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Deák G, Prangate R, Croitoru C, Matei M, Boboc M. The first detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the wastewater of Bucharest, Romania. Sci Rep 2024; 14:21730. [PMID: 39289536 PMCID: PMC11408638 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-72854-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2024] [Accepted: 09/11/2024] [Indexed: 09/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has been previously used as a tool for pathogen identification within communities. After the SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) outbreak, in 2020, Daughton proposed the implementation of a wastewater surveillance strategy that could determine the incidence of COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) nationally. Individuals in various stages of SARS-CoV-2 infection, including presymptomatic, asymptomatic and symptomatic patients, can be identified as carriers of the virus in their urine, saliva, stool and other bodily secretions. Studies using this method were conducted to monitor the prevalence of the virus in high-density populations, such as cities but also in smaller communities, such as schools and college campuses. The aim of this pilot study was to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of wastewater surveillance in Bucharest, Romania, and wastewater samples were collected weekly from seven locations between July and September 2023. RNA (ribonucleic acid) extraction, followed by dPCR (digital polymerase chain reaction) analysis, was performed to detect viral genetic material. Additionally, NGS (next generation sequencing) technology was used to identify the circulating variants within the wastewater of Bucharest, Romania. Preliminary results indicate the successful detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater, providing valuable insights into the circulation of the virus within the community.
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Affiliation(s)
- György Deák
- National Institute for Research and Development in Environmental Protection, Splaiul Independenţei 294, 060031, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Raluca Prangate
- National Institute for Research and Development in Environmental Protection, Splaiul Independenţei 294, 060031, Bucharest, Romania.
| | - Cristina Croitoru
- National Institute for Research and Development in Environmental Protection, Splaiul Independenţei 294, 060031, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Monica Matei
- National Institute for Research and Development in Environmental Protection, Splaiul Independenţei 294, 060031, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Mădălina Boboc
- National Institute for Research and Development in Environmental Protection, Splaiul Independenţei 294, 060031, Bucharest, Romania
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2
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Huang J, Fraser A, Jiang X. Persistence of two coronaviruses and efficacy of steam vapor disinfection on two types of carpet. Virol J 2024; 21:207. [PMID: 39223556 PMCID: PMC11367742 DOI: 10.1186/s12985-024-02478-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2024] [Accepted: 08/20/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Coronaviruses, a group of highly transmissible and potentially pathogenic viruses, can be transmitted indirectly to humans via fomites. To date, no study has investigated their persistence on carpet fibers. Establishing persistence is essential before testing the efficacy of a disinfectant. METHODS The persistence of BCoV and HCoV OC43 on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and nylon carpet was first determined using infectivity and RT-qPCR assays. Then, the disinfectant efficacy of steam vapor was evaluated against both coronaviruses on nylon carpet. RESULTS Immediately after inoculation of carpet coupons, 32.50% of BCoV and 3.87% of HCoV OC43 were recovered from PET carpet, compared to 34.86% of BCoV and 24.37% of HCoV OC43 recovered from nylon carpet. After incubation at room temperature for 1 h, BCoV and HCoV OC43 showed a 3.6 and > 2.8 log10 TCID50 reduction on PET carpet, and a 0.6 and 1.8 log10 TCID50 reduction on nylon carpet. Based on first-order decay kinetics, the whole gRNA of BCoV and HCoV OC43 were stable with k values of 1.19 and 0.67 h- 1 on PET carpet and 0.86 and 0.27 h- 1 on nylon carpet, respectively. A 15-s steam vapor treatment achieved a > 3.0 log10 TCID50 reduction of BCoV and > 3.2 log10 TCID50 reduction of HCoV OC43 on nylon carpet. CONCLUSION BCoV was more resistant to desiccation on both carpet types than HCoV OC43. Both viruses lost infectivity quicker on PET carpet than on nylon carpet. Steam vapor inactivated both coronaviruses on nylon carpet within 15 s.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinge Huang
- Department of Food, Nutrition, and Packaging Sciences, Clemson University, 228A Life Science Facility, Clemson, SC, 29634, USA
| | - Angela Fraser
- Department of Food, Nutrition, and Packaging Sciences, Clemson University, 228A Life Science Facility, Clemson, SC, 29634, USA
| | - Xiuping Jiang
- Department of Food, Nutrition, and Packaging Sciences, Clemson University, 228A Life Science Facility, Clemson, SC, 29634, USA.
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3
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Belotserkovsky I, Stabryla LM, Hunter M, Allegretti J, Callahan BJ, Carlson PE, Daschner PJ, Goudarzi M, Guyard C, Jackson SA, Rao K, Servetas SL, Sokol H, Wargo JA, Novick S. Standards for fecal microbiota transplant: Tools and therapeutic advances. Biologicals 2024; 86:101758. [PMID: 38518435 DOI: 10.1016/j.biologicals.2024.101758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has been demonstrated to be efficacious in preventing recurrent Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) infections, and is being investigated for treatment of several other diseases including inflammatory bowel disease, cancer, obesity, liver disease, and diabetes. To speed up the translation of FMT into clinical practice as a safe and standardized therapeutic intervention, additional evidence-based technical and regulatory guidance is needed. To this end in May of 2022, the International Alliance for Biological Standardization (IABS) and the BIOASTER Microbiology Technology Institute hosted a second webinar to discuss key issues still impeding the advancement and standardization of FMT. The goal of this two-day webinar was to provide a forum for scientific experts to share and discuss data and key challenges with one another. Discussion included a focus on the evaluation of safety, efficacy, clinical trial design, reproducibility and accuracy in obtained microbiome measurements and data reporting, and the potential for standardization across these areas. It also focused on increasing the application potential and visibility of FMT beyond treating C. difficile infections.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lisa M Stabryla
- Complex Microbial Systems Group, Biosystems and Biomaterials Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
| | - Monique Hunter
- Complex Microbial Systems Group, Biosystems and Biomaterials Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
| | - Jessica Allegretti
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Endoscopy, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Benjamin J Callahan
- Bioinformatics Research Center, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, 27606, USA; Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, 27607, USA
| | - Paul E Carlson
- Laboratory of Mucosal Pathogens and Cellular Immunology, Division of Bacterial, Parasitic, and Allergenic Products, Office of Vaccines Research and Review, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Phillip J Daschner
- Division of Cancer Biology, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | | | - Cyril Guyard
- BIOSTER Technological Research Institute, Lyon, France
| | - Scott A Jackson
- Complex Microbial Systems Group, Biosystems and Biomaterials Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
| | - Krishna Rao
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Stephanie L Servetas
- Complex Microbial Systems Group, Biosystems and Biomaterials Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
| | - Harry Sokol
- Assistance Publique des Hôpitaux de Paris, Saint-Antoine Hospital, Gastroenterology Department, Paris, France
| | - Jennifer A Wargo
- Departments of Surgical Oncology and Genomic Medicine, The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Shawn Novick
- BioPhia Consulting, Inc., 7307 W. Green Lake Dr. N., Seattle, WA, 98103, USA.
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4
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Tandukar S, Thakali O, Tiwari A, Baral R, Malla B, Haramoto E, Shakya J, Tuladhar R, Joshi DR, Sharma B, Shrestha BR, Sherchan SP. Application of Skimmed-Milk Flocculation Method for Wastewater Surveillance of COVID-19 in Kathmandu, Nepal. Pathogens 2024; 13:366. [PMID: 38787218 PMCID: PMC11124307 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens13050366] [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: 12/28/2023] [Revised: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Wastewater surveillance (WS) has been used globally as a complementary tool to monitor the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) throughout the pandemic. However, a concern about the appropriateness of WS in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) exists due to low sewer coverage and expensive viral concentration methods. In this study, influent wastewater samples (n = 63) collected from two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) of the Kathmandu Valley between March 2021 and February 2022 were concentrated using the economical skimmed-milk flocculation method (SMFM). The presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was tested by qPCR using assays that target the nucleocapsid (N) and envelope (E) genes. Overall, 84% (53/63) of the total samples were positive for SARS-CoV-2 according to at least one of the tested assays, with concentrations ranging from 3.5 to 8.3 log10 gene copies/L, indicating the effectiveness of the SMFM. No correlation was observed between the total number of COVID-19 cases and SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations in wastewater collected from the two WWTPs (p > 0.05). This finding cautions the prediction of future COVID-19 waves and the estimation of the number of COVID-19 cases based on wastewater concentration in settings with low sewer coverage by WWTPs. Future studies on WS in LMICs are recommended to be conducted by downscaling to sewer drainage, targeting a limited number of houses. Overall, this study supports the notion that SMFM can be an excellent economical virus-concentrating method for WS of COVID-19 in LMICs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarmila Tandukar
- Organization for Public Health and Environmental Management, Lalitpur 44700, Nepal; (S.T.); (O.T.)
| | - Ocean Thakali
- Organization for Public Health and Environmental Management, Lalitpur 44700, Nepal; (S.T.); (O.T.)
| | - Ananda Tiwari
- Expert Microbiology Research Unit, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, 70701 Kuopio, Finland;
| | - Rakshya Baral
- Center of Research Excellence in Wastewater Based Epidemiology, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD 21251, USA;
| | - Bikash Malla
- Interdisciplinary Center for River Basin Environment, University of Yamanashi, 4-3-11 Takeda, Kofu 400-8511, Yamanashi, Japan (E.H.)
| | - Eiji Haramoto
- Interdisciplinary Center for River Basin Environment, University of Yamanashi, 4-3-11 Takeda, Kofu 400-8511, Yamanashi, Japan (E.H.)
| | - Jivan Shakya
- Central Department of Microbiology, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu 46000, Nepal
| | - Reshma Tuladhar
- Central Department of Microbiology, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu 46000, Nepal
| | - Dev Raj Joshi
- Central Department of Microbiology, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu 46000, Nepal
| | - Bhawana Sharma
- Environment and Public Health Organization, Kathmandu 44600, Nepal
| | | | - Samendra P. Sherchan
- Organization for Public Health and Environmental Management, Lalitpur 44700, Nepal; (S.T.); (O.T.)
- Center of Research Excellence in Wastewater Based Epidemiology, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD 21251, USA;
- Interdisciplinary Center for River Basin Environment, University of Yamanashi, 4-3-11 Takeda, Kofu 400-8511, Yamanashi, Japan (E.H.)
- Central Department of Microbiology, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu 46000, Nepal
- Department of Environmental Health, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
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Tran DPH, You BC, Liu CW, Chen YN, Wang YF, Chung SN, Lee JJ, You SJ. Identifying spatiotemporal trends of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater: from the perspective of upstream and downstream wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE). ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2024; 31:11576-11590. [PMID: 38221556 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-31769-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 12/25/2023] [Indexed: 01/16/2024]
Abstract
Recently, many efforts have been made to address the rapid spread of newly identified COVID-19 virus variants. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is considered a potential early warning tool for identifying the rapid spread of this virus. This study investigated the occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 in eight wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and their sewerage systems which serve most of the population in Taoyuan City, Taiwan. Across the entire study period, the wastewater viral concentrations were correlated with the number of COVID-19 cases in each WWTP (Spearman's r = 0.23-0.76). In addition, it is confirmed that several treatment technologies could effectively eliminate the virus RNA from WWTP influent (> 90%). On the other hand, further results revealed that an inverse distance weighted (IDW) interpolation and hotspot model combined with the geographic information system (GIS) method could be applied to analyze the spatiotemporal variations of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater from the sewer system. In addition, socio-economic factors, namely, population density, land use, and income tax were successfully identified as the potential drivers which substantially affected the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak in Taiwan. Finally, the data obtained from this study can provide a powerful tool in public health decision-making not only in response to the current epidemic situation but also to other epidemic issues in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duyen Phuc-Hanh Tran
- Department of Civil Engineering, Chung Yuan Christian University, Taoyuan City, 320, Taiwan, Republic of China
- Center for Environmental Risk Management, Chung Yuan Christian University, Taoyuan City, 320, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Bo-Cheng You
- Center for Environmental Risk Management, Chung Yuan Christian University, Taoyuan City, 320, Taiwan, Republic of China
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Chung Yuan Christian University, Taoyuan City, 320, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Chen-Wuing Liu
- Department of Water Resource, Taoyuan City Government, Taoyuan City, 320, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Yi-Ning Chen
- Department of Bioscience Technology, Chung Yuan Christian University, Taoyuan City, 320, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Ya-Fen Wang
- Center for Environmental Risk Management, Chung Yuan Christian University, Taoyuan City, 320, Taiwan, Republic of China
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Chung Yuan Christian University, Taoyuan City, 320, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Shu-Nu Chung
- Department of Water Resource, Taoyuan City Government, Taoyuan City, 320, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Jin-Jing Lee
- Department of Water Resource, Taoyuan City Government, Taoyuan City, 320, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Sheng-Jie You
- Center for Environmental Risk Management, Chung Yuan Christian University, Taoyuan City, 320, Taiwan, Republic of China.
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Chung Yuan Christian University, Taoyuan City, 320, Taiwan, Republic of China.
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6
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Thomas J, Mughal F, Roper KJ, Kotsiri A, Albalawi W, Alshehri A, Reddy YBS, Mukherjee S, Pollakis G, Paxton WA, Hoptroff M. Development of a pseudo-typed virus particle based method to determine the efficacy of virucidal agents. Sci Rep 2024; 14:2174. [PMID: 38273020 PMCID: PMC10810821 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-52177-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
The ongoing Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has highlighted the threat that viral outbreaks pose to global health. A key tool in the arsenal to prevent and control viral disease outbreaks is disinfection of equipment and surfaces with formulations that contain virucidal agents (VA). However, assessment of the efficacy of virus inactivation often requires live virus assays or surrogate viruses such as Modified Vaccinia Virus Ankara (MVA), which can be expensive, time consuming and technically challenging. Therefore, we have developed a pseudo-typed virus (PV) based approach to assess the inactivation of enveloped viruses with a fast and quantitative output that can be adapted to emerging viruses. Additionally, we have developed a method to completely remove the cytotoxicity of virucidal agents while retaining the required sensitivity to measure PV infectivity. Our results indicated that the removal of cytotoxicity was an essential step to accurately measure virus inactivation. Further, we demonstrated that there was no difference in susceptibility to virus inactivation between PVs that express the envelopes of HIV-1, SARS-CoV-2, and Influenza A/Indonesia. Therefore, we have developed an effective and safe alternative to live virus assays that enables the rapid assessment of virucidal activity for the development and optimization of virucidal reagents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan Thomas
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology (CIMI), Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences (IVES), University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7BE, UK.
| | - Farah Mughal
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology (CIMI), Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences (IVES), University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7BE, UK
| | - Kelly J Roper
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology (CIMI), Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences (IVES), University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7BE, UK
| | - Aurelia Kotsiri
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology (CIMI), Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences (IVES), University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7BE, UK
| | - Wejdan Albalawi
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology (CIMI), Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences (IVES), University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7BE, UK
| | - Abdullateef Alshehri
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology (CIMI), Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences (IVES), University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7BE, UK
| | - Yugandhar B S Reddy
- Unilever Research & Development Centre, 64 Main Road, Whitefield, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560066, India
| | - Sayandip Mukherjee
- Unilever Research & Development Centre, 64 Main Road, Whitefield, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560066, India
| | - Georgios Pollakis
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology (CIMI), Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences (IVES), University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7BE, UK.
| | - William A Paxton
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology (CIMI), Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences (IVES), University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7BE, UK.
| | - Michael Hoptroff
- Unilever Research & Development, Port Sunlight, Bebington, Wirral, CH63 3JW, UK.
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7
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Sherchan S, Thakali O, Ikner LA, Gerba CP. Survival of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 882:163049. [PMID: 36990233 PMCID: PMC10041870 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163049] [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: 02/05/2023] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
The ongoing pandemic of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has affected >600 million people with >6 million deaths. Although Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the etiologic agent of COVID-19, is transmitted via respiratory droplets or direct contact, isolation of viable SARS-CoV-2 in feces has been reported. Therefore, there is a need for understanding the persistence of SARS-CoV-2 and emerging variants in wastewater. In this study, the survival of SARS-CoV-2 isolate hCoV-19/USA-WA1/2020 was observed in three wastewater matrices - filtered and unfiltered raw wastewater, and secondary effluent. All experiments were conducted within a BSL-3 laboratory at room temperature. The time required for inactivation of 90 % (T90) of SARS-CoV-2 was 10.4, 10.8, and 18.3 h for unfiltered raw, filtered raw, and secondary effluent, respectively. Progressive decline in infectivity of the virus following first order kinetics was noted in these wastewater matrices. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to describe the survival of SARS-CoV-2 in secondary effluent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samendra Sherchan
- Department of Environmental Health, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70112, United States of America; BioEnvironmental Science Program, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD 21251, United States of America; WEST Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States of America.
| | - Ocean Thakali
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Luisa A Ikner
- Department of Environmental Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States of America; WEST Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States of America
| | - Charles P Gerba
- Department of Environmental Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States of America; WEST Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States of America
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8
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Vo V, Harrington A, Chang CL, Baker H, Moshi MA, Ghani N, Itorralba JY, Tillett RL, Dahlmann E, Basazinew N, Gu R, Familara TD, Boss S, Vanderford F, Ghani M, Tang AJ, Matthews A, Papp K, Khan E, Koutras C, Kan HY, Lockett C, Gerrity D, Oh EC. Identification and genome sequencing of an influenza H3N2 variant in wastewater from elementary schools during a surge of influenza A cases in Las Vegas, Nevada. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 872:162058. [PMID: 36758698 PMCID: PMC9909754 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Revised: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Real-time surveillance of infectious diseases at schools or in communities is often hampered by delays in reporting due to resource limitations and infrastructure issues. By incorporating quantitative PCR and genome sequencing, wastewater surveillance has been an effective complement to public health surveillance at the community and building-scale for pathogens such as poliovirus, SARS-CoV-2, and even the monkeypox virus. In this study, we asked whether wastewater surveillance programs at elementary schools could be leveraged to detect RNA from influenza viruses shed in wastewater. We monitored for influenza A and B viral RNA in wastewater from six elementary schools from January to May 2022. Quantitative PCR led to the identification of influenza A viral RNA at three schools, which coincided with the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions and a surge in influenza A infections in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. We performed genome sequencing of wastewater RNA, leading to the identification of a 2021-2022 vaccine-resistant influenza A (H3N2) 3C.2a1b.2a.2 subclade. We next tested wastewater samples from a treatment plant that serviced the elementary schools, but we were unable to detect the presence of influenza A/B RNA. Together, our results demonstrate the utility of near-source wastewater surveillance for the detection of local influenza transmission in schools, which has the potential to be investigated further with paired school-level influenza incidence data.
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Affiliation(s)
- 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
| | - Anthony Harrington
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Precision 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
| | - Michael A Moshi
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Precision Medicine, UNLV School of Medicine, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA
| | - Nabih Ghani
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Precision Medicine, UNLV School of Medicine, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA
| | - Jose Yani Itorralba
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Precision Medicine, UNLV School of Medicine, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA
| | - Richard L Tillett
- Nevada Institute of Personalized Medicine, UNLV School of Medicine, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA
| | - Elizabeth Dahlmann
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Precision Medicine, UNLV School of Medicine, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA
| | - Natnael Basazinew
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Precision Medicine, UNLV School of Medicine, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA
| | - Richard Gu
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Precision Medicine, UNLV School of Medicine, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA
| | - Tiffany D Familara
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Precision Medicine, UNLV School of Medicine, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA
| | - Sage Boss
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Precision Medicine, UNLV School of Medicine, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA
| | - Fritz Vanderford
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Precision Medicine, UNLV School of Medicine, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA
| | - Moonis Ghani
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Precision Medicine, UNLV School of Medicine, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA
| | - Austin J Tang
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Precision Medicine, UNLV School of Medicine, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA
| | - Alice Matthews
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Precision 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
| | - Eakalak Khan
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction, UNLV School of Medicine, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA
| | - Carolina Koutras
- R-Zero Systems, Inc., 345 W Bearcat Dr Suite #100, South Salt Lake, UT 84115, USA
| | - Horng-Yuan Kan
- Southern Nevada Health District, Las Vegas, NV 89106, 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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9
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Islam MA, Rahman MA, Jakariya M, Bahadur NM, Hossen F, Mukharjee SK, Hossain MS, Tasneem A, Haque MA, Sera F, Jahid IK, Ahmed T, Hasan MN, Islam MT, Hossain A, Amin R, Tiwari A, Didar-Ul-Alam M, Dhama K, Bhattacharya P, Ahmed F. A 30-day follow-up study on the prevalence of SARS-COV-2 genetic markers in wastewater from the residence of COVID-19 patient and comparison with clinical positivity. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 858:159350. [PMID: 36265620 PMCID: PMC9576909 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2022] [Revised: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater based epidemiology (WBE) is an important tool to fight against COVID-19 as it provides insights into the health status of the targeted population from a small single house to a large municipality in a cost-effective, rapid, and non-invasive way. The implementation of wastewater based surveillance (WBS) could reduce the burden on the public health system, management of pandemics, help to make informed decisions, and protect public health. In this study, a house with COVID-19 patients was targeted for monitoring the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 genetic markers in wastewater samples (WS) with clinical specimens (CS) for a period of 30 days. RT-qPCR technique was employed to target nonstructural (ORF1ab) and structural-nucleocapsid (N) protein genes of SARS-CoV-2, according to a validated experimental protocol. Physiological, environmental, and biological parameters were also measured following the American Public Health Association (APHA) standard protocols. SARS-CoV-2 viral shedding in wastewater peaked when the highest number of COVID-19 cases were clinically diagnosed. Throughout the study period, 7450 to 23,000 gene copies/1000 mL were detected, where we identified 47 % (57/120) positive samples from WS and 35 % (128/360) from CS. When the COVID-19 patient number was the lowest (2), the highest CT value (39.4; i.e., lowest copy number) was identified from WS. On the other hand, when the COVID-19 patients were the highest (6), the lowest CT value (25.2 i.e., highest copy numbers) was obtained from WS. An advance signal of increased SARS-CoV-2 viral load from the COVID-19 patient was found in WS earlier than in the CS. Using customized primer sets in a traditional PCR approach, we confirmed that all SARS-CoV-2 variants identified in both CS and WS were Delta variants (B.1.617.2). To our knowledge, this is the first follow-up study to determine a temporal relationship between COVID-19 patients and their discharge of SARS-CoV-2 RNA genetic markers in wastewater from a single house including all family members for clinical sampling from a developing country (Bangladesh), where a proper sewage system is lacking. The salient findings of the study indicate that monitoring the genetic markers of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in wastewater could identify COVID-19 cases, which reduces the burden on the public health system during COVID-19 pandemics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Aminul Islam
- COVID-19 Diagnostic Lab, Department of Microbiology, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali 3814, Bangladesh; Advanced Molecular Lab, Department of Microbiology, President Abdul Hamid Medical College, Karimganj, Kishoreganj, Bangladesh
| | - Md Arifur Rahman
- COVID-19 Diagnostic Lab, Department of Microbiology, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali 3814, Bangladesh
| | - Md Jakariya
- Department of Environmental Science and Management, North South University, Bashundhara, Dhaka 1229, Bangladesh
| | - Newaz Mohammed Bahadur
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali 3814, Bangladesh
| | - Foysal Hossen
- COVID-19 Diagnostic Lab, Department of Microbiology, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali 3814, Bangladesh
| | - Sanjoy Kumar Mukharjee
- COVID-19 Diagnostic Lab, Department of Microbiology, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali 3814, Bangladesh
| | - Mohammad Salim Hossain
- Department of Pharmacy, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali 3814, Bangladesh
| | - Atkeeya Tasneem
- Department of Environmental Science and Disaster Management, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali 3814, Bangladesh
| | - Md Atiqul Haque
- Key Lab of Animal Epidemiology and Zoonoses of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China; Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary and Animal Science, Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University, Dinajpur 5200, Bangladesh
| | - Francesco Sera
- Department of Statistics, Informatics, Applications, University of Florence, Florence, Italy; Department of Public Health, Environments and Society, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Iqbal Kabir Jahid
- Department of Microbiology, Jashore University of Science and Technology, Jashore 7408, Bangladesh
| | - Tanvir Ahmed
- Department of Civil Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh
| | - Mohammad Nayeem Hasan
- Department of Statistics, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet 3114, Bangladesh
| | | | - Amzad Hossain
- COVID-19 Diagnostic Lab, Department of Microbiology, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali 3814, Bangladesh
| | - Ruhul Amin
- COVID-19 Diagnostic Lab, Department of Microbiology, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali 3814, Bangladesh
| | - Ananda Tiwari
- Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland; Department of Health Security, Expert Microbiology Research Unit, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Finland
| | - Md Didar-Ul-Alam
- COVID-19 Diagnostic Lab, Department of Microbiology, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali 3814, Bangladesh
| | - Kuldeep Dhama
- Division of Pathology, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh 243122, India
| | - Prosun Bhattacharya
- COVID-19 Research@KTH, Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Science and Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Teknikringen 10B, SE 10044 Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Firoz Ahmed
- COVID-19 Diagnostic Lab, Department of Microbiology, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali 3814, Bangladesh
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10
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Tiwari A, Adhikari S, Kaya D, Islam MA, Malla B, Sherchan SP, Al-Mustapha AI, Kumar M, Aggarwal S, Bhattacharya P, Bibby K, Halden RU, Bivins A, Haramoto E, Oikarinen S, Heikinheimo A, Pitkänen T. Monkeypox outbreak: Wastewater and environmental surveillance perspective. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 856:159166. [PMID: 36202364 PMCID: PMC9534267 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 44.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2022] [Revised: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 04/13/2023]
Abstract
Monkeypox disease (MPXD), a viral disease caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV), is an emerging zoonotic disease endemic in some countries of Central and Western Africa but seldom reported outside the affected region. Since May 2022, MPXD has been reported at least in 74 countries globally, prompting the World Health Organization to declare the MPXD outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. As of July 24, 2022; 92 % (68/74) of the countries with reported MPXD cases had no historical MPXD case reports. From the One Health perspective, the spread of MPXV in the environment poses a risk not only to humans but also to small mammals and may, ultimately, spread to potent novel host populations. Wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) has been extensively utilized to monitor communicable diseases, particularly during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. It helped in monitoring infectious disease caseloads as well as specific viral variants circulating in communities. The detection of MPXV DNA in lesion materials (e.g. skin, vesicle fluid, crusts), skin rashes, and various body fluids, including respiratory and nasal secretions, saliva, urine, feces, and semen of infected individuals, supports the possibility of using WBS as an early proxy for the detection of MPXV infections. WBS of MPXV DNA can be used to monitor MPXV activity/trends in sewerage network areas even before detecting laboratory-confirmed clinical cases within a community. However, several factors affect the detection of MPXV in wastewater including, but not limited to, routes and duration time of virus shedding by infected individuals, infection rates in the relevant affected population, environmental persistence, the processes and analytical sensitivity of the used methods. Further research is needed to identify the key factors that impact the detection of MPXV biomarkers in wastewater and improve the utility of WBS of MPXV as an early warning and monitoring tool for safeguarding human health. In this review, we shortly summarize aspects of the MPXV outbreak relevant to wastewater monitoring and discuss the challenges associated with WBS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ananda Tiwari
- Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland; Department of Health Security, Expert Microbiology Research Unit, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Finland.
| | - Sangeet Adhikari
- Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Devrim Kaya
- School of Chemical, Biological, and Environmental Engineering, Oregon State University (OSU), Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Md Aminul Islam
- COVID-19 Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali, 3814, Bangladesh; Advanced Molecular Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, President Abdul Hamid Medical College, Karimganj, Kishoreganj, Bangladesh
| | - Bikash Malla
- Interdisciplinary Center for River Basin Environment, University of Yamanashi, 4-3-11 Takeda, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-8511, Japan
| | - Samendra P Sherchan
- Department of Biology, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Ahmad I Al-Mustapha
- Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland; Department of Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria; Department of Veterinary Services, Kwara State Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria
| | - Manish Kumar
- Sustainability Cluster, School of Engineering, University of Petroleum & Energy Studies, Dehradun, Uttarakhand 248007, India
| | - Srijan Aggarwal
- Department of Civil, Geological and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering and Mines, University of Alaska Fairbanks, PO Box 755900, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA
| | - Prosun Bhattacharya
- Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Science and Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-10044 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Kyle Bibby
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, University of Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
| | - Rolf U Halden
- Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Aaron Bivins
- Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Louisiana State University, LA, USA
| | - Eiji Haramoto
- Interdisciplinary Center for River Basin Environment, University of Yamanashi, 4-3-11 Takeda, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-8511, Japan
| | - Sami Oikarinen
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Annamari Heikinheimo
- Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland; Finnish Food Authority, Seinäjoki, Finland
| | - Tarja Pitkänen
- Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland; Department of Health Security, Expert Microbiology Research Unit, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Finland
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11
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McMinn BR, Korajkic A, Pemberton AC, Kelleher J, Ahmed W, Villegas EN, Oshima K. Assessment of two volumetrically different concentration approaches to improve sensitivities for SARS-CoV-2 detection during wastewater monitoring. J Virol Methods 2023; 311:114645. [PMID: 36332716 PMCID: PMC9624105 DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2022.114645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Wastewater monitoring for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus responsible for the global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, has highlighted the need for methodologies capable of assessing viral prevalence during periods of low population infection. To address this need, two volumetrically different, methodologically similar concentration approaches were compared for their abilities to detect viral nucleic acid and infectious SARS-CoV-2 signal from primary influent samples. For Method 1, 2 L of SARS-CoV-2 seeded wastewater was evaluated using a dead-end hollow fiber ultrafilter (D-HFUF) for primary concentration, followed by the CP Select™ for secondary concentration. For Method 2, 100 mL of SARS-CoV-2 seeded wastewater was evaluated using the CP Select™ procedure. Following D-HFUF concentration (Method 1), significantly lower levels of infectious SARS-CoV-2 were lost (P value range: 0.0398-0.0027) compared to viral gene copy (GC) levels detected by the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) N1 and N2 reverse-transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) assays. Subsamples at different steps in the concentration process were also taken to better characterize the losses of SARS-CoV-2 during the concentration process. During the centrifugation step (prior to CP Select™ concentration), significantly higher losses (P value range: 0.0003 to <0.0001) occurred for SARS-CoV-2 GC levels compared to infectious virus for Method 1, while between the methods, significantly higher infectious viral losses were observed for Method 2 (P = 0.0002). When analyzing overall recovery of endogenous SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater samples, application of Method 1 improved assay sensitivities (P = <0.0001) compared with Method 2; this was especially evident during periods of lower COVID-19 case rates within the sewershed. This study describes a method which can successfully concentrate infectious SARS-CoV-2 and viral RNA from wastewater. Moreover, we demonstrated that large volume wastewater concentration provides additional sensitivity needed to improve SARS-CoV-2 detection, especially during low levels of community disease prevalence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian R. McMinn
- Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency, 26 West Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268 United States,Corresponding author
| | - Asja Korajkic
- Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency, 26 West Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268 United States
| | - Adin C. Pemberton
- Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency, 26 West Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268 United States
| | - Julie Kelleher
- Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency, 26 West Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268 United States
| | - Warish Ahmed
- CSIRO Land and Water, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Eric N. Villegas
- Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency, 26 West Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268 United States
| | - Kevin Oshima
- Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency, 26 West Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268 United States
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12
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Oh C, Zhou A, O'Brien K, Jamal Y, Wennerdahl H, Schmidt AR, Shisler JL, Jutla A, Schmidt AR, Keefer L, Brown WM, Nguyen TH. Application of neighborhood-scale wastewater-based epidemiology in low COVID-19 incidence situations. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 852:158448. [PMID: 36063927 PMCID: PMC9436825 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Revised: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/28/2022] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE), an emerging approach for community-wide COVID-19 surveillance, was primarily characterized at large sewersheds such as wastewater treatment plants serving a large population. Although informed public health measures can be better implemented for a small population, WBE for neighborhood-scale sewersheds is less studied and not fully understood. This study applied WBE to seven neighborhood-scale sewersheds (average population of 1471) from January to November 2021. Community testing data showed an average of 0.004 % incidence rate in these sewersheds (97 % of monitoring periods reported two or fewer daily infections). In 92 % of sewage samples, SARS-CoV-2 N gene fragments were below the limit of quantification. We statistically determined 10-2.6 as the threshold of the SARS-CoV-2 N gene concentration normalized to pepper mild mottle virus (N/PMMOV) to alert high COVID-19 incidence rate in the studied sewershed. This threshold of N/PMMOV identified neighborhood-scale outbreaks (COVID-19 incidence rate higher than 0.2 %) with 82 % sensitivity and 51 % specificity. Importantly, neighborhood-scale WBE can discern local outbreaks that would not otherwise be identified by city-scale WBE. Our findings suggest that neighborhood-scale WBE is an effective community-wide disease surveillance tool when COVID-19 incidence is maintained at a low level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chamteut Oh
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, United States.
| | - Aijia Zhou
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, United States
| | - Kate O'Brien
- School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, United States
| | - Yusuf Jamal
- Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, United States
| | - Hayden Wennerdahl
- Illinois State Water Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, United States
| | - Arthur R Schmidt
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, United States
| | - Joanna L Shisler
- Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, United States
| | - Antarpreet Jutla
- Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, United States
| | - Arthur R Schmidt
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, United States
| | - Laura Keefer
- Illinois State Water Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, United States
| | - William M Brown
- Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, United States
| | - Thanh H Nguyen
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, United States; Institute of Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, United States
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13
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Tiwari A, Kurittu P, Al-Mustapha AI, Heljanko V, Johansson V, Thakali O, Mishra SK, Lehto KM, Lipponen A, Oikarinen S, Pitkänen T, Heikinheimo A. Wastewater surveillance of antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens: A systematic review. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:977106. [PMID: 36590429 PMCID: PMC9798455 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.977106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Infectious diseases caused by antibiotic-resistant bacterial (ARB) pathogens are a serious threat to human and animal health. The active surveillance of ARB using an integrated one-health approach can help to reduce the emergence and spread of ARB, reduce the associated economic impact, and guide antimicrobial stewardship programs. Wastewater surveillance (WWS) of ARB provides composite samples for a total population, with easy access to the mixed community microbiome. This concept is emerging rapidly, but the clinical utility, sensitivity, and uniformity of WWS of ARB remain poorly understood especially in relation to clinical evidence in sewershed communities. Here, we systematically searched the literature to identify studies that have compared findings from WWS of ARB and antibiotic resistance genes (ARG) with clinical evidence in parallel, thereby evaluating how likely WWS of ARB and ARG can relate to the clinical cases in communities. Initially, 2,235 articles were obtained using the primary search keywords, and 1,219 articles remained after de-duplication. Among these, 35 articles fulfilled the search criteria, and an additional 13 relevant articles were included by searching references in the primary literature. Among the 48 included papers, 34 studies used a culture-based method, followed by 11 metagenomics, and three PCR-based methods. A total of 28 out of 48 included studies were conducted at the single sewershed level, eight studies involved several countries, seven studies were conducted at national or regional scales, and five at hospital levels. Our review revealed that the performance of WWS of ARB pathogens has been evaluated more frequently for Escherichia coli, Enterococcus spp., and other members of the family Enterobacteriaceae, but has not been uniformly tested for all ARB pathogens. Many wastewater-based ARB studies comparing the findings with clinical evidence were conducted to evaluate the public health risk but not to relate with clinical evidence and to evaluate the performance of WWS of ARB. Indeed, relating WWS of ARB with clinical evidence in a sewershed is not straightforward, as the source of ARB in wastewater cannot be only from symptomatic human individuals but can also be from asymptomatic carriers as well as from animal sources. Further, the varying fates of each bacterial species and ARG within the sewerage make the aim of connecting WWS of ARB with clinical evidence more complicated. Therefore, future studies evaluating the performance of many AMR pathogens and their genes for WWS one by one can make the process simpler and the interpretation of results easier.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ananda Tiwari
- Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland,*Correspondence: Ananda Tiwari,
| | - Paula Kurittu
- Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Ahmad I. Al-Mustapha
- Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland,Department of Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria,Department of Veterinary Services, Kwara State Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ilorin, Nigeria
| | - Viivi Heljanko
- Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Venla Johansson
- Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Ocean Thakali
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Shyam Kumar Mishra
- School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Kirsi-Maarit Lehto
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Anssi Lipponen
- Expert Microbiology Unit, Department of Health Security, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Sami Oikarinen
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Tarja Pitkänen
- Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland,Expert Microbiology Unit, Department of Health Security, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland
| | | | - Annamari Heikinheimo
- Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland,Finnish Food Authority, Seinäjoki, Finland
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14
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One-Year Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 Virus in Natural and Drinking Water. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11101133. [PMID: 36297189 PMCID: PMC9609174 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11101133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Revised: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Although the SARS-CoV-2 virus has been detected in wastewater from several countries, monitoring its presence in other water matrices is still limited. This study aimed to evaluate the presence of this virus in natural and drinking water over one year of monitoring (2021). A survey of viral RNA was carried out by RT-qPCR in concentrated samples of surface water, groundwater, and drinking water from different regions of Portugal. SARS-CoV-2 RNA—quantified in genomic copies per liter (gc/L) of sampled water—was not detected in groundwater, but was detected and quantified in samples of surface water (two out of 43; 8035 and 23,757 gc/L) and in drinking water (one out of 43 samples; 7463 gc/L). The study also detected and quantified Norovirus RNA, intending to confirm the use of this enteric virus to assess variations in fecal matter throughout the sampling campaign. The samples positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA also had the highest concentrations of Norovirus RNA—including the drinking water sample, which proved negative for fecal enteric bacteria (FIB). These results indicate that, to protect human health, it is advisable to continue monitoring these viruses, and noroviruses as fecal indicators (FI) as well—especially in low-flow water bodies that receive wastewater.
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15
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Honarmand A, Sheybani F, Aflatoonian E, Saberinia A. COVID-19 patients at referral to hospital during the first peak of disease: Common clinical findings including myalgia and fatigue. Eur J Transl Myol 2022; 32:10731. [PMID: 36036352 PMCID: PMC9580529 DOI: 10.4081/ejtm.2022.10731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/03/2022] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The wide range of manifestations and clinical symptoms of COVID-19 has made it a unique disease. Investigating the epidemiology of different clinical manifestations of this disease in patients referred to medical centers is one of the most effective steps in adopting a suitable diagnostic and treatment approach. These findings also provide a basis for comparing the evolution of the virus and its clinical manifestations over time and at different peaks of the disease. Therefore, the present study was aimed at investigating common clinical findings at the time of referral in patients with COVID-19 in Afzalipour Hospital, Kerman, during the first peak of the disease. This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was performed on hospitalized patients diagnosed with COVID-19, between March 2020 and June 2020. The patients were included in the study by census method, and the research variables related to demographic indicators, disease course and clinical symptoms were extracted from the patients' medical records, and then subjected to statistical analysis. In this study, a total of 210 patients were examined, consisted mainly of male patients (59.5%). The mean age was found to be 53.95 ± 19.55 years. Also, 20.3% of patients needed admission in the intensive care unit. In addition, 1% of patients were infected in February 2020, 24% in March 2020, 47.4% in April 2020 and 27.4% in May 2020. The mean onset of symptoms until hospitalization was also found as 6.51 days. The most common clinical symptoms included shortness of breath (75.7%), dry cough (52.9%), fever (50.5%), myalgia (45.7%) and fatigue (41.9%). Fever at admission time was significantly more common in ages less than 50 years (p=0.034). Our study showed that the most common clinical symptoms were shortness of breath, dry cough, fever, myalgia and fatigue. No statistically significant difference was found in common symptoms between men and women. Among the common clinical symptoms, only fever at admission time was observed to be significantly higher in those under 50 years of age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amin Honarmand
- Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman.
| | | | - Elahe Aflatoonian
- Department of Education, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman.
| | - Amin Saberinia
- Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, Health in Disasters and Emergencies Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman.
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16
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Tandukar S, Sthapit N, Thakali O, Malla B, Sherchan SP, Shakya BM, Shrestha LP, Sherchand JB, Joshi DR, Lama B, Haramoto E. Detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater, river water, and hospital wastewater of Nepal. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 824:153816. [PMID: 35157870 PMCID: PMC8832950 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Revised: 01/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
The applicability of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has been extensively studied throughout the world with remarkable findings. This study reports the presence and reduction of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) at two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) of Nepal, along with river water, hospital wastewater (HWW), and wastewater from sewer lines collected between July 2020 and February 2021. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in 50%, 54%, 100%, and 100% of water samples from WWTPs, river hospitals, and sewer lines, respectively, by at least one of four quantitative PCR assays tested (CDC-N1, CDC-N2, NIID_2019-nCOV_N, and N_Sarbeco). The CDC-N2 assay detected SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the highest number of raw influent samples of both WWTPs. The highest concentration was observed for an influent sample of WWTP A (5.5 ± 1.0 log10 genome copies/L) by the N_Sarbeco assay. SARS-CoV-2 was detected in 47% (16/34) of the total treated effluents of WWTPs, indicating that biological treatments installed at the tested WWTPs are not enough to eliminate SARS-CoV-2 RNA. One influent sample was positive for N501Y mutation using the mutation-specific qPCR, highlighting a need for further typing of water samples to detect Variants of Concern. Furthermore, crAssphage-normalized SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations in raw wastewater did not show any significant association with the number of new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in the whole district where the WWTPs were located, suggesting a need for further studies focusing on suitability of viral as well as biochemical markers as a population normalizing factor. Detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA before, after, and during the peaking in number of COVID-19 cases suggests that WBE is a useful tool for COVID-19 case estimation in developing countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarmila Tandukar
- Interdisciplinary Center for River Basin Environment, University of Yamanashi, 4-3-11 Takeda, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-8511, Japan; Policy Research Institute, Sano Gaucharan, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - Niva Sthapit
- Department of Engineering, University of Yamanashi, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-8511, Japan
| | - Ocean Thakali
- Department of Engineering, University of Yamanashi, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-8511, Japan
| | - Bikash Malla
- Interdisciplinary Center for River Basin Environment, University of Yamanashi, 4-3-11 Takeda, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-8511, Japan
| | - Samendra P Sherchan
- Department of Global Environmental Health Sciences, Tulane University, 1440 Canal Street, Suite 2100, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA; Department of Biology, Morgan State University, 1700 East Cold Spring Lane, Baltimore, MD 21251, USA
| | - Bijay Man Shakya
- Interdisciplinary Center for River Basin Environment, University of Yamanashi, 4-3-11 Takeda, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-8511, Japan
| | - Laxman P Shrestha
- Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University, Maharajgunj, Kathmandu 1524, Nepal
| | - Jeevan B Sherchand
- Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University, Maharajgunj, Kathmandu 1524, Nepal
| | - Dev Raj Joshi
- Central Department of Microbiology, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Nepal
| | - Bhupendra Lama
- Central Department of Microbiology, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Nepal
| | - Eiji Haramoto
- Interdisciplinary Center for River Basin Environment, University of Yamanashi, 4-3-11 Takeda, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-8511, Japan.
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Tiwari A, Lipponen A, Hokajärvi AM, Luomala O, Sarekoski A, Rytkönen A, Österlund P, Al-Hello H, Juutinen A, Miettinen IT, Savolainen-Kopra C, Pitkänen T. Detection and quantification of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater influent in relation to reported COVID-19 incidence in Finland. WATER RESEARCH 2022; 215:118220. [PMID: 35248908 PMCID: PMC8865022 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.118220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2021] [Revised: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based surveillance is a cost-effective concept for monitoring COVID-19 pandemics at a population level. Here, SARS-CoV-2 RNA was monitored from a total of 693 wastewater (WW) influent samples from 28 wastewater treatment plants (WWTP, N = 21-42 samples per WWTP) in Finland from August 2020 to May 2021, covering WW of ca. 3.3 million inhabitants (∼ 60% of the Finnish population). Quantity of SARS-CoV-2 RNA fragments in 24 h-composite samples was determined by using the ultrafiltration method followed by nucleic acid extraction and CDC N2 RT-qPCR assay. SARS-CoV-2 RNA signals at each WWTP were compared over time to the numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases (14-day case incidence rate) in the sewer network area. Over the 10-month surveillance period with an extensive total number of samples, the detection rate of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in WW was 79% (including 6% uncertain results, i.e., amplified only in one out of four, two original and two ten-fold diluted replicates), while only 24% of all samples exhibited gene copy numbers above the quantification limit. The range of the SARS-CoV-2 detection rate in WW varied from 33% (including 10% uncertain results) in Pietarsaari to 100% in Espoo. Only six out of 693 WW samples were positive with SARS-COV-2 RNA when the reported COVID-19 case number from the preceding 14 days was zero. Overall, the 14-day COVID-19 incidence was 7.0, 18, and 36 cases per 100 000 persons within the sewer network area when the probability to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater samples was 50%, 75% and 95%, respectively. The quantification of SARS-CoV-2 RNA required significantly more COVID-19 cases: the quantification rate was 50%, 75%, and 95% when the 14-day incidence was 110, 152, and 223 COVID-19 cases, respectively, per 100 000 persons. Multiple linear regression confirmed the relationship between the COVID-19 incidence and the SARS-CoV-2 RNA quantified in WW at 15 out of 28 WWTPs (overall R2 = 0.36, p < 0.001). At four of the 13 WWTPs where a significant relationship was not found, the SARS-CoV-2 RNA remained below the quantification limit during the whole study period. In the five other WWTPs, the sewer coverage was less than 80% of the total population in the area and thus the COVID-19 cases may have been inhabitants from the areas not covered. Based on the results obtained, WW-based surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 could be used as an indicator for local and national COVID-19 incidence trends. Importantly, the determination of SARS-CoV-2 RNA fragments from WW is a powerful and non-invasive public health surveillance measure, independent of possible changes in the clinical testing strategies or in the willingness of individuals to be tested for COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ananda Tiwari
- Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Expert Microbiology Unit, Neulaniementie 4, Kuopio FI-70701, Finland; University of Helsinki, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Agnes Sjöbergin katu 2, Helsinki FI-00014, Finland.
| | - Anssi Lipponen
- Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Expert Microbiology Unit, Neulaniementie 4, Kuopio FI-70701, Finland.
| | - Anna-Maria Hokajärvi
- Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Expert Microbiology Unit, Neulaniementie 4, Kuopio FI-70701, Finland.
| | - Oskari Luomala
- Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Infectious Disease Control and Vaccinations Unit, Mannerheimintie 166, Helsinki FI-00271, Finland.
| | - Anniina Sarekoski
- Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Expert Microbiology Unit, Neulaniementie 4, Kuopio FI-70701, Finland.
| | - Annastiina Rytkönen
- Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Expert Microbiology Unit, Neulaniementie 4, Kuopio FI-70701, Finland; University of Helsinki, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Agnes Sjöbergin katu 2, Helsinki FI-00014, Finland.
| | - Pamela Österlund
- Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Expert Microbiology Unit, Mannerheimintie 166, Helsinki FI-00271, Finland.
| | - Haider Al-Hello
- Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Expert Microbiology Unit, Mannerheimintie 166, Helsinki FI-00271, Finland.
| | - Aapo Juutinen
- Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Infectious Disease Control and Vaccinations Unit, Mannerheimintie 166, Helsinki FI-00271, Finland.
| | - Ilkka T Miettinen
- Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Expert Microbiology Unit, Neulaniementie 4, Kuopio FI-70701, Finland.
| | - Carita Savolainen-Kopra
- Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Expert Microbiology Unit, Mannerheimintie 166, Helsinki FI-00271, Finland.
| | - Tarja Pitkänen
- Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Expert Microbiology Unit, Neulaniementie 4, Kuopio FI-70701, Finland; University of Helsinki, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Agnes Sjöbergin katu 2, Helsinki FI-00014, Finland.
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