, Mueller JF. A global aircraft-based wastewater genomic surveillance network for early warning of future pandemics. Lancet Glob Health 2023; 11:e791-e795. [PMID: 37061316 PMCID: PMC10101754 DOI: 10.1016/s2214-109x(23)00129-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/17/2023]
Abstract
International airports can have a key role in screening, detecting, and mitigating cross-border transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and potentially other infectious diseases. With aircraft passengers representing a subpopulation of a country or region, aircraft-based wastewater surveillance can be a promising approach to effectively identifying emerging viruses, tracing their evolution, and mapping global spread with international flights. Therefore, we propose the development of a global aircraft-based wastewater genomic surveillance network, with the busiest international airports as central nodes and continuing air travel journeys as vectors. This surveillance programme requires routinely collecting aircraft wastewater samples for microbiological analysis and sequencing and linking the resulting data with associated international air traffic information. With the creation of a strong international alliance between the airline industry and health authorities, this surveillance network will potentially complement public health systems with a true early warning ability to inform decision making for new variants and future global health risks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaying Li
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
| | | | - David Powell
- International Air Transport Association, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Ben Tscharke
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Jenny Lawler
- Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Jochen F Mueller
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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57
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Peterson S, Daigle J, Dueck C, Nagasawa A, Mulvey M, Mangat CS. Real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction detection of SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant in Canadian wastewater. CANADA COMMUNICABLE DISEASE REPORT = RELEVE DES MALADIES TRANSMISSIBLES AU CANADA 2023; 49:213-220. [PMID: 38414535 PMCID: PMC10898651 DOI: 10.14745/ccdr.v49i05a07] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
Background Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants of concern are associated with increased infectivity, severity, and mortality of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and have been increasingly detected in clinical and wastewater surveillance in Canada and internationally. In this study, we present a real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) assay for detection of the N gene D377Y mutation associated with the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant in wastewater. Methods Wastewater samples (n=980) were collected from six cities and 17 rural communities across Canada from July to November 2021 and screened for the D377Y mutation. Results The Delta variant was detected in all major Canadian cities and northern remote regions, and half of the southern rural communities. The sensitivity and specificity of this assay were sufficient for detection and quantitation of the Delta variant in wastewater to aid in rapid population-level screening and surveillance. Conclusion This study demonstrates a novel cost-effective RT-qPCR assay for tracking the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant. This rapid assay can be easily integrated into current wastewater surveillance programs to aid in population-level variant tracking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shelley Peterson
- Wastewater Surveillance Unit, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, MB
| | - Jade Daigle
- Wastewater Surveillance Unit, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, MB
| | - Codey Dueck
- Wastewater Surveillance Unit, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, MB
| | - Audra Nagasawa
- Centre for Population Health Data, Statistics Canada, Ottawa, ON
| | - Michael Mulvey
- Wastewater Surveillance Unit, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, MB
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB
| | - Chand S Mangat
- Wastewater Surveillance Unit, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, MB
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58
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Cai X, Lan T, Ping P, Oliver B, Li J. Intra-Host Co-Existing Strains of SARS-CoV-2 Reference Genome Uncovered by Exhaustive Computational Search. Viruses 2023; 15:v15051065. [PMID: 37243151 DOI: 10.3390/v15051065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2023] [Revised: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has had a severe impact on people worldwide. The reference genome of the virus has been widely used as a template for designing mRNA vaccines to combat the disease. In this study, we present a computational method aimed at identifying co-existing intra-host strains of the virus from RNA-sequencing data of short reads that were used to assemble the original reference genome. Our method consisted of five key steps: extraction of relevant reads, error correction for the reads, identification of within-host diversity, phylogenetic study, and protein binding affinity analysis. Our study revealed that multiple strains of SARS-CoV-2 can coexist in both the viral sample used to produce the reference sequence and a wastewater sample from California. Additionally, our workflow demonstrated its capability to identify within-host diversity in foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV). Through our research, we were able to shed light on the binding affinity and phylogenetic relationships of these strains with the published SARS-CoV-2 reference genome, SARS-CoV, variants of concern (VOC) of SARS-CoV-2, and some closely related coronaviruses. These insights have important implications for future research efforts aimed at identifying within-host diversity, understanding the evolution and spread of these viruses, as well as the development of effective treatments and vaccines against them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinhui Cai
- Data Science Institute and School of Computer Science, Faculty of Engineering and IT, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Tian Lan
- Data Science Institute and School of Computer Science, Faculty of Engineering and IT, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Pengyao Ping
- Data Science Institute and School of Computer Science, Faculty of Engineering and IT, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Brian Oliver
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Jinyan Li
- Data Science Institute and School of Computer Science, Faculty of Engineering and IT, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia
- Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1068 Xueyuan Avenue, Shenzhen University Town, Shenzhen 518055, China
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59
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Iwamoto R, Yamaguchi K, Katayama K, Ando H, Setsukinai KI, Kobayashi H, Okabe S, Imoto S, Kitajima M. Identification of SARS-CoV-2 variants in wastewater using targeted amplicon sequencing during a low COVID-19 prevalence period in Japan. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 887:163706. [PMID: 37105480 PMCID: PMC10129341 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Revised: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology is expected to be able to identify SARS-CoV-2 variants at an early stage via next-generation sequencing. In the present study, we developed a highly sensitive amplicon sequencing method targeting the spike gene of SARS-CoV-2, which allows for sequencing viral genomes from wastewater containing a low amount of virus. Primers were designed to amplify a relatively long region (599 bp) around the receptor-binding domain in the SARS-CoV-2 spike gene, which could distinguish initial major variants of concern. To validate the methodology, we retrospectively analyzed wastewater samples collected from a septic tank installed in a COVID-19 quarantine facility between October and December 2020. The relative abundance of D614G mutant in SARS-CoV-2 genomes in the facility wastewater increased from 47.5 % to 83.1 % during the study period. The N501Y mutant, which is the characteristic mutation of the Alpha-like strain, was detected from wastewater collected on December 24, 2020, which agreed with the fact that a patient infected with the Alpha-like strain was quarantined in the facility on this date. We then analyzed archived municipal wastewater samples collected between November 2020 and January 2021 that contained low SARS-CoV-2 concentrations ranging from 0.23 to 0.43 copies/qPCR reaction (corresponding to 3.30 to 4.15 log10 copies/L). The targeted amplicon sequencing revealed that the Alpha-like variant with D614G and N501Y mutations was present in municipal wastewater collected on December 4, 2020 and later, suggesting that the variant had already spread in the community before its first clinical confirmation in Japan on December 25, 2020. These results demonstrate that targeted amplicon sequencing of wastewater samples is a powerful surveillance tool applicable to low COVID-19 prevalence periods and may contribute to the early detection of emerging variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryo Iwamoto
- Shionogi & Co., Ltd., 1-8, Doshomachi 3-Chome, Chuo-ku, Osaka 541-0045, Japan; AdvanSentinel Inc., 1-8, Doshomachi 3-Chome, Chuo-ku, Osaka 541-0045, Japan
| | - Kiyoshi Yamaguchi
- Division of Clinical Genome Research, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8639, Japan
| | - Kotoe Katayama
- Human Genome Center, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8639, Japan
| | - Hiroki Ando
- Division of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, North 13 West 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8628, Japan
| | - Ken-Ichi Setsukinai
- Shionogi & Co., Ltd., 1-8, Doshomachi 3-Chome, Chuo-ku, Osaka 541-0045, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Kobayashi
- Shionogi & Co., Ltd., 1-8, Doshomachi 3-Chome, Chuo-ku, Osaka 541-0045, Japan
| | - Satoshi Okabe
- Division of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, North 13 West 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8628, Japan
| | - Seiya Imoto
- Human Genome Center, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8639, Japan
| | - Masaaki Kitajima
- Division of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, North 13 West 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8628, Japan.
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60
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Tang G, Zhang Z, Tan W, Long F, Sun J, Li Y, Zou S, Yang Y, Cai K, Li S, Wang Z, Liu J, Mao G, Ma Y, Zhao GP, Tian ZG, Zhao W. RT-RPA-Cas12a-based assay facilitates the discrimination of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern. SENSORS AND ACTUATORS. B, CHEMICAL 2023; 381:133433. [PMID: 36743821 PMCID: PMC9884195 DOI: 10.1016/j.snb.2023.133433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Revised: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Timely and accurate detection of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) is urgently needed for pandemic surveillance and control. Great efforts have been made from a mass of scientists in increasing the detection sensitivity and operability, and reducing the turn-around time and cost. Here, we report a nucleic acid testing-based method aiming to detect and discriminate SARS-CoV-2 mutations by combining RT-RPA and CRISPR-Cas12a detecting assays (RRCd). With a detection limit of 10 copies RNA/reaction, RRCd was validated in 194 clinical samples, showing 89% positive predictive agreement and 100% negative predictive agreement, respectively. Critically, using specific crRNAs, representatives of single nucleotide polymorphisms and small deletions in SARS-CoV-2 VOCs including N501Y, T478K and ΔH69-V70 were discriminated by RRCd, demonstrating 100% specificity in clinical samples with C t < 33. The method completes within 65 min and could offer visible results without using any electrical devices, which probably facilitate point-of-care testing of SARS-CoV-2 variants and other epidemic viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guiyue Tang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Zilong Zhang
- Shanghai International Travel Healthcare Center, Shanghai Customs District P. R. China, Shanghai 200335, China
| | - Wei Tan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Fei Long
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Jingxian Sun
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Yingying Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Siwei Zou
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Yujiao Yang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Kezhu Cai
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
- School of Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Shenwei Li
- Shanghai International Travel Healthcare Center, Shanghai Customs District P. R. China, Shanghai 200335, China
| | - Zhiyi Wang
- Shanghai International Travel Healthcare Center, Shanghai Customs District P. R. China, Shanghai 200335, China
| | - Jiakun Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Guobing Mao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Yingxin Ma
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Guo-Ping Zhao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
- CAS Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
- Department of Microbiology and Microbial Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Zhen-Gan Tian
- Shanghai International Travel Healthcare Center, Shanghai Customs District P. R. China, Shanghai 200335, China
| | - Wei Zhao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
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Segelhurst E, Bard JE, Pillsbury AN, Alam MM, Lamb NA, Zhu C, Pohlman A, Boccolucci A, Emerson J, Marzullo BJ, Yergeau DA, Nowak NJ, Bradley IM, Surtees JA, Ye Y. Robust Performance of SARS-CoV-2 Whole-Genome Sequencing from Wastewater with a Nonselective Virus Concentration Method. ACS ES&T WATER 2023; 3:954-962. [PMID: 37406038 PMCID: PMC10005814 DOI: 10.1021/acsestwater.2c00456] [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: 09/15/2022] [Revised: 01/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023]
Abstract
The sequencing of human virus genomes from wastewater samples is an efficient method for tracking viral transmission and evolution at the community level. However, this requires the recovery of viral nucleic acids of high quality. We developed a reusable tangential-flow filtration system to concentrate and purify viruses from wastewater for genome sequencing. A pilot study was conducted with 94 wastewater samples from four local sewersheds, from which viral nucleic acids were extracted, and the whole genome of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was sequenced using the ARTIC V4.0 primers. Our method yielded a high probability (0.9) of recovering complete or near-complete SARS-CoV-2 genomes (>90% coverage at 10× depth) from wastewater when the COVID-19 incidence rate exceeded 33 cases per 100 000 people. The relative abundances of sequenced SARS-CoV-2 variants followed the trends observed from patient-derived samples. We also identified SARS-CoV-2 lineages in wastewater that were underrepresented or not present in the clinical whole-genome sequencing data. The developed tangential-flow filtration system can be easily adopted for the sequencing of other viruses in wastewater, particularly those at low concentrations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Segelhurst
- Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental
Engineering, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14260,
United States
| | - Jonathan E. Bard
- UB Genomics and Bioinformatics Core,
University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14203,
United States
- Department of Biochemistry, Jacobs School of Medicine
and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New
York 14203, United States
- Genetics, Genomics and Bioinformatics Graduate Program,
Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at
Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14203, United States
| | - Annemarie N. Pillsbury
- Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental
Engineering, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14260,
United States
| | - Md Mahbubul Alam
- Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental
Engineering, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14260,
United States
| | - Natalie A. Lamb
- UB Genomics and Bioinformatics Core,
University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14203,
United States
| | - Chonglin Zhu
- Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental
Engineering, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14260,
United States
| | - Alyssa Pohlman
- UB Genomics and Bioinformatics Core,
University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14203,
United States
| | - Amanda Boccolucci
- UB Genomics and Bioinformatics Core,
University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14203,
United States
| | - Jamaal Emerson
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Jacobs
School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at
Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14203, United States
| | - Brandon J. Marzullo
- UB Genomics and Bioinformatics Core,
University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14203,
United States
- Department of Biochemistry, Jacobs School of Medicine
and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New
York 14203, United States
| | - Donald A. Yergeau
- UB Genomics and Bioinformatics Core,
University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14203,
United States
| | - Norma J. Nowak
- UB Genomics and Bioinformatics Core,
University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14203,
United States
- Department of Biochemistry, Jacobs School of Medicine
and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New
York 14203, United States
| | - Ian M. Bradley
- Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental
Engineering, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14260,
United States
- Research and Education in Energy, Environmental and
Water (RENEW) Institute, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New
York 14260, United States
| | - Jennifer A. Surtees
- Department of Biochemistry, Jacobs School of Medicine
and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New
York 14203, United States
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Jacobs
School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at
Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14203, United States
- Genetics, Genomics and Bioinformatics Graduate Program,
Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at
Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14203, United States
| | - Yinyin Ye
- Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental
Engineering, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14260,
United States
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62
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Child HT, O’Neill PA, Moore K, Rowe W, Denise H, Bass D, Wade MJ, Loose M, Paterson S, van Aerle R, Jeffries AR. Optimised protocol for monitoring SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater using reverse complement PCR-based whole-genome sequencing. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0284211. [PMID: 37058515 PMCID: PMC10104291 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0284211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 04/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Monitoring the spread of viral pathogens in the population during epidemics is crucial for mounting an effective public health response. Understanding the viral lineages that constitute the infections in a population can uncover the origins and transmission patterns of outbreaks and detect the emergence of novel variants that may impact the course of an epidemic. Population-level surveillance of viruses through genomic sequencing of wastewater captures unbiased lineage data, including cryptic asymptomatic and undiagnosed infections, and has been shown to detect infection outbreaks and novel variant emergence before detection in clinical samples. Here, we present an optimised protocol for quantification and sequencing of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in influent wastewater, used for high-throughput genomic surveillance in England during the COVID-19 pandemic. This protocol utilises reverse compliment PCR for library preparation, enabling tiled amplification across the whole viral genome and sequencing adapter addition in a single step to enhance efficiency. Sequencing of synthetic SARS-CoV-2 RNA provided evidence validating the efficacy of this protocol, while data from high-throughput sequencing of wastewater samples demonstrated the sensitivity of this method. We also provided guidance on the quality control steps required during library preparation and data analysis. Overall, this represents an effective method for high-throughput sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater which can be applied to other viruses and pathogens of humans and animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harry T. Child
- Biosciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Paul A. O’Neill
- Biosciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Karen Moore
- Biosciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - William Rowe
- Analytics & Data Science Directorate, UK Health Security Agency, London, United Kingdom
| | - Hubert Denise
- Analytics & Data Science Directorate, UK Health Security Agency, London, United Kingdom
| | - David Bass
- International Centre of Excellence for Aquatic Animal Health, Weymouth, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew J. Wade
- Analytics & Data Science Directorate, UK Health Security Agency, London, United Kingdom
| | - Matt Loose
- Deep Seq, Centre for Genetics and Genomics, Queen’s Medical Centre, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Steve Paterson
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Ronny van Aerle
- International Centre of Excellence for Aquatic Animal Health, Weymouth, United Kingdom
| | - Aaron R. Jeffries
- Biosciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
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63
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Barnes K, Levy J, Andersen K, Gauld J, Rigby J, Kanjerwa O, Uzzell C, Chilupsya C, Anscombe C, Tomkins-Tinch C, Mbeti O, Cairns E, Thole H, McSweeney S, Chibwana M, Ashton P, Jere K, Meschke J, Diggle P, Cornick J, Jambo K, Kawalazira G, Paterson S, Nyirenda T, Feasey N, Chilima B. Utilizing river and wastewater as a SARS-CoV-2 surveillance tool to predict trends and identify variants of concern in settings with limited formal sewage systems. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-2801767. [PMID: 37090541 PMCID: PMC10120776 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2801767/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/25/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact health systems globally and robust surveillance is critical for pandemic control, however not all countries can sustain community surveillance programs. Wastewater surveillance has proven valuable in high-income settings, but little is known about how river and informal sewage in low-income countries can be used for environmental surveillance of SARS-CoV-2. In Malawi, a country with limited community-based COVID-19 testing capacity, we explored the utility of rivers and wastewater for SARS-CoV-2 surveillance. From May 2020 - January 2022, we collected water from up to 112 river or informal sewage sites/month, detecting SARS-CoV-2 in 8.3% of samples. Peak SARS-CoV-2 detection in water samples predated peaks in clinical cases. Sequencing of water samples identified the Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants, with Delta and Omicron detected well in advance of detection in patients. Our work highlights wastewater can be used for detecting emerging waves, identifying variants of concern and function as an early warning system in settings with no formal sewage systems.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Kristian Andersen
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology The Scripps Research Institute La Jolla CA USA
| | - Jillian Gauld
- Institute for Disease Modeling, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
| | - Jonathan Rigby
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
| | - Oscar Kanjerwa
- Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Clinical Research Programme, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi
| | | | - Chisomo Chilupsya
- Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Clinical Research Programme, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi
| | | | | | | | - Edward Cairns
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool
| | - Herbert Thole
- Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Clinical Research Programme, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences
| | - Shannon McSweeney
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
| | - Marah Chibwana
- Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Clinical Research Programme, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences
| | | | | | | | | | - Jennifer Cornick
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool
| | | | | | | | - Tonney Nyirenda
- Department of Pathology, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences
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64
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Lamba S, Ganesan S, Daroch N, Paul K, Joshi SG, Sreenivas D, Nataraj A, Srikantaiah V, Mishra R, Ramakrishnan U, Ishtiaq F. SARS-CoV-2 infection dynamics and genomic surveillance to detect variants in wastewater - a longitudinal study in Bengaluru, India. THE LANCET REGIONAL HEALTH. SOUTHEAST ASIA 2023; 11:100151. [PMID: 36688230 PMCID: PMC9847225 DOI: 10.1016/j.lansea.2023.100151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2022] [Revised: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Background Environmental surveillance (ES) of a pathogen is crucial for understanding the community load of disease. As an early warning system, ES for SARS-CoV-2 has complemented routine diagnostic surveillance by capturing near real-time virus circulation at a population level. Methods In this longitudinal study conducted between January 2022 and June 2022 in 28 sewershed sites in Bengaluru city (∼11 million inhabitants), we quantified weekly SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations to track infection dynamics and provide evidence of change in the relative abundance of emerging variants. Findings We describe an early warning system using the exponentially weighted moving average control chart and demonstrate how SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations in wastewater correlated with clinically diagnosed new COVID-19 cases, with the trends appearing 8-14 days earlier in wastewater than in clinical data. This was further corroborated by showing that the estimated number of infections is strongly correlated with SARS-CoV-2 RNA copies detected in the wastewater. Using a deconvolution matrix, we detected emerging variants of concern up to two months earlier in wastewater samples. In addition, we found a huge diversity in variants detected in wastewater compared to clinical samples. The findings from this study have been discussed regularly with local authorities to inform policy-making decisions. Interpretation Our study highlights that quantifying viral titre, correlating it with a known number of cases in the area, and combined with genomic surveillance helps in tracking variants of concern (VOC) over time and space, enabling timely and making informed policy decisions. Funding This work has been supported by funding from the Rockefeller Foundation grant to National Centre for Biological Sciences, TIFR) and the Indian Council of Medical Research grant to (FI) Tata Institute for Genetics and Society and Tata Trusts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanjay Lamba
- Tata Institute for Genetics and Society, GKVK Post, Bellary Road, Bengaluru, 560065, India
| | - Sutharsan Ganesan
- Tata Institute for Genetics and Society, GKVK Post, Bellary Road, Bengaluru, 560065, India
| | - Namrta Daroch
- Tata Institute for Genetics and Society, GKVK Post, Bellary Road, Bengaluru, 560065, India
| | - Kiran Paul
- Tata Institute for Genetics and Society, GKVK Post, Bellary Road, Bengaluru, 560065, India
| | - Soumya Gopal Joshi
- Tata Institute for Genetics and Society, GKVK Post, Bellary Road, Bengaluru, 560065, India
| | - Darshan Sreenivas
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, TIFR, Bellary Road, Bengaluru, 560065, India
| | - Annamalai Nataraj
- Tata Institute for Genetics and Society, GKVK Post, Bellary Road, Bengaluru, 560065, India
| | | | - Rakesh Mishra
- Tata Institute for Genetics and Society, GKVK Post, Bellary Road, Bengaluru, 560065, India
| | - Uma Ramakrishnan
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, TIFR, Bellary Road, Bengaluru, 560065, India
| | - Farah Ishtiaq
- Tata Institute for Genetics and Society, GKVK Post, Bellary Road, Bengaluru, 560065, India,Corresponding author. Tata Institute for Genetics and Society, GKVK Post, Bellary Road, Bengaluru, 560065, India
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65
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Kim BK, Choi WS, Jeong JH, Oh S, Park JH, Yun YS, Min SC, Kang DH, Kim EG, Ryu H, Kim HK, Baek YH, Choi YK, Song MS. A Rapid Method for Generating Infectious SARS-CoV-2 and Variants Using Mutagenesis and Circular Polymerase Extension Cloning. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0338522. [PMID: 36877070 PMCID: PMC10100849 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03385-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2022] [Accepted: 02/12/2023] [Indexed: 03/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The appearance of SARS-CoV-2 variants in late 2020 raised alarming global public health concerns. Despite continued scientific progress, the genetic profiles of these variants bring changes in viral properties that threaten vaccine efficacy. Thus, it is critically important to investigate the biologic profiles and significance of these evolving variants. In this study, we demonstrate the application of circular polymerase extension cloning (CPEC) to the generation of full-length clones of SARS-CoV-2. We report that, combined with a specific primer design scheme, this yields a simpler, uncomplicated, and versatile approach for engineering SARS-CoV-2 variants with high viral recovery efficiency. This new strategy for genomic engineering of SARS-CoV-2 variants was implemented and evaluated for its efficiency in generating point mutations (K417N, L452R, E484K, N501Y, D614G, P681H, P681R, Δ69-70, Δ157-158, E484K+N501Y, and Ins-38F) and multiple mutations (N501Y/D614G and E484K/N501Y/D614G), as well as a large truncation (ΔORF7A) and insertion (GFP). The application of CPEC to mutagenesis also allows the inclusion of a confirmatory step prior to assembly and transfection. This method could be of value in the molecular characterization of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants as well as the development and testing of vaccines, therapeutic antibodies, and antivirals. IMPORTANCE Since the first emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 variant in late 2020, novel variants have been continuously introduced to the human population, causing severe public health threats. In general, because these variants acquire new genetic mutation/s, it is critical to analyze the biological function of viruses that such mutations can confer. Therefore, we devised a method that can construct SARS-CoV-2 infectious clones and their variants rapidly and efficiently. The method was developed based on a PCR-based circular polymerase extension cloning (CPEC) combined with a specific primer design scheme. The efficiency of the newly designed method was evaluated by generating SARS-CoV-2 variants with single point mutations, multiple point mutations, and a large truncation and insertion. This method could be of value for the molecular characterization of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants and the development and testing of vaccines and antiviral agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beom Kyu Kim
- Department of Microbiology, Chungbuk National University, College of Medicine and Medical Research Institute, Cheongju, Chungbuk, Republic of Korea
| | - Won-Suk Choi
- Department of Microbiology, Chungbuk National University, College of Medicine and Medical Research Institute, Cheongju, Chungbuk, Republic of Korea
| | - Ju Hwan Jeong
- Department of Microbiology, Chungbuk National University, College of Medicine and Medical Research Institute, Cheongju, Chungbuk, Republic of Korea
| | - Sol Oh
- Department of Microbiology, Chungbuk National University, College of Medicine and Medical Research Institute, Cheongju, Chungbuk, Republic of Korea
| | - Ji-Hyun Park
- Department of Microbiology, Chungbuk National University, College of Medicine and Medical Research Institute, Cheongju, Chungbuk, Republic of Korea
| | - Yu Soo Yun
- Department of Microbiology, Chungbuk National University, College of Medicine and Medical Research Institute, Cheongju, Chungbuk, Republic of Korea
| | - Seong Cheol Min
- Department of Microbiology, Chungbuk National University, College of Medicine and Medical Research Institute, Cheongju, Chungbuk, Republic of Korea
| | - Da Hyeon Kang
- Department of Microbiology, Chungbuk National University, College of Medicine and Medical Research Institute, Cheongju, Chungbuk, Republic of Korea
| | - Eung-Gook Kim
- Department of Biochemistry, Chungbuk National University, College of Medicine and Medical Research Institute, Cheongju, Chungbuk, Republic of Korea
| | - Hojin Ryu
- Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, College of Natural Science, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Republic of Korea
| | - Hye Kwon Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, College of Natural Science, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Republic of Korea
| | - Yun Hee Baek
- Department of Microbiology, Chungbuk National University, College of Medicine and Medical Research Institute, Cheongju, Chungbuk, Republic of Korea
| | - Young Ki Choi
- Department of Microbiology, Chungbuk National University, College of Medicine and Medical Research Institute, Cheongju, Chungbuk, Republic of Korea
- Center for Study of Emerging and Re-emerging Viruses, Korea Virus Research Institute, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Min-Suk Song
- Department of Microbiology, Chungbuk National University, College of Medicine and Medical Research Institute, Cheongju, Chungbuk, Republic of Korea
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66
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Agrawal S, Orschler L, Zachmann K, Lackner S. Comprehensive mutation profiling from wastewater in southern Germany extends evidence of circulating SARS-CoV-2 diversity beyond mutations characteristic for Omicron. FEMS MICROBES 2023; 4:xtad006. [PMID: 37333432 PMCID: PMC10117852 DOI: 10.1093/femsmc/xtad006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 02/11/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Tracking SARS-CoV-2 variants in wastewater is primarily performed by detecting characteristic mutations of the variants. Unlike the Delta variant, the emergence of the Omicron variant and its sublineages as variants of concern has posed a challenge in using characteristic mutations for wastewater surveillance. In this study, we monitored the temporal and spatial variation of SARS-CoV-2 variants by including all the detected mutations and compared whether limiting the analyses to characteristic mutations for variants like Omicron impact the outcomes. We collected 24-hour composite samples from 15 wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) in Hesse and sequenced 164 wastewater samples with a targeted sequencing approach from September 2021 to March 2022. Our results show that comparing the number of all the mutations against the number of the characteristic mutations reveals a different outcome. A different temporal variation was observed for the ORF1a and S gene. As Omicron became dominant, we observed an increase in the overall number of mutations. Based on the characteristic mutations of the SARS-CoV-2 variants, a decreasing trend for the number of ORF1a and S gene mutations was noticed, though the number of known characteristic mutations in both genes is higher in Omicron than Delta.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shelesh Agrawal
- Technical University of Darmstadt, Institute IWAR, Chair of Water and Environmental Biotechnology, Franziska-Braun-Straße 7, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Laura Orschler
- Technical University of Darmstadt, Institute IWAR, Chair of Water and Environmental Biotechnology, Franziska-Braun-Straße 7, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Kira Zachmann
- Technical University of Darmstadt, Institute IWAR, Chair of Water and Environmental Biotechnology, Franziska-Braun-Straße 7, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Susanne Lackner
- Technical University of Darmstadt, Institute IWAR, Chair of Water and Environmental Biotechnology, Franziska-Braun-Straße 7, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
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67
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Lou YC, Hoff J, Olm MR, West-Roberts J, Diamond S, Firek BA, Morowitz MJ, Banfield JF. Using strain-resolved analysis to identify contamination in metagenomics data. MICROBIOME 2023; 11:36. [PMID: 36864482 PMCID: PMC9979413 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-023-01477-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Metagenomics analyses can be negatively impacted by DNA contamination. While external sources of contamination such as DNA extraction kits have been widely reported and investigated, contamination originating within the study itself remains underreported. RESULTS Here, we applied high-resolution strain-resolved analyses to identify contamination in two large-scale clinical metagenomics datasets. By mapping strain sharing to DNA extraction plates, we identified well-to-well contamination in both negative controls and biological samples in one dataset. Such contamination is more likely to occur among samples that are on the same or adjacent columns or rows of the extraction plate than samples that are far apart. Our strain-resolved workflow also reveals the presence of externally derived contamination, primarily in the other dataset. Overall, in both datasets, contamination is more significant in samples with lower biomass. CONCLUSION Our work demonstrates that genome-resolved strain tracking, with its essentially genome-wide nucleotide-level resolution, can be used to detect contamination in sequencing-based microbiome studies. Our results underscore the value of strain-specific methods to detect contamination and the critical importance of looking for contamination beyond negative and positive controls. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Clare Lou
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Jordan Hoff
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Matthew R Olm
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Jacob West-Roberts
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Spencer Diamond
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Brian A Firek
- Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Michael J Morowitz
- Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Jillian F Banfield
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
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Girón-Guzmán I, Díaz-Reolid A, Cuevas-Ferrando E, Falcó I, Cano-Jiménez P, Comas I, Pérez-Cataluña A, Sánchez G. Evaluation of two different concentration methods for surveillance of human viruses in sewage and their effects on SARS-CoV-2 sequencing. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 862:160914. [PMID: 36526211 PMCID: PMC9744676 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Revised: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
During the current COVID-19 pandemic, wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) emerged as a reliable strategy both as a surveillance method and a way to provide an overview of the SARS-CoV-2 variants circulating among the population. Our objective was to compare two different concentration methods, a well-established aluminum-based procedure (AP) and the commercially available Maxwell® RSC Enviro Wastewater TNA Kit (TNA) for human enteric virus, viral indicators and SARS-CoV-2 surveillance. Additionally, both concentration methods were analyzed for their impact on viral infectivity, and nucleic acids obtained from each method were also evaluated by massive sequencing for SARS-CoV-2. The percentage of SARS-CoV-2 positive samples using the AP method accounted to 100 %, 83.3 %, and 33.3 % depending on the target region while 100 % positivity for these same three target regions was reported using the TNA procedure. The concentrations of norovirus GI, norovirus GII and HEV using the TNA method were significantly greater than for the AP method while no differences were reported for rotavirus, astrovirus, crAssphage and PMMoV. Furthermore, TNA kit in combination with the Artic v4 primer scheme yields the best SARS-CoV-2 sequencing results. Regarding impact on infectivity, the concentration method used by the TNA kit showed near-complete lysis of viruses. Our results suggest that although the performance of the TNA kit was higher than that of the aluminum procedure, both methods are suitable for the analysis of enveloped and non-enveloped viruses in wastewater by molecular methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inés Girón-Guzmán
- Department of Preservation and Food Safety Technologies, Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology, IATA-CSIC, Av. Agustín Escardino 7, Paterna 46980, Valencia, Spain
| | - Azahara Díaz-Reolid
- Department of Preservation and Food Safety Technologies, Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology, IATA-CSIC, Av. Agustín Escardino 7, Paterna 46980, Valencia, Spain
| | - Enric Cuevas-Ferrando
- Department of Preservation and Food Safety Technologies, Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology, IATA-CSIC, Av. Agustín Escardino 7, Paterna 46980, Valencia, Spain
| | - Irene Falcó
- Department of Preservation and Food Safety Technologies, Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology, IATA-CSIC, Av. Agustín Escardino 7, Paterna 46980, Valencia, Spain
| | - Pablo Cano-Jiménez
- Instituto de Biomedicina de Valencia (IBV-CSIC), C/ Jaume Roig, 11, Valencia 46010, Spain; CIBER in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Valencia, Spain
| | - Iñaki Comas
- Instituto de Biomedicina de Valencia (IBV-CSIC), C/ Jaume Roig, 11, Valencia 46010, Spain; CIBER in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Valencia, Spain
| | - Alba Pérez-Cataluña
- Department of Preservation and Food Safety Technologies, Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology, IATA-CSIC, Av. Agustín Escardino 7, Paterna 46980, Valencia, Spain.
| | - Gloria Sánchez
- Department of Preservation and Food Safety Technologies, Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology, IATA-CSIC, Av. Agustín Escardino 7, Paterna 46980, Valencia, Spain
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Le C. Sensitivity of wastewater surveillance: What is the minimum COVID-19 cases required in population for SARS-CoV-2 RNA to be detected in wastewater? J Environ Sci (China) 2023; 125:851-853. [PMID: 36375967 PMCID: PMC9392869 DOI: 10.1016/j.jes.2022.08.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Connie Le
- Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology, Department of Radiation Oncology, and Cross Cancer Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G3, Canada.
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Andersen P, Barksdale S, Barclay RA, Smith N, Fernandes J, Besse K, Goldfarb D, Barbero R, Dunlap R, Jones-Roe T, Kelly R, Miao S, Ruhunusiri C, Munns A, Mosavi S, Sanson L, Munns D, Sahoo S, Swahn O, Hull K, White D, Kolb K, Noroozi F, Seelam J, Patnaik A, Lepene B. Magnetic hydrogel particles improve nanopore sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses. Sci Rep 2023; 13:2163. [PMID: 36750714 PMCID: PMC9903261 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-29206-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Presented here is a magnetic hydrogel particle enabled workflow for capturing and concentrating SARS-CoV-2 from diagnostic remnant swab samples that significantly improves sequencing results using the Oxford Nanopore Technologies MinION sequencing platform. Our approach utilizes a novel affinity-based magnetic hydrogel particle, circumventing low input sample volumes and allowing for both rapid manual and automated high throughput workflows that are compatible with Nanopore sequencing. This approach enhances standard RNA extraction protocols, providing up to 40 × improvements in viral mapped reads, and improves sequencing coverage by 20-80% from lower titer diagnostic remnant samples. Furthermore, we demonstrate that this approach works for contrived influenza virus and respiratory syncytial virus samples, suggesting that it can be used to identify and improve sequencing results of multiple viruses in VTM samples. These methods can be performed manually or on a KingFisher automation platform.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Andersen
- Ceres Nanosciences, Inc., Manassas, VA, 20110, USA.
| | - S Barksdale
- Ceres Nanosciences, Inc., Manassas, VA, 20110, USA
| | - R A Barclay
- Ceres Nanosciences, Inc., Manassas, VA, 20110, USA
| | - N Smith
- Ceres Nanosciences, Inc., Manassas, VA, 20110, USA
| | - J Fernandes
- Ceres Nanosciences, Inc., Manassas, VA, 20110, USA
| | - K Besse
- Ceres Nanosciences, Inc., Manassas, VA, 20110, USA
| | - D Goldfarb
- Ceres Nanosciences, Inc., Manassas, VA, 20110, USA
| | - R Barbero
- Ceres Nanosciences, Inc., Manassas, VA, 20110, USA
| | - R Dunlap
- Ceres Nanosciences, Inc., Manassas, VA, 20110, USA
| | - T Jones-Roe
- Ceres Nanosciences, Inc., Manassas, VA, 20110, USA
| | - R Kelly
- Ceres Nanosciences, Inc., Manassas, VA, 20110, USA
| | - S Miao
- Ceres Nanosciences, Inc., Manassas, VA, 20110, USA
| | - C Ruhunusiri
- Ceres Nanosciences, Inc., Manassas, VA, 20110, USA
| | - A Munns
- Ceres Nanosciences, Inc., Manassas, VA, 20110, USA
| | - S Mosavi
- Ceres Nanosciences, Inc., Manassas, VA, 20110, USA
| | - L Sanson
- Ceres Nanosciences, Inc., Manassas, VA, 20110, USA
| | - D Munns
- Ceres Nanosciences, Inc., Manassas, VA, 20110, USA
| | - S Sahoo
- Ceres Nanosciences, Inc., Manassas, VA, 20110, USA
| | - O Swahn
- Ceres Nanosciences, Inc., Manassas, VA, 20110, USA
| | - K Hull
- Ceres Nanosciences, Inc., Manassas, VA, 20110, USA
| | - D White
- Ceres Nanosciences, Inc., Manassas, VA, 20110, USA
| | - K Kolb
- Ceres Nanosciences, Inc., Manassas, VA, 20110, USA
| | - F Noroozi
- Ceres Nanosciences, Inc., Manassas, VA, 20110, USA
| | - J Seelam
- Ceres Nanosciences, Inc., Manassas, VA, 20110, USA
| | - A Patnaik
- Ceres Nanosciences, Inc., Manassas, VA, 20110, USA
| | - B Lepene
- Ceres Nanosciences, Inc., Manassas, VA, 20110, USA.
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Bhattacharya S, Abhishek K, Samiksha S, Sharma P. Occurrence and transport of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater streams and its detection and remediation by chemical-biological methods. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS ADVANCES 2023; 9:100221. [PMID: 36818681 PMCID: PMC9762044 DOI: 10.1016/j.hazadv.2022.100221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Revised: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
This paper explains the transmission of SARS-CoV and influences of several environmental factors in the transmission process. The article highlighted several methods of collection, sampling and monitoring/estimation as well as surveillance tool for detecting SARS-CoV in wastewater streams. In this context, WBE (Wastewater based epidemiology) is found to be the most effective surveillance tool. Several methods of genomic sequencing are discussed in the paper, which are applied in WBE, like qPCR-based wastewater testing, metagenomics-based analysis, next generation sequencing etc. Additionally, several types of biosensors (colorimetric biosensor, mobile phone-based biosensors, and nanomaterials-based biosensors) showed promising results in sensing SARS-CoV in wastewater. Further, this review paper outlined the gaps in assessing the factors responsible for transmission and challenges in detection and monitoring along with the remediation and disinfection methods of this virus in wastewater. Various methods of disinfection of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater are discussed (primary, secondary, and tertiary phases) and it is found that a suite of disinfection methods can be used for complete disinfection/removal of the virus. Application of ultraviolet light, ozone and chlorine-based disinfectants are also discussed in the context of treatment methods. This study calls for continuous efforts to gather more information about the virus through continuous monitoring and analyses and to address the existing gaps and identification of the most effective tool/ strategy to prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Wastewater surveillance can be very useful in effective surveillance of future pandemics and epidemics caused by viruses, especially after development of new technologies in detecting and disinfecting viral pathogens more effectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sayan Bhattacharya
- School of Ecology and Environment Studies, Nalanda University, Rajgir, 803116, Bihar, India
| | - Kumar Abhishek
- School of Ecology and Environment Studies, Nalanda University, Rajgir, 803116, Bihar, India
- Department of Environment Forest and Climate Change, Government of Bihar, Patna, 800015, Bihar, India
| | - Shilpi Samiksha
- Bihar State Pollution Control Board, Patna, 800015, Bihar, India
| | - Prabhakar Sharma
- School of Ecology and Environment Studies, Nalanda University, Rajgir, 803116, Bihar, India
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Rothman JA, Saghir A, Chung SA, Boyajian N, Dinh T, Kim J, Oval J, Sharavanan V, York C, Zimmer-Faust AG, Langlois K, Steele JA, Griffith JF, Whiteson KL. Longitudinal metatranscriptomic sequencing of Southern California wastewater representing 16 million people from August 2020-21 reveals widespread transcription of antibiotic resistance genes. WATER RESEARCH 2023; 229:119421. [PMID: 36455460 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.119421] [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: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Municipal wastewater provides a representative sample of human fecal waste across a catchment area and contains a wide diversity of microbes. Sequencing wastewater samples provides information about human-associated and medically important microbial populations, and may be useful to assay disease prevalence and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Here, we present a study in which we used untargeted metatranscriptomic sequencing on RNA extracted from 275 sewage influent samples obtained from eight wastewater treatment plants (WTPs) representing approximately 16 million people in Southern California between August 2020 - August 2021. We characterized bacterial and viral transcripts, assessed metabolic pathway activity, and identified over 2,000 AMR genes/variants across all samples. Because we did not deplete ribosomal RNA, we have a unique window into AMR carried as ribosomal mutants. We show that AMR diversity varied between WTPs (as measured through PERMANOVA, P < 0.001) and that the relative abundance of many individual AMR genes/variants increased over time (as measured with MaAsLin2, Padj < 0.05). Similarly, we detected transcripts mapping to human pathogenic bacteria and viruses suggesting RNA sequencing is a powerful tool for wastewater-based epidemiology and that there are geographical signatures to microbial transcription. We captured the transcription of gene pathways common to bacterial cell processes, including central carbon metabolism, nucleotide synthesis/salvage, and amino acid biosynthesis. We also posit that due to the ubiquity of many viruses and bacteria in wastewater, new biological targets for microbial water quality assessment can be developed. To the best of our knowledge, our study provides the most complete longitudinal metatranscriptomic analysis of a large population's wastewater to date and demonstrates our ability to monitor the presence and activity of microbes in complex samples. By sequencing RNA, we can track the relative abundance of expressed AMR genes/variants and metabolic pathways, increasing our understanding of AMR activity across large human populations and sewer sheds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason A Rothman
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States of America.
| | - Andrew Saghir
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States of America
| | - Seung-Ah Chung
- Genomics High-Throughput Facility, Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States of America
| | - Nicholas Boyajian
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States of America
| | - Thao Dinh
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States of America
| | - Jinwoo Kim
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States of America
| | - Jordan Oval
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States of America
| | - Vivek Sharavanan
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States of America
| | - Courtney York
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States of America
| | - Amity G Zimmer-Faust
- Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, Costa Mesa, CA, United States of America
| | - Kylie Langlois
- Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, Costa Mesa, CA, United States of America
| | - Joshua A Steele
- Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, Costa Mesa, CA, United States of America
| | - John F Griffith
- Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, Costa Mesa, CA, United States of America
| | - Katrine L Whiteson
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States of America.
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Vo V, Harrington A, Afzal S, Papp K, Chang CL, Baker H, Aguilar P, Buttery E, Picker MA, Lockett C, Gerrity D, Kan HY, Oh EC. Identification of a rare SARS-CoV-2 XL hybrid variant in wastewater and the subsequent discovery of two infected individuals in Nevada. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 858:160024. [PMID: 36356728 PMCID: PMC9640213 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Revised: 10/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
The identification of novel SARS-CoV-2 variants can predict new patterns of COVID-19 community transmission and lead to the deployment of public health resources. However, increased access to at-home antigen tests and reduced free PCR tests have recently led to data gaps for the surveillance of evolving SARS-CoV-2 variants. To overcome such limitations, we asked whether wastewater surveillance could be leveraged to detect rare variants circulating in a community before local detection in human cases. Here, we performed whole genome sequencing (WGS) of SARS-CoV-2 from a wastewater treatment plant serving Las Vegas, Nevada in April 2022. Using metrics that exceeded 100× depth at a coverage of >90 % of the viral genome, we identified a variant profile similar to the XL recombinant lineage containing 26 mutations found in BA.1 and BA.2 and three private mutations. Prompted by the discovery of this rare lineage in wastewater, we analyzed clinical COVID-19 sequencing data from Southern Nevada and identified two cases infected with the XL lineage. Taken together, our data highlight how wastewater genome sequencing data can be used to discover rare SARS-CoV-2 lineages in a community and complement local public health surveillance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Van Vo
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Precision Medicine, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA; Nevada Institute of Personalized Medicine, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA
| | - Anthony Harrington
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Precision Medicine, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA
| | - Salman Afzal
- Southern Nevada Health District, Las Vegas, NV 89106, USA
| | - Katerina Papp
- Southern Nevada Water Authority, P.O. Box 99954, Las Vegas, NV 89193, USA
| | - Ching-Lan Chang
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Precision Medicine, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA
| | - Hayley Baker
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Precision Medicine, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA
| | | | - Erin Buttery
- Southern Nevada Health District, Las Vegas, NV 89106, USA
| | | | | | - Daniel Gerrity
- Southern Nevada Water Authority, P.O. Box 99954, Las Vegas, NV 89193, USA.
| | - Horng-Yuan Kan
- Southern Nevada Health District, Las Vegas, NV 89106, USA.
| | - Edwin C Oh
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Precision Medicine, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA; Nevada Institute of Personalized Medicine, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA; Department of Internal Medicine, UNLV School of Medicine, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA.
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Vo V, Tillett RL, Papp K, Chang CL, Harrington A, Moshi M, Oh EC, Gerrity D. Detection of the Omicron BA.1 Variant of SARS-CoV-2 in Wastewater From a Las Vegas Tourist Area. JAMA Netw Open 2023; 6:e230550. [PMID: 36821109 PMCID: PMC9951036 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.0550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/24/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Interpretation of wastewater surveillance data is potentially confounded in communities with mobile populations, so it is important to account for this issue when conducting wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE). OBJECTIVES To leverage spatial and temporal differences in wastewater whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data to quantify relative SARS-CoV-2 contributions from visitors to southern Nevada. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This cross-sectional wastewater surveillance study was performed during the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020 to February 2022) and included weekly influent wastewater samples that were analyzed by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction to quantify SARS-CoV-2 RNA and WGS for identification of variants of concern. This study was conducted in the Las Vegas, Nevada, metropolitan area, which is a semi-urban area with approximately 2.3 million residents and nearly 1 million weekly visitors. Samples were collected from 7 wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) locations that collectively serve the vast majority of southern Nevada (excluding the small number of septic systems) and 1 manhole serving the southern portion of the Las Vegas Strip. With Las Vegas tourism returning to prepandemic levels in 2021, it was hypothesized that visitors were contributing a disproportionate fraction of SARS-CoV-2 RNA to the largest WWTP in southern Nevada, potentially confounding efforts to estimate COVID-19 incidence in the local community through WBE. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Relative SARS-CoV-2 load and variants from visitors vs the local population. RESULTS The Omicron BA.1 VOC was detected in the Las Vegas Strip manhole approximately 1 week before its detection at the WWTP locations (December 13, 2021) and by clinical testing (December 14, 2021). On December 13, Omicron-specific mutations represented a mean (SD) of 48.0% (4.2%) of all genomes from the Las Vegas Strip manhole and 4.1% (1.4%) of all genomes at facilities 2 and 3; by December 20, Omicron-specific mutations represented means (SD) of 82.0% (3.0%) of all genomes at the Las Vegas Strip manhole and 48.0% (2.8%) of all genomes at facilities 2 and 3, respectively. During this time, it was estimated that visitors contributed more than 60% of the SARS-CoV-2 load to the sewershed serving the Las Vegas Strip and that Omicron prevalence among visitors was 40% to 60% on December 13 and 80% to 100% on December 20th. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Wastewater surveillance is a valuable complement to clinical tools and can provide time-sensitive data for decision-makers and policy makers. This study represents a novel approach for quantifying the confounding effects of mobile populations on wastewater surveillance data, thereby allowing for modification of an existing WBE framework for estimating COVID-19 incidence in southern Nevada.
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Affiliation(s)
- Van Vo
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Precision Medicine, University of Nevada Las Vegas
| | - Richard L. Tillett
- Nevada Institute of Personalized Medicine, University of Nevada Las Vegas
| | | | - Ching-Lan Chang
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Precision Medicine, University of Nevada Las Vegas
| | - Anthony Harrington
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Precision Medicine, University of Nevada Las Vegas
| | - Michael Moshi
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Precision Medicine, University of Nevada Las Vegas
| | - Edwin C. Oh
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Precision Medicine, University of Nevada Las Vegas
- Nevada Institute of Personalized Medicine, University of Nevada Las Vegas
- UNLV School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nevada Las Vegas
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Kayikcioglu T, Amirzadegan J, Rand H, Tesfaldet B, Timme RE, Pettengill JB. Performance of methods for SARS-CoV-2 variant detection and abundance estimation within mixed population samples. PeerJ 2023; 11:e14596. [PMID: 36721781 PMCID: PMC9884472 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The accurate identification of SARS-CoV-2 (SC2) variants and estimation of their abundance in mixed population samples (e.g., air or wastewater) is imperative for successful surveillance of community level trends. Assessing the performance of SC2 variant composition estimators (VCEs) should improve our confidence in public health decision making. Here, we introduce a linear regression based VCE and compare its performance to four other VCEs: two re-purposed DNA sequence read classifiers (Kallisto and Kraken2), a maximum-likelihood based method (Lineage deComposition for Sars-Cov-2 pooled samples (LCS)), and a regression based method (Freyja). Methods We simulated DNA sequence datasets of known variant composition from both Illumina and Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) platforms and assessed the performance of each VCE. We also evaluated VCEs performance using publicly available empirical wastewater samples collected for SC2 surveillance efforts. Bioinformatic analyses were performed with a custom NextFlow workflow (C-WAP, CFSAN Wastewater Analysis Pipeline). Relative root mean squared error (RRMSE) was used as a measure of performance with respect to the known abundance and concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) was used to measure agreement between pairs of estimators. Results Based on our results from simulated data, Kallisto was the most accurate estimator as it had the lowest RRMSE, followed by Freyja. Kallisto and Freyja had the most similar predictions, reflected by the highest CCC metrics. We also found that accuracy was platform and amplicon panel dependent. For example, the accuracy of Freyja was significantly higher with Illumina data compared to ONT data; performance of Kallisto was best with ARTICv4. However, when analyzing empirical data there was poor agreement among methods and variations in the number of variants detected (e.g., Freyja ARTICv4 had a mean of 2.2 variants while Kallisto ARTICv4 had a mean of 10.1 variants). Conclusion This work provides an understanding of the differences in performance of a number of VCEs and how accurate they are in capturing the relative abundance of SC2 variants within a mixed sample (e.g., wastewater). Such information should help officials gauge the confidence they can have in such data for informing public health decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tunc Kayikcioglu
- Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Staff, Office of Analytics and Outreach, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, US Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD, United States of America,Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, University of Maryland College Park, College Park, MD, United States of America
| | - Jasmine Amirzadegan
- Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Staff, Office of Analytics and Outreach, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, US Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD, United States of America,Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Oak Ridge, TN, United States of America
| | - Hugh Rand
- Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Staff, Office of Analytics and Outreach, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, US Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD, United States of America
| | - Bereket Tesfaldet
- Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Staff, Office of Analytics and Outreach, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, US Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD, United States of America
| | - Ruth E. Timme
- Division of Microbiology, Office of Regulatory Science, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, United States Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD, United States of America
| | - James B. Pettengill
- Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Staff, Office of Analytics and Outreach, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, US Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD, United States of America
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Natarajan A, Fremin BJ, Schmidtke DT, Wolfe MK, Zlitni S, Graham KE, Brooks EF, Severyn CJ, Sakamoto KM, Lacayo NJ, Kuersten S, Koble J, Caves G, Kaplan I, Singh U, Jagannathan P, Rezvani AR, Bhatt AS, Boehm AB. Tomato brown rugose fruit virus Mo gene is a novel microbial source tracking marker. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.09.523366. [PMID: 36712100 PMCID: PMC9882089 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.09.523366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Microbial source tracking (MST) identifies sources of fecal contamination in the environment using fecal host-associated markers. While there are numerous bacterial MST markers, there are few viral markers. Here we design and test novel viral MST markers based on tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) genomes. We assembled eight nearly complete genomes of ToBRFV from wastewater and stool samples from the San Francisco Bay Area in the United States of America. Next, we developed two novel probe-based RT-PCR assays based on conserved regions of the ToBRFV genome, and tested the markers’ sensitivities and specificities using human and non-human animal stool as well as wastewater. TheToBRFV markers are sensitive and specific; in human stool and wastewater, they are more prevalent and abundant than a currently used marker, the pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) coat protein (CP) gene. We applied the assays to detect fecal contamination in urban stormwater samples and found that the ToBRFV markers matched cross-assembly phage (crAssphage), an established viral MST marker, in prevalence across samples. Taken together, ToBRFV is a promising viral human-associated MST marker. Importance Human exposure to fecal contamination in the environment can cause transmission of infectious diseases. Microbial source tracking (MST) can identify sources of fecal contamination so that contamination can be remediated and human exposures can be reduced. MST requires the use of fecal host-associated MST markers. Here we design and test novel MST markers from genomes of tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV). The markers are sensitive and specific to human stool, and highly abundant in human stool and wastewater samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aravind Natarajan
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Medicine (Hematology, Blood and Marrow Transplantation), Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | - Danica T. Schmidtke
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Marlene K. Wolfe
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Soumaya Zlitni
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Medicine (Hematology, Blood and Marrow Transplantation), Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Katherine E. Graham
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Erin F. Brooks
- Department of Medicine (Hematology, Blood and Marrow Transplantation), Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Christopher J. Severyn
- Department of Pediatrics, (Hematology/Oncology/Stem Cell Transplant & Regenerative Medicine), Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Kathleen M. Sakamoto
- Department of Pediatrics, (Hematology/Oncology/Stem Cell Transplant & Regenerative Medicine), Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Norman J. Lacayo
- Department of Pediatrics, (Hematology/Oncology/Stem Cell Transplant & Regenerative Medicine), Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Inna Kaplan
- Department of Medicine (Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy), Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Upinder Singh
- Department of Medicine (Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine), Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Prasanna Jagannathan
- Department of Medicine (Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine), Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Andrew R. Rezvani
- Department of Medicine (Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy), Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Ami S. Bhatt
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Medicine (Hematology, Blood and Marrow Transplantation), Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Alexandria B. Boehm
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
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Gitter A, Oghuan J, Godbole AR, Chavarria CA, Monserrat C, Hu T, Wang Y, Maresso AW, Hanson BM, Mena KD, Wu F. Not a waste: Wastewater surveillance to enhance public health. FRONTIERS IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fceng.2022.1112876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Domestic wastewater, when collected and evaluated appropriately, can provide valuable health-related information for a community. As a relatively unbiased and non-invasive approach, wastewater surveillance may complement current practices towards mitigating risks and protecting population health. Spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, wastewater programs are now widely implemented to monitor viral infection trends in sewersheds and inform public health decision-making. This review summarizes recent developments in wastewater-based epidemiology for detecting and monitoring communicable infectious diseases, dissemination of antimicrobial resistance, and illicit drug consumption. Wastewater surveillance, a quickly advancing Frontier in environmental science, is becoming a new tool to enhance public health, improve disease prevention, and respond to future epidemics and pandemics.
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Clark JR, Terwilliger A, Avadhanula V, Tisza M, Cormier J, Javornik-Cregeen S, Ross MC, Hoffman KL, Troisi C, Hanson B, Petrosino J, Balliew J, Piedra PA, Rios J, Deegan J, Bauer C, Wu F, Mena KD, Boerwinkle E, Maresso AW. Wastewater pandemic preparedness: Toward an end-to-end pathogen monitoring program. Front Public Health 2023; 11:1137881. [PMID: 37026145 PMCID: PMC10070845 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1137881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Molecular analysis of public wastewater has great potential as a harbinger for community health and health threats. Long-used to monitor the presence of enteric viruses, in particular polio, recent successes of wastewater as a reliable lead indicator for trends in SARS-CoV-2 levels and hospital admissions has generated optimism and emerging evidence that similar science can be applied to other pathogens of pandemic potential (PPPs), especially respiratory viruses and their variants of concern (VOC). However, there are substantial challenges associated with implementation of this ideal, namely that multiple and distinct fields of inquiry must be bridged and coordinated. These include engineering, molecular sciences, temporal-geospatial analytics, epidemiology and medical, and governmental and public health messaging, all of which present their own caveats. Here, we outline a framework for an integrated, state-wide, end-to-end human pathogen monitoring program using wastewater to track viral PPPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin R. Clark
- TAILOR Labs, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Austen Terwilliger
- TAILOR Labs, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Vasanthi Avadhanula
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Michael Tisza
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
- Alkek Center for Metagenomics and Microbiome Research, CMMR, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Juwan Cormier
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
- Alkek Center for Metagenomics and Microbiome Research, CMMR, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Sara Javornik-Cregeen
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
- Alkek Center for Metagenomics and Microbiome Research, CMMR, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Matthew Clayton Ross
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
- Alkek Center for Metagenomics and Microbiome Research, CMMR, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Kristi Louise Hoffman
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
- Alkek Center for Metagenomics and Microbiome Research, CMMR, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Catherine Troisi
- UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, Houston, TX, United States
- Texas Epidemic Public Health Institute (TEPHI), UTHealth Houston, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Blake Hanson
- UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, Houston, TX, United States
- Texas Epidemic Public Health Institute (TEPHI), UTHealth Houston, Houston, TX, United States
- Center for Infectious Diseases, Department of Epidemiology, Human Genetics and Environmental Sciences, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Joseph Petrosino
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
- Alkek Center for Metagenomics and Microbiome Research, CMMR, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - John Balliew
- El Paso Water Utility, El Paso, TX, United States
| | - Pedro A. Piedra
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
- Pediatrics Department, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Janelle Rios
- UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, Houston, TX, United States
- Texas Epidemic Public Health Institute (TEPHI), UTHealth Houston, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Jennifer Deegan
- Texas Epidemic Public Health Institute (TEPHI), UTHealth Houston, Houston, TX, United States
- The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Cici Bauer
- UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, Houston, TX, United States
- Texas Epidemic Public Health Institute (TEPHI), UTHealth Houston, Houston, TX, United States
- Department of Biostatistics and Data Science, UTHealth School of Public Health, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Fuqing Wu
- UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, Houston, TX, United States
- Texas Epidemic Public Health Institute (TEPHI), UTHealth Houston, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Kristina D. Mena
- UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, Houston, TX, United States
- Texas Epidemic Public Health Institute (TEPHI), UTHealth Houston, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Eric Boerwinkle
- UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, Houston, TX, United States
- Texas Epidemic Public Health Institute (TEPHI), UTHealth Houston, Houston, TX, United States
- Human Genetics Center, Department of Epidemiology, Human Genetics and Environmental Sciences, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Anthony W. Maresso
- TAILOR Labs, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
- Anthony W. Maresso
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Cancela F, Ramos N, Smyth DS, Etchebehere C, Berois M, Rodríguez J, Rufo C, Alemán A, Borzacconi L, López J, González E, Botto G, Thornhill SG, Mirazo S, Trujillo M. Wastewater surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 genomic populations on a country-wide scale through targeted sequencing. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0284483. [PMID: 37083889 PMCID: PMC10121012 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0284483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 04/22/2023] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 surveillance of viral populations in wastewater samples is recognized as a useful tool for monitoring epidemic waves and boosting health preparedness. Next generation sequencing of viral RNA isolated from wastewater is a convenient and cost-effective strategy to understand the molecular epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 and provide insights on the population dynamics of viral variants at the community level. However, in low- and middle-income countries, isolated groups have performed wastewater monitoring and data has not been extensively shared in the scientific community. Here we report the results of monitoring the co-circulation and abundance of variants of concern (VOCs) of SARS-CoV-2 in Uruguay, a small country in Latin America, between November 2020-July 2021 using wastewater surveillance. RNA isolated from wastewater was characterized by targeted sequencing of the Receptor Binding Domain region within the spike gene. Two computational approaches were used to track the viral variants. The results of the wastewater analysis showed the transition in the overall predominance of viral variants in wastewater from No-VOCs to successive VOCs, in agreement with clinical surveillance from sequencing of nasal swabs. The mutations K417T, E484K and N501Y, that characterize the Gamma VOC, were detected as early as December 2020, several weeks before the first clinical case was reported. Interestingly, a non-synonymous mutation described in the Delta VOC, L452R, was detected at a very low frequency since April 2021 when using a recently described sequence analysis tool (SAM Refiner). Wastewater NGS-based surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 is a reliable and complementary tool for monitoring the introduction and prevalence of VOCs at a community level allowing early public health decisions. This approach allows the tracking of symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals, who are generally under-reported in countries with limited clinical testing capacity. Our results suggests that wastewater-based epidemiology can contribute to improving public health responses in low- and middle-income countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florencia Cancela
- Sección Virología, Instituto de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Natalia Ramos
- Sección Virología, Instituto de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Davida S Smyth
- Department of Life Sciences, Texas A&M University-San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America
| | - Claudia Etchebehere
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Genómica Microbiana, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Ministerio de Educación y Cultura, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Mabel Berois
- Sección Virología, Instituto de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Jesica Rodríguez
- Laboratorio de Alimentos y Nutrición, Polo Tecnológico de Pando, Facultad de Química, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Caterina Rufo
- Laboratorio de Alimentos y Nutrición, Polo Tecnológico de Pando, Facultad de Química, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Alicia Alemán
- Departamento de Medicina Preventiva, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Liliana Borzacconi
- Instituto de Ingeniería Química, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Julieta López
- Departamento de Ingeniería Ambiental, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Elizabeth González
- Departamento de Ingeniería Ambiental, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Germán Botto
- Departamento de Métodos Cuantitativos, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Starla G Thornhill
- Department of Life Sciences, Texas A&M University-San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America
| | - Santiago Mirazo
- Sección Virología, Instituto de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
- Departamento de Bacteriología y Virología, Instituto de Higiene, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Mónica Trujillo
- Department of Biological Sciences and Geology, Queensborough Community College of The City University of New York, Queens, New York, United States of America
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80
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Spurbeck RR, Catlin LA, Mukherjee C, Smith AK, Minard-Smith A. Analysis of metatranscriptomic methods to enable wastewater-based biosurveillance of all infectious diseases. Front Public Health 2023; 11:1145275. [PMID: 37033057 PMCID: PMC10073511 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1145275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Wastewater-based surveillance emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic as an efficient way to quickly screen large populations, monitor infectious disease transmission over time, and identify whether more virulent strains are becoming more prevalent in the region without burdening the health care system with individualized testing. Ohio was one of the first states to implement wastewater monitoring through its Ohio Coronavirus Wastewater Monitoring Network (OCWMN), originally tracking the prevalence of COVID-19 by quantitative qPCR from over 67 sites across the state. The OCWMN evolved along with the pandemic to include sequencing the SARS-CoV-2 genome to assess variants of concern circulating within the population. As the pandemic wanes, networks such as OCWMN can be expanded to monitor other infectious diseases and outbreaks of interest to the health department to reduce the burden of communicable diseases. However, most surveillance still utilizes qPCR based diagnostic tests for individual pathogens, which is hard to scale for surveillance of multiple pathogens. Methods Here we have tested several genomic methods, both targeted and untargeted, for wastewater-based biosurveillance to find the most efficient procedure to detect and track trends in reportable infectious diseases and outbreaks of known pathogens as well as potentially novel pathogens or variants on the rise in our communities. RNA extracts from the OCWMN were provided weekly from 10 sites for 6 weeks. Total RNA was sequenced from the samples on the Illumina NextSeq and on the MinION to identify pathogens present. The MinION long read platform was also used to sequence SARS-CoV-2 with the goal of reducing the complexity of variant calling in mixed populations as occurs with short Illumina reads. Finally, a targeted hybridization approach was tested for compatibility with wastewater RNA samples. Results and discussion The data analyzed here provides a baseline assessment that demonstrates that wastewater is a rich resource for infectious disease epidemiology and identifies technology gaps and potential solutions to enable this resource to be used by public health laboratories to monitor the infectious disease landscape of the regions they serve.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel R. Spurbeck
- Health Business Unit, Drug Development and Precision Diagnostics Division, Life Sciences Research Business Line, Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, OH, United States
- *Correspondence: Rachel R. Spurbeck
| | - Lindsay A. Catlin
- National Security Business Unit, Bioscience Center, CBRNE Business Line, Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Chiranjit Mukherjee
- Health Business Unit, Health Analytics Division, Health Outcomes and Biotechnology Solutions Business Line, Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Anthony K. Smith
- National Security Business Unit, Bioscience Center, CBRNE Business Line, Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Angela Minard-Smith
- Health Business Unit, Health Analytics Division, Health Outcomes and Biotechnology Solutions Business Line, Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, OH, United States
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81
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Rothman JA, Whiteson KL. Sequencing and Variant Detection of Eight Abundant Plant-Infecting Tobamoviruses across Southern California Wastewater. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0305022. [PMID: 36374107 PMCID: PMC9769696 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03050-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Tobamoviruses are agriculturally relevant viruses that cause crop losses and have infected plants in many regions of the world. These viruses are frequently found in municipal wastewater, likely coming from human diet and industrial waste across wastewater catchment areas. As part of a large wastewater-based epidemiology study across Southern California, we analyzed RNA sequence data from 275 influent wastewater samples obtained from eight wastewater treatment plants with a catchment area of approximately 16 million people from July 2020 to August 2021. We assembled 1,083 high-quality genomes, enumerated viral sequencing reads, and detected thousands of single nucleotide variants from eight common tobamoviruses: bell pepper mottle virus, cucumber green mottle mosaic virus, pepper mild mottle virus, tobacco mild green mosaic virus, tomato brown rugose fruit virus, tomato mosaic virus, tomato mottle mosaic virus, and tropical soda apple mosaic virus. We show that single nucleotide variants had amino acid-altering consequences along with synonymous mutations, which represents potential evolution with functional consequences in genomes of these viruses. Our study shows the importance of wastewater sequencing to monitor the genomic diversity of these plant-infecting viruses, and we suggest that our data could be used to continue tracking the genomic variability of such pathogens. IMPORTANCE Diseases caused by viruses in the genus Tobamovirus cause crop losses around the world. As with other viruses, mutation occurring in the virus's genomes can have functional consequences and may alter viral infectivity. Many of these plant-infecting viruses have been found in wastewater, likely coming from human consumption of infected plants and produce. By sequencing RNA extracted from influent wastewater obtained from eight wastewater treatment plants in Southern California, we assembled high-quality viral genomes and detected thousands of single nucleotide variants from eight tobamoviruses. Our study shows that Tobamovirus genomes vary at many positions, which may have important consequences when designing assays for the detection of these viruses by agricultural or environmental scientists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason A. Rothman
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Katrine L. Whiteson
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
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82
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Harrington A, Vo V, Papp K, Tillett RL, Chang CL, Baker H, Shen S, Amei A, Lockett C, Gerrity D, Oh EC. Urban monitoring of antimicrobial resistance during a COVID-19 surge through wastewater surveillance. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 853:158577. [PMID: 36087661 PMCID: PMC9450474 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2022] [Revised: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 09/03/2022] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
During the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, infected patients presented with symptoms similar to bacterial pneumonias and were treated with antibiotics before confirmation of a bacterial or fungal co-infection. We reasoned that wastewater surveillance could reveal potential relationships between reduced antimicrobial stewardship, specifically misprescribing antibiotics to treat viral infections, and the occurrence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in an urban community. Here, we analyzed microbial communities and AMR profiles in sewage samples from a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and a community shelter in Las Vegas, Nevada during a COVID-19 surge in December 2020. Using a respiratory pathogen and AMR enrichment next-generation sequencing panel, we identified four major phyla in the wastewater, including Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria. Consistent with antibiotics that were reportedly used to treat COVID-19 infections (e.g., fluoroquinolones and beta-lactams), we also measured a significant spike in corresponding AMR genes in the wastewater samples. AMR genes associated with colistin resistance (mcr genes) were also identified exclusively at the WWTP, suggesting that multidrug resistant bacterial infections were being treated during this time. We next compared the Las Vegas sewage data to local 2018-2019 antibiograms, which are antimicrobial susceptibility profile reports about common clinical pathogens. Similar to the discovery of higher levels of beta-lactamase resistance genes in sewage during 2020, beta-lactam antibiotics accounted for 51 ± 3 % of reported antibiotics used in antimicrobial susceptibility tests of 2018-2019 clinical isolates. Our data highlight how wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) can be leveraged to complement more traditional surveillance efforts by providing community-level data to help identify current and emerging AMR threats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony Harrington
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Precision Medicine, UNLV School of Medicine, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA
| | - Van Vo
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Precision Medicine, UNLV School of Medicine, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA; Nevada Institute of Personalized Medicine, UNLV School of Medicine, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA
| | - Katerina Papp
- Southern Nevada Water Authority, P.O. Box 99954, Las Vegas, NV 89193, USA
| | - Richard L Tillett
- Nevada Institute of Personalized Medicine, UNLV School of Medicine, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA
| | - Ching-Lan Chang
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Precision Medicine, UNLV School of Medicine, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA
| | - Hayley Baker
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Precision Medicine, UNLV School of Medicine, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA
| | - Shirley Shen
- Nevada Institute of Personalized Medicine, UNLV School of Medicine, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA
| | - Amei Amei
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, UNLV School of Medicine, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA
| | | | - Daniel Gerrity
- Southern Nevada Water Authority, P.O. Box 99954, Las Vegas, NV 89193, USA
| | - Edwin C Oh
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Precision Medicine, UNLV School of Medicine, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA; Nevada Institute of Personalized Medicine, UNLV School of Medicine, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA; Department of Internal Medicine, UNLV School of Medicine, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA.
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83
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Schumann VF, de Castro Cuadrat RR, Wyler E, Wurmus R, Deter A, Quedenau C, Dohmen J, Faxel M, Borodina T, Blume A, Freimuth J, Meixner M, Grau JH, Liere K, Hackenbeck T, Zietzschmann F, Gnirss R, Böckelmann U, Uyar B, Franke V, Barke N, Altmüller J, Rajewsky N, Landthaler M, Akalin A. SARS-CoV-2 infection dynamics revealed by wastewater sequencing analysis and deconvolution. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 853:158931. [PMID: 36228784 PMCID: PMC9549760 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Revised: 08/27/2022] [Accepted: 09/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The use of RNA sequencing from wastewater samples is a valuable way for estimating infection dynamics and circulating lineages of SARS-CoV-2. This approach is independent from testing individuals and can therefore become the key tool to monitor this and potentially other viruses. However, it is equally important to develop easily accessible and scalable tools which can highlight critical changes in infection rates and dynamics over time across different locations given sequencing data from wastewater. Here, we provide an analysis of lineage dynamics in Berlin and New York City using wastewater sequencing and present PiGx SARS-CoV-2, a highly reproducible computational analysis pipeline with comprehensive reports. This end-to-end pipeline includes all steps from raw data to shareable reports, additional taxonomic analysis, deconvolution and geospatial time series analyses. Using simulated datasets (in silico generated and spiked-in samples) we could demonstrate the accuracy of our pipeline calculating proportions of Variants of Concern (VOC) from environmental as well as pre-mixed samples (spiked-in). By applying our pipeline on a dataset of wastewater samples from Berlin between February 2021 and January 2022, we could reconstruct the emergence of B.1.1.7(alpha) in February/March 2021 and the replacement dynamics from B.1.617.2 (delta) to BA.1 and BA.2 (omicron) during the winter of 2021/2022. Using data from very-short-reads generated in an industrial scale setting, we could see even higher accuracy in our deconvolution. Lastly, using a targeted sequencing dataset from New York City (receptor-binding-domain (RBD) only), we could reproduce the results recovering the proportions of the so-called cryptic lineages shown in the original study. Overall our study provides an in-depth analysis reconstructing virus lineage dynamics from wastewater. While applying our tool on a wide range of different datasets (from different types of wastewater sample locations and sequenced with different methods), we show that PiGx SARS-CoV-2 can be used to identify new mutations and detect any emerging new lineages in a highly automated and scalable way. Our approach can support efforts to establish continuous monitoring and early-warning projects for detecting SARS-CoV-2 or any other pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vic-Fabienne Schumann
- Bioinformatics & Omics Data Science Platform, Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Rafael Ricardo de Castro Cuadrat
- Bioinformatics & Omics Data Science Platform, Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Emanuel Wyler
- RNA Biology and Posttranscriptional Regulation, Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ricardo Wurmus
- Bioinformatics & Omics Data Science Platform, Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Aylina Deter
- RNA Biology and Posttranscriptional Regulation, Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Claudia Quedenau
- Genomics Platform, Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jan Dohmen
- Bioinformatics & Omics Data Science Platform, Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Miriam Faxel
- Bioinformatics & Omics Data Science Platform, Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Tatiana Borodina
- Genomics Platform, Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Alexander Blume
- Bioinformatics & Omics Data Science Platform, Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jonas Freimuth
- Bioinformatics & Omics Data Science Platform, Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Bora Uyar
- Bioinformatics & Omics Data Science Platform, Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Vedran Franke
- Bioinformatics & Omics Data Science Platform, Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Niclas Barke
- RNA Biology and Posttranscriptional Regulation, Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Janine Altmüller
- Genomics Platform, Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Nikolaus Rajewsky
- Systems Biology of Gene Regulatory Elements, Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Markus Landthaler
- RNA Biology and Posttranscriptional Regulation, Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Altuna Akalin
- Bioinformatics & Omics Data Science Platform, Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
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Gafurov A, Baláž A, Amman F, Boršová K, Čabanová V, Klempa B, Bergthaler A, Vinař T, Brejová B. VirPool: model-based estimation of SARS-CoV-2 variant proportions in wastewater samples. BMC Bioinformatics 2022; 23:551. [PMID: 36536300 PMCID: PMC9761630 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-022-05100-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The genomes of SARS-CoV-2 are classified into variants, some of which are monitored as variants of concern (e.g. the Delta variant B.1.617.2 or Omicron variant B.1.1.529). Proportions of these variants circulating in a human population are typically estimated by large-scale sequencing of individual patient samples. Sequencing a mixture of SARS-CoV-2 RNA molecules from wastewater provides a cost-effective alternative, but requires methods for estimating variant proportions in a mixed sample. RESULTS We propose a new method based on a probabilistic model of sequencing reads, capturing sequence diversity present within individual variants, as well as sequencing errors. The algorithm is implemented in an open source Python program called VirPool. We evaluate the accuracy of VirPool on several simulated and real sequencing data sets from both Illumina and nanopore sequencing platforms, including wastewater samples from Austria and France monitoring the onset of the Alpha variant. CONCLUSIONS VirPool is a versatile tool for wastewater and other mixed-sample analysis that can handle both short- and long-read sequencing data. Our approach does not require pre-selection of characteristic mutations for variant profiles, it is able to use the entire length of reads instead of just the most informative positions, and can also capture haplotype dependencies within a single read.
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Affiliation(s)
- Askar Gafurov
- grid.7634.60000000109409708Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Andrej Baláž
- grid.7634.60000000109409708Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Fabian Amman
- grid.4299.60000 0001 2169 3852CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Lazarettgasse 14 AKH BT 25.3, 1090 Vienna, Austria ,grid.22937.3d0000 0000 9259 8492Institute of Hygiene and Applied Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Kinderspitalsgasse 15, Vienna, 1090 Austria
| | - Kristína Boršová
- grid.419303.c0000 0001 2180 9405Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Viktória Čabanová
- grid.419303.c0000 0001 2180 9405Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Boris Klempa
- grid.419303.c0000 0001 2180 9405Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Andreas Bergthaler
- grid.4299.60000 0001 2169 3852CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Lazarettgasse 14 AKH BT 25.3, 1090 Vienna, Austria ,grid.22937.3d0000 0000 9259 8492Institute of Hygiene and Applied Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Kinderspitalsgasse 15, Vienna, 1090 Austria
| | - Tomáš Vinař
- grid.7634.60000000109409708Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Broňa Brejová
- grid.7634.60000000109409708Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
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85
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Levy A, Gazeley J, Lee T, Jardine A, Gordon C, Cooper N, Theobald R, Huppatz C, Sjollema S, Hodge M, Speers D. Whole genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 from wastewater links to individual cases in catchments. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 851:158266. [PMID: 36028041 PMCID: PMC9398818 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158266] [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: 03/10/2022] [Revised: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 08/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
After a limited first wave of community transmission in March 2020 and until 2022, Western Australia was largely free of COVID-19, with cases restricted to hotel quarantine, commercial vessels, and small, infrequent community clusters. Despite the low case load setting, sequencing of wastewater samples from large municipal treatment plants produced SARS-CoV-2 genomes with coverage up to 99.7 % and depth to 4000×, which was sufficient to link wastewater sequences to those of active cases in the catchment at the time. This study demonstrates that ≤5 positive individuals can be enough to produce high genomic coverage (>90 %) assemblies even in catchments of up to a quarter of a million people. Genomic analysis of wastewater contemporaneous with clinical cases can also be used to rule out transmission between cases in different catchments, when their SARS-CoV-2 genomes have distinguishing nucleotide polymorphisms. These findings reveal a greater potential of wastewater WGS to inform outbreak management and disease surveillance than previously recognized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avram Levy
- Department of Microbiology, PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA, Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia; School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia.
| | - Jake Gazeley
- Department of Microbiology, PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA, Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Terence Lee
- Department of Microbiology, PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA, Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Andrew Jardine
- Public Health Emergency Operations Centre, Health Department of Western Australia, Western Australia, Australia
| | | | - Natalie Cooper
- Department of Microbiology, PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA, Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Richard Theobald
- Environmental Health Directorate, Health Department of Western Australia, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Clare Huppatz
- Public Health Emergency Operations Centre, Health Department of Western Australia, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Sandra Sjollema
- Department of Microbiology, PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA, Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Meredith Hodge
- Department of Microbiology, PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA, Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia
| | - David Speers
- Department of Microbiology, PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA, Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia; School of Medicine, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
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86
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Amman F, Markt R, Endler L, Hupfauf S, Agerer B, Schedl A, Richter L, Zechmeister M, Bicher M, Heiler G, Triska P, Thornton M, Penz T, Senekowitsch M, Laine J, Keszei Z, Klimek P, Nägele F, Mayr M, Daleiden B, Steinlechner M, Niederstätter H, Heidinger P, Rauch W, Scheffknecht C, Vogl G, Weichlinger G, Wagner AO, Slipko K, Masseron A, Radu E, Allerberger F, Popper N, Bock C, Schmid D, Oberacher H, Kreuzinger N, Insam H, Bergthaler A. Viral variant-resolved wastewater surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 at national scale. Nat Biotechnol 2022; 40:1814-1822. [PMID: 35851376 DOI: 10.1038/s41587-022-01387-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 37.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 surveillance by wastewater-based epidemiology is poised to provide a complementary approach to sequencing individual cases. However, robust quantification of variants and de novo detection of emerging variants remains challenging for existing strategies. We deep sequenced 3,413 wastewater samples representing 94 municipal catchments, covering >59% of the population of Austria, from December 2020 to February 2022. Our system of variant quantification in sewage pipeline designed for robustness (termed VaQuERo) enabled us to deduce the spatiotemporal abundance of predefined variants from complex wastewater samples. These results were validated against epidemiological records of >311,000 individual cases. Furthermore, we describe elevated viral genetic diversity during the Delta variant period, provide a framework to predict emerging variants and measure the reproductive advantage of variants of concern by calculating variant-specific reproduction numbers from wastewater. Together, this study demonstrates the power of national-scale WBE to support public health and promises particular value for countries without extensive individual monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian Amman
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria.,Institute of Hygiene and Applied Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rudolf Markt
- Department of Microbiology, Universität Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Lukas Endler
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria.,Institute of Hygiene and Applied Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sebastian Hupfauf
- Department of Microbiology, Universität Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Benedikt Agerer
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Anna Schedl
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria.,Institute of Hygiene and Applied Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Lukas Richter
- Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES), Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Martin Bicher
- dwh GmbH, Vienna, Austria.,Institute for Information Systems Engineering, Technische Universität Wien, Vienna, Austria
| | - Georg Heiler
- Complexity Science Hub, Vienna, Austria.,Institute of Information Systems Engineering, Technische Universität Wien, Vienna, Austria
| | - Petr Triska
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria.,Institute of Hygiene and Applied Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Matthew Thornton
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria.,Institute of Hygiene and Applied Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Penz
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Martin Senekowitsch
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jan Laine
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Zsofia Keszei
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Peter Klimek
- Complexity Science Hub, Vienna, Austria.,Section for Science of Complex Systems, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Fabiana Nägele
- Department of Microbiology, Universität Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Markus Mayr
- Department of Microbiology, Universität Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Beatrice Daleiden
- Institute of Legal Medicine and Core Facility Metabolomics, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Martin Steinlechner
- Institute of Legal Medicine and Core Facility Metabolomics, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Harald Niederstätter
- Institute of Legal Medicine and Core Facility Metabolomics, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Petra Heidinger
- Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology GmbH, Graz, Austria
| | - Wolfgang Rauch
- Department of Infrastructure, Universität Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | | | - Gunther Vogl
- Institut für Lebensmittelsicherheit, Veterinärmedizin und Umwelt des Landes Kärnten, Klagenfurt am Wörthersee, Austria
| | - Günther Weichlinger
- Abteilung 12 - Wasserwirtschaft, Amt der Kärntner Landesregierung, Klagenfurt am Wörthersee, Austria
| | | | - Katarzyna Slipko
- Institute for Water Quality and Resource Management, Technische Universität Wien, Vienna, Austria
| | - Amandine Masseron
- Institute for Water Quality and Resource Management, Technische Universität Wien, Vienna, Austria
| | - Elena Radu
- Institute for Water Quality and Resource Management, Technische Universität Wien, Vienna, Austria.,Ştefan S. Nicolau Institute of Virology, Bucharest, Romania
| | | | - Niki Popper
- dwh GmbH, Vienna, Austria.,Institute for Information Systems Engineering, Technische Universität Wien, Vienna, Austria
| | - Christoph Bock
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria.,Institute of Artificial Intelligence, Center for Medical Statistics, Informatics, and Intelligent Systems, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Daniela Schmid
- Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES), Vienna, Austria
| | - Herbert Oberacher
- Institute of Legal Medicine and Core Facility Metabolomics, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Norbert Kreuzinger
- Institute for Water Quality and Resource Management, Technische Universität Wien, Vienna, Austria
| | - Heribert Insam
- Department of Microbiology, Universität Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Andreas Bergthaler
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria. .,Institute of Hygiene and Applied Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
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87
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Bonanno Ferraro G, Veneri C, Mancini P, Iaconelli M, Suffredini E, Bonadonna L, Lucentini L, Bowo-Ngandji A, Kengne-Nde C, Mbaga DS, Mahamat G, Tazokong HR, Ebogo-Belobo JT, Njouom R, Kenmoe S, La Rosa G. A State-of-the-Art Scoping Review on SARS-CoV-2 in Sewage Focusing on the Potential of Wastewater Surveillance for the Monitoring of the COVID-19 Pandemic. FOOD AND ENVIRONMENTAL VIROLOGY 2022; 14:315-354. [PMID: 34727334 PMCID: PMC8561373 DOI: 10.1007/s12560-021-09498-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
The outbreak of coronavirus infectious disease-2019 (COVID-19), caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has rapidly spread throughout the world. Several studies have shown that detecting SARS-CoV-2 in untreated wastewater can be a useful tool to identify new outbreaks, establish outbreak trends, and assess the prevalence of infections. On 06 May 2021, over a year into the pandemic, we conducted a scoping review aiming to summarize research data on SARS-CoV-2 in sewage. Papers dealing with raw sewage collected at wastewater treatment plants, sewer networks, septic tanks, and sludge treatment facilities were included in this review. We also reviewed studies on sewage collected in community settings such as private or municipal hospitals, healthcare facilities, nursing homes, dormitories, campuses, airports, aircraft, and cruise ships. The literature search was conducted using the electronic databases PubMed, EMBASE, and Web Science Core Collection. This comprehensive research yielded 1090 results, 66 of which met the inclusion criteria and are discussed in this review. Studies from 26 countries worldwide have investigated the occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 in sewage of different origin. The percentage of positive samples in sewage ranged from 11.6 to 100%, with viral concentrations ranging from ˂LOD to 4.6 × 108 genome copies/L. This review outlines the evidence currently available on wastewater surveillance: (i) as an early warning system capable of predicting COVID-19 outbreaks days or weeks before clinical cases; (ii) as a tool capable of establishing trends in current outbreaks; (iii) estimating the prevalence of infections; and (iv) studying SARS-CoV-2 genetic diversity. In conclusion, as a cost-effective, rapid, and reliable source of information on the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants in the population, wastewater surveillance can enhance genomic and epidemiological surveillance with independent and complementary data to inform public health decision-making during the ongoing pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Bonanno Ferraro
- Department of Environment and Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | | | - P Mancini
- Department of Environment and Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - M Iaconelli
- Department of Environment and Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - E Suffredini
- Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - L Bonadonna
- Department of Environment and Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - L Lucentini
- Department of Environment and Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - A Bowo-Ngandji
- Department of Microbiology, The University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon
| | - C Kengne-Nde
- Research Monitoring and Planning Unit, National Aids Control Committee, Douala, Cameroon
| | - D S Mbaga
- Department of Microbiology, The University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon
| | - G Mahamat
- Department of Microbiology, The University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon
| | - H R Tazokong
- Department of Microbiology, The University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon
| | - J T Ebogo-Belobo
- Medical Research Centre, Institute of Medical Research and Medicinal Plants Studies, Yaounde, Cameroon
| | - R Njouom
- Virology Department, Centre Pasteur of Cameroon, Yaounde, Cameroon
| | - S Kenmoe
- Virology Department, Centre Pasteur of Cameroon, Yaounde, Cameroon
| | - G La Rosa
- Department of Environment and Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
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88
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Smith T, Holm RH, Yeager R, Moore JB, Rouchka EC, Sokoloski KJ, Elliott EM, Talley D, Arora V, Moyer S, Bhatnagar A. Combining Community Wastewater Genomic Surveillance with State Clinical Surveillance: A Framework for SARS-CoV-2 Public Health Practice. FOOD AND ENVIRONMENTAL VIROLOGY 2022; 14:410-416. [PMID: 35982363 PMCID: PMC9387882 DOI: 10.1007/s12560-022-09531-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to develop a framework for combining community wastewater surveillance with state clinical surveillance for the confirmation of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants within the community and to provide recommendations on how to expand on such research and apply the findings in public health responses. Wastewater samples were collected weekly from 17 geographically resolved locations in Louisville/Jefferson County, Kentucky (USA), from February 10 to December 13, 2021. Genomic surveillance and quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) platforms were used to screen for SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater, and state clinical surveillance was used for confirmation. The study results highlighted an increased epidemiological value of combining community wastewater genomic surveillance and RT-qPCR with conventional case-auditing methods. The spatial scale and temporal frequency of wastewater sampling provided promising sensitivity and specificity for gaining public health screening insights about SARS-CoV-2 emergence, seeding, and spread in communities. Improved national surveillance systems are needed against future pathogens and variants, and wastewater-based genomic surveillance exhibits great potential when coupled with clinical testing. This paper presents evidence that complementary wastewater and clinical testing are cost-effectively enhanced when used in combination, as they provide a strong tool for a joint public health framework. Future pathogens of interest may be examined in either a targeted fashion or using a more global approach where all pathogens are monitored. This study has also provided novel insights developed from evidence-based public health practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ted Smith
- Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, 302 E. Muhammad Ali Blvd., Louisville, KY, 40202, USA
| | - Rochelle H Holm
- Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, 302 E. Muhammad Ali Blvd., Louisville, KY, 40202, USA.
| | - Ray Yeager
- Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, 302 E. Muhammad Ali Blvd., Louisville, KY, 40202, USA
- Center for Integrative Environmental Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, 500 S. Preston St., Louisville, KY, 40202, USA
| | - Joseph B Moore
- Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, 302 E. Muhammad Ali Blvd., Louisville, KY, 40202, USA
- Diabetes and Obesity Center, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, 580 S. Preston St., Louisville, KY, 40202, USA
| | - Eric C Rouchka
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, 319 Abraham Flexner Way, Louisville, KY, 40202, USA
| | - Kevin J Sokoloski
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, 505 S. Hancock St., Louisville, KY, 40202, USA
- Center for Predictive Medicine for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Louisville, 505 S. Hancock St., Louisville, KY, 40202, USA
| | - Erin M Elliott
- Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, 302 E. Muhammad Ali Blvd., Louisville, KY, 40202, USA
- Diabetes and Obesity Center, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, 580 S. Preston St., Louisville, KY, 40202, USA
| | - Daymond Talley
- Morris Forman Water Quality Treatment Center, Louisville/Jefferson County Metropolitan Sewer District, 4522 Algonquin Parkway, Louisville, KY, 40211, USA
| | - Vaneet Arora
- Division of Laboratory Services, Kentucky Department for Public Health, 100 Sower Blvd., Suite 204, Frankfort, KY, 40601, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Kentucky, 800 Rose St., Lexington, KY, 40536, USA
| | - Sarah Moyer
- Department of Health Management and System Sciences, School of Public Health and Information Sciences, University of Louisville, 485 E. Gray St., Louisville, KY, 40202, USA
- Department of Public Health and Wellness, Louisville-Jefferson County Metro Government, 400 E. Gray St., Louisville, KY, 40202, USA
| | - Aruni Bhatnagar
- Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, 302 E. Muhammad Ali Blvd., Louisville, KY, 40202, USA
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89
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Corpuz MVA, Buonerba A, Zarra T, Hasan SW, Korshin GV, Belgiorno V, Naddeo V. Advances in virus detection methods for wastewater-based epidemiological applications. CASE STUDIES IN CHEMICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING 2022; 6:100238. [PMID: 37520925 PMCID: PMC9339091 DOI: 10.1016/j.cscee.2022.100238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2022] [Revised: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is a powerful tool that has the potential to reveal the extent of an ongoing disease outbreak or to predict an emerging one. Recent studies have shown that SARS-CoV-2 concentration in wastewater may be correlated with the number of COVID-19 cases in the corresponding population. Most of the recent studies and applications of wastewater-based surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 applied the "gold standard" real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) detection method. However, this method also has its limitations. The paper aimed to present recent improvements and applications of the PCR-based methods for SARS-CoV-2 monitoring in wastewater. Furthermore, it aimed to review alternative methods utilized and/or proposed for the detection of the virus in wastewater matrices. From the review, it was found that several studies have investigated the use of reverse-transcription digital polymerase reaction (RT-dPCR), which was generally shown to have a lower limit of detection (LOD) over the RT-qPCR. Aside from this, non-PCR-based and non-RNA based methods have also been explored for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater, with detailed attention given to the detection of SARS-CoV-2 proteins. The potential methods for protein detection include mass spectrometry, the use of immunosensors, and nanotechnological applications. In addition, the review of recent studies also revealed two types of emerging methods related to the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater: i) capsid-integrity assays to infer about the infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 present in wastewater, and ii) alternative methods for detection of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) in wastewater. The recent studies on proposed methods of SARS-CoV-2 detection in wastewater have considered improving this approach in one or more of the following aspects: rapidity, simplicity, cost, sensitivity, and specificity. However, further studies are needed in order to realize the full application of these methods for WBE in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Vermi Aizza Corpuz
- Environmental Engineering Program, National Graduate School of Engineering, University of the Philippines, 1101 Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
| | - Antonio Buonerba
- Department of Chemistry and Biology "Adolfo Zambelli", University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II-132, 84084, Fisciano, Italy
| | - Tiziano Zarra
- Sanitary Environmental Engineering Division (SEED), Department of Civil Engineering, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II-132, 84084, Fisciano, Italy
| | - Shadi W Hasan
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 127788, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Gregory V Korshin
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Washington, Box 352700, Seattle, WA, 98105-2700, United States
| | - Vincenzo Belgiorno
- Sanitary Environmental Engineering Division (SEED), Department of Civil Engineering, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II-132, 84084, Fisciano, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Naddeo
- Sanitary Environmental Engineering Division (SEED), Department of Civil Engineering, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II-132, 84084, Fisciano, Italy
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90
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Silva CS, Tryndyak VP, Camacho L, Orloff MS, Porter A, Garner K, Mullis L, Azevedo M. Temporal dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 genome and detection of variants of concern in wastewater influent from two metropolitan areas in Arkansas. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 849:157546. [PMID: 35914602 PMCID: PMC9338166 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Revised: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Although SARS-CoV-2 can cause severe illness and death, a percentage of the infected population is asymptomatic. This, along with other factors, such as insufficient diagnostic testing and underreporting due to self-testing, contributes to the silent transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and highlights the importance of implementing additional surveillance tools. The fecal shedding of the virus from infected individuals enables its detection in community wastewater, and this has become a valuable public health tool worldwide as it allows the monitoring of the disease on a populational scale. Here, we monitored the presence of SARS-CoV-2 and its dynamic genomic changes in wastewater sampled from two metropolitan areas in Arkansas during major surges of COVID-19 cases and assessed how the viral titers in these samples related to the clinical case counts between late April 2020 and January 2022. The levels of SARS-CoV-2 RNA were quantified by reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) using a set of TaqMan assays targeting three different viral genes (encoding ORF1ab polyprotein, surface glycoprotein, and nucleocapsid phosphoprotein). An allele-specific RT-qPCR approach was used to screen the samples for SARS-CoV-2 mutations. The identity and genetic diversity of the virus were further investigated through amplicon-based RNA sequencing, and SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern were detected in wastewater samples throughout the duration of this study. Our data show how changes in the virus genome can affect the sensitivity of specific RT-qPCR assays used in COVID-19 testing with the surge of new variants. A significant association was observed between viral titers in wastewater and recorded number of COVID-19 cases in the areas studied, except when assays failed to detect targets due to the presence of particular variants. These findings support the use of wastewater surveillance as a reliable complementary tool for monitoring SARS-CoV-2 and its genetic variants at the community level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camila S Silva
- Division of Biochemical Toxicology, National Center for Toxicological Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Jefferson, AR, USA.
| | - Volodymyr P Tryndyak
- Division of Biochemical Toxicology, National Center for Toxicological Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Jefferson, AR, USA
| | - Luísa Camacho
- Division of Biochemical Toxicology, National Center for Toxicological Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Jefferson, AR, USA
| | - Mohammed S Orloff
- Department of Epidemiology, Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA; Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA; Center for the Studies of Tobacco, Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
| | - Austin Porter
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA; Arkansas Department of Health, Little Rock, AR, USA
| | - Kelley Garner
- Department of Epidemiology, Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA; Arkansas Department of Health, Little Rock, AR, USA
| | - Lisa Mullis
- Division of Microbiology, National Center for Toxicological Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Jefferson, AR, USA
| | - Marli Azevedo
- Division of Microbiology, National Center for Toxicological Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Jefferson, AR, USA
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91
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Xie L, Li J, Ai Y, He H, Chen X, Yin M, Li W, Huang W, Luo MY, He J. Current strategies for SARS-CoV-2 molecular detection. ANALYTICAL METHODS : ADVANCING METHODS AND APPLICATIONS 2022; 14:4625-4642. [PMID: 36349688 DOI: 10.1039/d2ay01313d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The molecular detection of SARS-CoV-2 is extremely important for the discovery and prevention of pandemic dissemination. Because SARS-CoV-2 is not always present in the samples that can be collected, the sample chosen for testing has inevitably become the key to the SARS-CoV-2 positive cases screening. The nucleotide amplification strategy mainly includes Q-PCR assays and isothermal amplification assays. The Q-PCR assay is the most used SARS-CoV-2 detection assay. Due to heavy expenditures and other drawbacks, isothermal amplification cannot replace the dominant position of the Q-PCR assay. The antibody-based detection combined with Q-PCR can help to find more positive cases than only using nucleotide amplification-based assays. Pooled testing based on Q-PCR significantly increases efficiency and reduces the cost of massive-scale screening. The endless stream of variants emerging across the world poses a great challenge to SARS-CoV-2 molecular detection. The multi-target assays and several other strategies have proved to be efficient in the detection of mutated SARS-CoV-2 variants. Further research work should concentrate on: (1) identifying more ideal sample plucking strategies, (2) ameliorating the Q-PCR primer and probes targeted toward mutated SARS-CoV-2 variants, (3) exploring more economical and precise isothermal amplification assays, and (4) developing more advanced strategies for antibody/antigen or engineered antibodies to ameliorate the antibody/antigen-based strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Xie
- Science and Technology Innovation Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, No. 12 Jichang Road, Guangzhou 510080, China.
| | - Junlin Li
- Science and Technology Innovation Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, No. 12 Jichang Road, Guangzhou 510080, China.
| | - Ying Ai
- Artemisinin Research Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Haolan He
- Guangzhou Eighth People's Hospital, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Xiuyun Chen
- Science and Technology Innovation Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, No. 12 Jichang Road, Guangzhou 510080, China.
| | - Mingyu Yin
- Science and Technology Innovation Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, No. 12 Jichang Road, Guangzhou 510080, China.
| | - Wanxi Li
- Science and Technology Innovation Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, No. 12 Jichang Road, Guangzhou 510080, China.
| | - Wenguan Huang
- Science and Technology Innovation Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, No. 12 Jichang Road, Guangzhou 510080, China.
| | - Min-Yi Luo
- Science and Technology Innovation Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, No. 12 Jichang Road, Guangzhou 510080, China.
| | - Jinyang He
- Science and Technology Innovation Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, No. 12 Jichang Road, Guangzhou 510080, China.
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92
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Wurtzer S, Levert M, Dhenain E, Accrombessi H, Manco S, Fagour N, Goulet M, Boudaud N, Gaillard L, Bertrand I, Challant J, Masnada S, Azimi S, Gillon-Ritz M, Robin A, Mouchel JM, Sig O, Moulin L. From Alpha to Omicron BA.2: New digital RT-PCR approach and challenges for SARS-CoV-2 VOC monitoring and normalization of variant dynamics in wastewater. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 848:157740. [PMID: 35917966 PMCID: PMC9338838 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157740] [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: 04/03/2022] [Revised: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, new variants have continuously emerged and spread in populations. Among these, variants of concern (VOC) have been the main culprits of successive epidemic waves, due to their transmissibility, pathogenicity or ability to escape the immune response. Quantification of the SARS-CoV-2 genomes in raw wastewater is a reliable approach well-described and widely deployed worldwide to monitor the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in human populations connected to sewage systems. Discrimination of VOCs in wastewater is also a major issue and can be achieved by genome sequencing or by detection of specific mutations suggesting the presence of VOCs. This study aimed to date the emergence of these VOCs (from Alpha to Omicron BA.2) by monitoring wastewater from the greater Paris area, France, but also to model the propagation dynamics of these VOCs and to characterize the replacement kinetics of the prevalent populations. These dynamics were compared to various individual-centered public health data, such as regional incidence and the proportions of VOCs identified by sequencing of strains isolated from patient. The viral dynamics in wastewater highlighted the impact of the vaccination strategy on the viral circulation within human populations but also suggested its potential effect on the selection of variants most likely to be propagated in immunized populations. Normalization of concentrations to capture population movements appeared statistically more reliable using variations in local drinking water consumption rather than using PMMoV concentrations because PMMoV fecal shedding was subject to variability and was not sufficiently relevant in this study. The dynamics of viral spread was observed earlier (about 13 days on the wave related to Omicron VOC) in raw wastewater than the regional incidence alerting to a possible risk of decorrelation between incidence and actual virus circulation probably resulting from a lower severity of infection in vaccinated populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastien Wurtzer
- Eau de Paris, Research & Development, 33 avenue Jean Jaures, FR-94200 Ivry sur Seine, France.
| | - Morgane Levert
- Sorbonne Universite, CNRS, EPHE, UMR 7619 Metis, e-LTER Zone Atelier Seine, F-75005 Paris, France
| | - Eloïse Dhenain
- Sorbonne Universite, CNRS, EPHE, UMR 7619 Metis, e-LTER Zone Atelier Seine, F-75005 Paris, France
| | - Heberte Accrombessi
- Eau de Paris, Research & Development, 33 avenue Jean Jaures, FR-94200 Ivry sur Seine, France
| | - Sandra Manco
- Eau de Paris, Research & Development, 33 avenue Jean Jaures, FR-94200 Ivry sur Seine, France
| | - Nathalie Fagour
- Eau de Paris, Research & Development, 33 avenue Jean Jaures, FR-94200 Ivry sur Seine, France
| | - Marion Goulet
- Eau de Paris, Research & Development, 33 avenue Jean Jaures, FR-94200 Ivry sur Seine, France
| | | | - Lucie Gaillard
- ACTALIA, Food Safety Department, F-50000 Saint-Lô, France
| | | | - Julie Challant
- University of Lorraine, CNRS, LCPME, F-54000 Nancy, France
| | - Sophie Masnada
- SIAM - STV, Avenue de la courtiere, FR-77400 Saint Thibault des vignes, France
| | - Sam Azimi
- SIAAP, Innovation Department, 82 Avenue Kléber, FR-92700 Colombes, France
| | - Miguel Gillon-Ritz
- Direction de la Proprete et de l'Eau - Service Technique de l'Eau et de l'Assainissement, Rue du Commandeur, FR-75014 Paris, France
| | - Alban Robin
- Eau de Paris, Research & Development, 33 avenue Jean Jaures, FR-94200 Ivry sur Seine, France
| | - Jean-Marie Mouchel
- Sorbonne Universite, CNRS, EPHE, UMR 7619 Metis, e-LTER Zone Atelier Seine, F-75005 Paris, France
| | - Obepine Sig
- Sorbonne Universite, CNRS, EPHE, UMR 7619 Metis, e-LTER Zone Atelier Seine, F-75005 Paris, France
| | - Laurent Moulin
- Eau de Paris, Research & Development, 33 avenue Jean Jaures, FR-94200 Ivry sur Seine, France
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93
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Mendoza Grijalva L, Brown B, Cauble A, Tarpeh WA. Diurnal Variability of SARS-CoV-2 RNA Concentrations in Hourly Grab Samples of Wastewater Influent during Low COVID-19 Incidence. ACS ES&T WATER 2022; 2:2125-2133. [PMID: 37552729 PMCID: PMC9063989 DOI: 10.1021/acsestwater.2c00061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Revised: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has been widely deployed during the COVID-19 pandemic, but with limited evaluation of the utility of discrete sampling for large sewersheds and low COVID-19 incidence. In this study, SARS-CoV-2 RNA was measured in 72 consecutive hourly influent grab samples collected at a wastewater treatment plant serving nearly 500 000 residents when incidence was low (approximately 20 cases per 100 000). We characterized diurnal variability and relationships between SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection and physicochemical covariates [flow rate, total ammonia nitrogen (TAN), and total solids (TS)]. The highest detection rate observed was 82% during the first peak flow, which occurred in the early afternoon (14:00). Higher detection rates were also observed when sampling above median TAN concentrations (71%; p < 0.01; median = 40.26 mg of NH4/L). SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations were weakly correlated with flow rate (Kendall's τ = 0.16; p < 0.01), TAN (τ = 0.19; p < 0.05), and TS (τ = 0.18; p < 0.01), suggesting generally low RNA sewer discharges as expected at low incidence. Our results elucidated sensible adjustments to maximize detection rates, including using multiple gene targets, collecting duplicate samples, and sampling during higher flow and TAN discharges. Optimizing the lower-incidence bounds of WBE can help assess its suitability for verifying COVID-19 reemergence or eradication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorelay Mendoza Grijalva
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering,
Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305,
United States
| | - Blake Brown
- Central Contra Costa Sanitary
District, Martinez, California 94553, United
States
| | - Amanda Cauble
- Central Contra Costa Sanitary
District, Martinez, California 94553, United
States
| | - William A. Tarpeh
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering,
Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305,
United States
- Department of Chemical Engineering,
Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305,
United States
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94
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Duvallet C, Wu F, McElroy KA, Imakaev M, Endo N, Xiao A, Zhang J, Floyd-O’Sullivan R, Powell MM, Mendola S, Wilson ST, Cruz F, Melman T, Sathyanarayana CL, Olesen SW, Erickson TB, Ghaeli N, Chai P, Alm EJ, Matus M. Nationwide Trends in COVID-19 Cases and SARS-CoV-2 RNA Wastewater Concentrations in the United States. ACS ES&T WATER 2022; 2:1899-1909. [PMID: 36380771 PMCID: PMC9092192 DOI: 10.1021/acsestwater.1c00434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology has emerged as a promising technology for population-level surveillance of COVID-19. In this study, we present results of a large nationwide SARS-CoV-2 wastewater monitoring system in the United States. We profile 55 locations with at least six months of sampling from April 2020 to May 2021. These locations represent more than 12 million individuals across 19 states. Samples were collected approximately weekly by wastewater treatment utilities as part of a regular wastewater surveillance service and analyzed for SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations. SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations were normalized to pepper mild mottle virus, an indicator of fecal matter in wastewater. We show that wastewater data reflect temporal and geographic trends in clinical COVID-19 cases and investigate the impact of normalization on correlations with case data within and across locations. We also provide key lessons learned from our broad-scale implementation of wastewater-based epidemiology, which can be used to inform wastewater-based epidemiology approaches for future emerging diseases. This work demonstrates that wastewater surveillance is a feasible approach for nationwide population-level monitoring of COVID-19 disease. With an evolving epidemic and effective vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, wastewater-based epidemiology can serve as a passive surveillance approach for detecting changing dynamics or resurgences of the virus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Duvallet
- Biobot
Analytics, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Fuqing Wu
- Center
for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- MIT
Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Kyle A. McElroy
- Biobot
Analytics, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Maxim Imakaev
- Biobot
Analytics, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Noriko Endo
- Biobot
Analytics, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Amy Xiao
- Center
for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- MIT
Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Jianbo Zhang
- Center
for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- MIT
Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | | | - Morgan M. Powell
- Biobot
Analytics, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Samuel Mendola
- Biobot
Analytics, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Shane T. Wilson
- Biobot
Analytics, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Francis Cruz
- Biobot
Analytics, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Tamar Melman
- Broad
Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | | | - Scott W. Olesen
- Biobot
Analytics, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Timothy B. Erickson
- Department
of Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
- Division
of Medical Toxicology, Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
- Harvard
Humanitarian Initiative, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
| | - Newsha Ghaeli
- Biobot
Analytics, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Peter Chai
- Division
of Medical Toxicology, Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
- The
Fenway Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- The
Koch Institute for Integrated Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139-4307, United States
| | - Eric J. Alm
- Biobot
Analytics, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- Center
for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- MIT
Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
- Broad
Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Mariana Matus
- Biobot
Analytics, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
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95
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Nguyen Quoc B, Saingam P, RedCorn R, Carter JA, Jain T, Candry P, Gattuso M, Huang MLW, Greninger AL, Meschke JS, Bryan A, Winkler MKH. Case Study: Impact of Diurnal Variations and Stormwater Dilution on SARS-CoV-2 RNA Signal Intensity at Neighborhood Scale Wastewater Pumping Stations. ACS ES&T WATER 2022; 2:1964-1975. [PMID: 37552740 PMCID: PMC9261832 DOI: 10.1021/acsestwater.2c00016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Revised: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater based epidemiology (WBE) has emerged as a tool to track the spread of SARS-CoV-2. However, sampling at wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) cannot identify transmission hotspots within a city. Here, we sought to understand the diurnal variations (24 h) in SARS-CoV-2 RNA titers at the neighborhood level, using pump stations that serve vulnerable communities (e.g., essential workers, more diverse communities). Hourly composite samples were collected from wastewater pump stations located in (i) a residential area and (ii) a shopping district. In the residential area, SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentration (N1, N2, and E assays) varied by up to 42-fold within a 24 h period. The highest viral load was observed between 5 and 7 am, when viral RNA was not diluted by stormwater. Normalizing peak concentrations during this time window with nutrient concentrations (N and P) enabled correcting for rainfall to connect sewage to clinical cases reported in the sewershed. Data from the shopping district pump station were inconsistent, probably due to the fluctuation of customers shopping at the mall. This work indicates pump stations serving the residential area offer a narrow time period of high signal intensity that could improve the sensitivity of WBE, and tracer compounds (N, P concentration) can be used to normalize SARS-CoV-2 signals during rainfall.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bao Nguyen Quoc
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering,
University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98105,
United States
| | - Prakit Saingam
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering,
University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98105,
United States
| | - Raymond RedCorn
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering,
University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98105,
United States
| | - John A. Carter
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering,
University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98105,
United States
| | - Tanisha Jain
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering,
University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98105,
United States
| | - Pieter Candry
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering,
University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98105,
United States
| | - Meghan Gattuso
- Seattle Public Utilities,
Seattle, Washington 98124, United States
| | - Meei-Li W. Huang
- Dept of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology,
University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98105,
United States
| | - Alexander L. Greninger
- Dept of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology,
University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98105,
United States
| | - John Scott Meschke
- Department of Environmental & Occupational Health
Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98105,
United States
| | - Andrew Bryan
- Dept of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology,
University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98105,
United States
| | - Mari K. H. Winkler
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering,
University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98105,
United States
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96
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Xie Y, Challis JK, Oloye FF, Asadi M, Cantin J, Brinkmann M, McPhedran KN, Hogan N, Sadowski M, Jones PD, Landgraff C, Mangat C, Servos MR, Giesy JP. RNA in Municipal Wastewater Reveals Magnitudes of COVID-19 Outbreaks across Four Waves Driven by SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern. ACS ES&T WATER 2022; 2:1852-1862. [PMID: 37552734 PMCID: PMC8887651 DOI: 10.1021/acsestwater.1c00349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2021] [Revised: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
There are no standardized protocols for quantifying severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in wastewater to date, especially for population normalization. Here, a pipeline was developed, applied, and assessed to quantify SARS-CoV-2 and key variants of concern (VOCs) RNA in wastewater at Saskatoon, Canada. Normalization approaches using recovery ratio and extraction efficiency, wastewater parameters, or population indicators were assessed by comparing to daily numbers of new cases. Viral load was positively correlated with daily new cases reported in the sewershed. Wastewater surveillance (WS) had a lead time of approximately 7 days, which indicated surges in the number of new cases. WS revealed the variant α and δ driving the third and fourth wave, respectively. The adjustment with the recovery ratio and extraction efficiency improved the correlation between viral load and daily new cases. Normalization of viral concentration to concentrations of the artificial sweetener acesulfame K improved the trend of viral load during the Christmas and New Year holidays when populations were dynamic and variable. Acesulfame K performed better than pepper mild mottle virus, creatinine, and ammonia for population normalization. Hence, quality controls to characterize recovery ratios and extraction efficiencies and population normalization with acesulfame are promising for precise WS programs supporting decision-making in public health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuwei Xie
- Toxicology Centre, University of
Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B3,
Canada
| | - Jonathan K. Challis
- Toxicology Centre, University of
Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B3,
Canada
| | - Femi F. Oloye
- Toxicology Centre, University of
Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B3,
Canada
| | - Mohsen Asadi
- Department of Civil, Geological and Environmental
Engineering, College of Engineering, University of
Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5A9,
Canada
| | - Jenna Cantin
- Toxicology Centre, University of
Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B3,
Canada
| | - Markus Brinkmann
- Toxicology Centre, University of
Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B3,
Canada
- School of Environment and Sustainability,
University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B3,
Canada
- Global Institute for Water Security,
University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 3H5,
Canada
| | - Kerry N. McPhedran
- Department of Civil, Geological and Environmental
Engineering, College of Engineering, University of
Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5A9,
Canada
- Global Institute for Water Security,
University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 3H5,
Canada
| | - Natacha Hogan
- Toxicology Centre, University of
Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B3,
Canada
- College of Agriculture and Bioresources, Department of
Animal and Poultry Sciences, University of Saskatchewan,
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5A8, Canada
| | - Mike Sadowski
- Wastewater Treatment Plant, Saskatoon Water Department,
City of Saskatoon, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7M 1X5,
Canada
| | - Paul D. Jones
- Toxicology Centre, University of
Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B3,
Canada
- School of Environment and Sustainability,
University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B3,
Canada
| | - Chrystal Landgraff
- Division of Enteric Diseases, National Microbiology
Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba
R3E 3R2, Canada
- Food Science Department, University of
Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Chand Mangat
- Antimicrobial Resistance and Nosocomial Infections,
National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of
Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3E 3R2, Canada
| | - Mark R. Servos
- Department of Biology, University of
Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - John P. Giesy
- Toxicology Centre, University of
Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B3,
Canada
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences,
University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B4,
Canada
- Department of Environmental Sciences,
Baylor University, Waco, Texas 76706, United
States
- Department of Zoology and Center for Integrative
Toxicology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
48824, United States
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97
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Duvallet C, Wu F, McElroy KA, Imakaev M, Endo N, Xiao A, Zhang J, Floyd-O'Sullivan R, Powell MM, Mendola S, Wilson ST, Cruz F, Melman T, Sathyanarayana CL, Olesen SW, Erickson TB, Ghaeli N, Chai P, Alm EJ, Matus M. Nationwide Trends in COVID-19 Cases and SARS-CoV-2 RNA Wastewater Concentrations in the United States. ACS ES&T WATER 2022; 2:1899-1909. [PMID: 36380771 DOI: 10.1101/2021.09.08.21263283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology has emerged as a promising technology for population-level surveillance of COVID-19. In this study, we present results of a large nationwide SARS-CoV-2 wastewater monitoring system in the United States. We profile 55 locations with at least six months of sampling from April 2020 to May 2021. These locations represent more than 12 million individuals across 19 states. Samples were collected approximately weekly by wastewater treatment utilities as part of a regular wastewater surveillance service and analyzed for SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations. SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations were normalized to pepper mild mottle virus, an indicator of fecal matter in wastewater. We show that wastewater data reflect temporal and geographic trends in clinical COVID-19 cases and investigate the impact of normalization on correlations with case data within and across locations. We also provide key lessons learned from our broad-scale implementation of wastewater-based epidemiology, which can be used to inform wastewater-based epidemiology approaches for future emerging diseases. This work demonstrates that wastewater surveillance is a feasible approach for nationwide population-level monitoring of COVID-19 disease. With an evolving epidemic and effective vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, wastewater-based epidemiology can serve as a passive surveillance approach for detecting changing dynamics or resurgences of the virus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Duvallet
- Biobot Analytics, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Fuqing Wu
- Center for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- MIT Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Kyle A McElroy
- Biobot Analytics, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Maxim Imakaev
- Biobot Analytics, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Noriko Endo
- Biobot Analytics, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Amy Xiao
- Center for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- MIT Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Jianbo Zhang
- Center for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- MIT Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | | | - Morgan M Powell
- Biobot Analytics, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Samuel Mendola
- Biobot Analytics, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Shane T Wilson
- Biobot Analytics, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Francis Cruz
- Biobot Analytics, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Tamar Melman
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | | | - Scott W Olesen
- Biobot Analytics, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Timothy B Erickson
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
- Division of Medical Toxicology, Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
- Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
| | - Newsha Ghaeli
- Biobot Analytics, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Peter Chai
- Division of Medical Toxicology, Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
- The Fenway Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- The Koch Institute for Integrated Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139-4307, United States
| | - Eric J Alm
- Biobot Analytics, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- Center for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- MIT Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Mariana Matus
- Biobot Analytics, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| |
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98
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Brian I, Manuzzi A, Dalla Rovere G, Giussani E, Palumbo E, Fusaro A, Bonfante F, Bortolami A, Quaranta EG, Monne I, Patarnello T, Bargelloni L, Terregino C, Holmes EC, Todesco G, Sorrentino F, Berton A, Badetti C, Carrer C, Ferrari G, Zincone C, Milan M, Panzarin V. Molecular Monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 in Different Sewage Plants in Venice and the Implications for Genetic Surveillance. ACS ES&T WATER 2022; 2:1953-1963. [PMID: 37552713 PMCID: PMC9115883 DOI: 10.1021/acsestwater.2c00013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Revised: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology is now widely used as an indirect tool to monitor the spread of SARS-CoV-2. In this study, five different sample matrices representing diverse phases of the wastewater treatment process were collected during the second wave of SARS-CoV-2 from two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) serving the Civil Hospital and Sacca Fisola island in Venice, Italy. Positive SARS-CoV-2 detections occurred at both WWTPs, and data on viral genome detection rate and quantification suggest that the pellet (i.e., the particulate resulting from the influent) is a sensitive matrix that permits reliable assessment of infection prevalence while reducing time to results. On the contrary, analysis of post-treatment matrices provides evidence of the decontamination efficacy of both WWTPs. Finally, direct sequencing of wastewater samples enabled us to identify B.1.177 and B.1.160 as the prevalent SARS-CoV-2 lineages circulating in Venice at the time of sampling. This study confirmed the suitability of wastewater testing for studying SARS-CoV-2 circulation and established a simplified workflow for the prompt detection and characterization of the virus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Brian
- Division of Comparative Biomedical Sciences,
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Viale
dell’Università 10, 35020 Legnaro, Padova, Italy
| | - Alice Manuzzi
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food
Science, University of Padova, Viale
dell’Università 16, 35020 Legnaro, Padova, Italy
| | - Giulia Dalla Rovere
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food
Science, University of Padova, Viale
dell’Università 16, 35020 Legnaro, Padova, Italy
| | - Edoardo Giussani
- Division of Comparative Biomedical Sciences,
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Viale
dell’Università 10, 35020 Legnaro, Padova, Italy
| | - Elisa Palumbo
- Division of Comparative Biomedical Sciences,
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Viale
dell’Università 10, 35020 Legnaro, Padova, Italy
| | - Alice Fusaro
- Division of Comparative Biomedical Sciences,
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Viale
dell’Università 10, 35020 Legnaro, Padova, Italy
| | - Francesco Bonfante
- Division of Comparative Biomedical Sciences,
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Viale
dell’Università 10, 35020 Legnaro, Padova, Italy
| | - Alessio Bortolami
- Division of Comparative Biomedical Sciences,
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Viale
dell’Università 10, 35020 Legnaro, Padova, Italy
| | - Erika Giorgia Quaranta
- Division of Comparative Biomedical Sciences,
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Viale
dell’Università 10, 35020 Legnaro, Padova, Italy
| | - Isabella Monne
- Division of Comparative Biomedical Sciences,
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Viale
dell’Università 10, 35020 Legnaro, Padova, Italy
| | - Tomaso Patarnello
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food
Science, University of Padova, Viale
dell’Università 16, 35020 Legnaro, Padova, Italy
| | - Luca Bargelloni
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food
Science, University of Padova, Viale
dell’Università 16, 35020 Legnaro, Padova, Italy
| | - Calogero Terregino
- Division of Comparative Biomedical Sciences,
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Viale
dell’Università 10, 35020 Legnaro, Padova, Italy
| | - Edward C. Holmes
- Sydney Institute for Infectious Diseases, School of Life
and Environmental Sciences and School of Medical Sciences, University of
Sydney, Sydney 2006, Australia
| | | | - Francesco Sorrentino
- Provveditorato interregionale per il
Veneto, Trentino AA, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Ponte di Rialto, 19, Venezia,
30125, Italy
| | | | | | | | | | - Cinzia Zincone
- Provveditorato interregionale per il
Veneto, Trentino AA, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Ponte di Rialto, 19, Venezia,
30125, Italy
| | - Massimo Milan
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food
Science, University of Padova, Viale
dell’Università 16, 35020 Legnaro, Padova, Italy
| | - Valentina Panzarin
- Division of Comparative Biomedical Sciences,
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Viale
dell’Università 10, 35020 Legnaro, Padova, Italy
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99
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Wilhelm A, Schoth J, Meinert-Berning C, Agrawal S, Bastian D, Orschler L, Ciesek S, Teichgräber B, Wintgens T, Lackner S, Weber FA, Widera M. Wastewater surveillance allows early detection of SARS-CoV-2 omicron in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 846:157375. [PMID: 35850355 PMCID: PMC9287496 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Revised: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/10/2022] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has demonstrated its importance to support SARS-CoV-2 epidemiology complementing individual testing strategies. Due to their immune-evasive potential and the resulting significance for public health, close monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VoC) is required to evaluate the regulation of early local countermeasures. In this study, we demonstrate a rapid workflow for wastewater-based early detection and monitoring of the newly emerging SARS-CoV-2 VoCs Omicron in the end of 2021 at the municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) Emschermuendung (KLEM) in the Federal State of North-Rhine-Westphalia (NRW, Germany). Initially, available primers detecting Omicron-related mutations were rapidly validated in a central laboratory. Subsequently, RT-qPCR analysis of purified SARS-CoV-2 RNA was performed in a decentral PCR laboratory in close proximity to KLEM. This decentralized approach enabled the early detection of K417N present in Omicron in samples collected on 8th December 2021 and the detection of further mutations (N501Y, Δ69/70) in subsequent biweekly sampling campaigns. The presence of Omicron in wastewater was confirmed by next generation sequencing (NGS) in a central laboratory with samples obtained on 14th December 2021. Moreover, the relative increase of the mutant fraction of Omicron was quantitatively monitored over time by dPCR in a central PCR laboratory starting on 12th December 2021 confirming Omicron as the dominant variant by the end of 2021. In conclusions, WBE plays a crucial role in surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 variants and is suitable as an early warning system to identify variant emergence. In particular, the successive workflow using RT-qPCR, RT-dPCR and NGS demonstrates the strength of WBE as a versatile tool to monitor variant spreading.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Wilhelm
- Institute for Medical Virology, University Hospital, Goethe University Frankfurt, Paul-Ehrlich-Str. 40, D-60596 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Jens Schoth
- Emschergenossenschaft/Lippeverband, Kronprinzenstraße 24, D-45128 Essen, Germany
| | | | - Shelesh Agrawal
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Sciences, Institute IWAR, Water and Environmental Biotechnology, Technical University of Darmstadt, D-64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Daniel Bastian
- FiW e.V., Research Institute for Water Management and Climate Future at RWTH Aachen University, Kackertstraße 15- 17, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - Laura Orschler
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Sciences, Institute IWAR, Water and Environmental Biotechnology, Technical University of Darmstadt, D-64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Sandra Ciesek
- Institute for Medical Virology, University Hospital, Goethe University Frankfurt, Paul-Ehrlich-Str. 40, D-60596 Frankfurt, Germany; German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), 38124 Braunschweig, Germany; Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, Theodor Stern Kai 7, D-60595 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Burkhard Teichgräber
- Emschergenossenschaft/Lippeverband, Kronprinzenstraße 24, D-45128 Essen, Germany
| | - Thomas Wintgens
- FiW e.V., Research Institute for Water Management and Climate Future at RWTH Aachen University, Kackertstraße 15- 17, D-52056 Aachen, Germany; Institute of Environmental Engineering, RWTH Aachen University, Mies-van-der-Rohe-Strasse 1, D-52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Susanne Lackner
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Sciences, Institute IWAR, Water and Environmental Biotechnology, Technical University of Darmstadt, D-64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Frank-Andreas Weber
- FiW e.V., Research Institute for Water Management and Climate Future at RWTH Aachen University, Kackertstraße 15- 17, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - Marek Widera
- Institute for Medical Virology, University Hospital, Goethe University Frankfurt, Paul-Ehrlich-Str. 40, D-60596 Frankfurt, Germany.
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100
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Baaijens JA, Zulli A, Ott IM, Nika I, van der Lugt MJ, Petrone ME, Alpert T, Fauver JR, Kalinich CC, Vogels CBF, Breban MI, Duvallet C, McElroy KA, Ghaeli N, Imakaev M, Mckenzie-Bennett MF, Robison K, Plocik A, Schilling R, Pierson M, Littlefield R, Spencer ML, Simen BB, Hanage WP, Grubaugh ND, Peccia J, Baym M. Lineage abundance estimation for SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater using transcriptome quantification techniques. Genome Biol 2022; 23:236. [PMID: 36348471 PMCID: PMC9643916 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-022-02805-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Effectively monitoring the spread of SARS-CoV-2 mutants is essential to efforts to counter the ongoing pandemic. Predicting lineage abundance from wastewater, however, is technically challenging. We show that by sequencing SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater and applying algorithms initially used for transcriptome quantification, we can estimate lineage abundance in wastewater samples. We find high variability in signal among individual samples, but the overall trends match those observed from sequencing clinical samples. Thus, while clinical sequencing remains a more sensitive technique for population surveillance, wastewater sequencing can be used to monitor trends in mutant prevalence in situations where clinical sequencing is unavailable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmijn A Baaijens
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Intelligent Systems, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands.
| | - Alessandro Zulli
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Isabel M Ott
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Ioanna Nika
- Department of Intelligent Systems, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands
| | - Mart J van der Lugt
- Department of Intelligent Systems, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands
| | - Mary E Petrone
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Tara Alpert
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Joseph R Fauver
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Chaney C Kalinich
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Chantal B F Vogels
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Mallery I Breban
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - William P Hanage
- Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics and Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Nathan D Grubaugh
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Jordan Peccia
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Michael Baym
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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