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Goitom E, Ariano S, Gilbride K, Yang MI, Edwards EA, Peng H, Dannah N, Farahbakhsh F, Hataley E, Sarvi H, Sun J, Waseem H, Oswald C. Identification of environmental and methodological factors driving variability of Pepper Mild Mottle Virus (PMMoV) across three wastewater treatment plants in the City of Toronto. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 932:172917. [PMID: 38701931 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172917] [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: 02/22/2024] [Revised: 04/24/2024] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024]
Abstract
PMMoV has been widely used to normalize the concentration of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) to account for variations in the fecal content of wastewater. PMMoV is also used as an internal RNA recovery control for wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) tests. While potentially useful for the interpretation of WBE data, previous studies have suggested that PMMoV concentration can be affected by various physico-chemical characteristics of wastewater. There is also the possibility that laboratory methods, particularly the variability in centrifugation steps to remove supernatant from pellets can cause PMMoV variability. The goal of this study is to improve our understanding of the main drivers of PMMoV variability by assessing the relationship between PMMoV concentration, the physico-chemical characteristics of wastewater, and the methodological approach for concentrating wastewater samples. We analyzed 24-hour composite wastewater samples collected from the influent stream of three wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) located in the City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Samples were collected 3 to 5 times per week starting from the beginning of March 2021 to mid-July 2023. The influent flow rate was used to partition the data into wet and dry weather conditions. Physico-chemical characteristics (e.g., total suspended solids (TSS), biological oxygen demand (BOD), alkalinity, electrical conductivity (EC), and ammonia (NH3)) of the raw wastewater were measured, and PMMoV was quantified. Spatial and temporal variability of PMMoV was observed throughout the study period. PMMoV concentration was significantly higher during dry weather conditions. Multiple linear regression analysis demonstrates that the number and type of physico-chemical parameters that drive PMMoV variability are site-specific, but overall BOD and alkalinity were the most important predictors. Differences in PMMoV concentration for a single WWTP between two different laboratory methods, along with a weak correlation between pellet mass and TSS using one method may indicate that differences in sample concentration and subjective subsampling bias could alter viral recovery and introduce variability to the data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eyerusalem Goitom
- Department of Geography & Environmental Studies, Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada
| | - Sarah Ariano
- Department of Geography & Environmental Studies, Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada; Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, McGill University, Canada
| | - Kim Gilbride
- Department of Chemistry & Biology, Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada
| | - Minqing Ivy Yang
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, Canada
| | - Elizabeth A Edwards
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, Canada
| | - Hui Peng
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Canada; School of the Environment, University of Toronto, Canada
| | - Nora Dannah
- Department of Chemistry & Biology, Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada
| | - Farnaz Farahbakhsh
- Department of Chemistry & Biology, Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada
| | - Eden Hataley
- Department of Geography & Environmental Studies, Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada
| | - Hooman Sarvi
- Department of Chemistry & Biology, Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada
| | - Jianxian Sun
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Canada
| | - Hassan Waseem
- Department of Chemistry & Biology, Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada
| | - Claire Oswald
- Department of Geography & Environmental Studies, Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada.
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Oloye FF, Xie Y, Asadi M, Challis JK, Osunla CA, Xia P, Cantin J, Femi-Oloye OP, Brinkmann M, McPhedran KN, Sadowski M, Pandey S, Jones PD, Mangat C, Servos MR, Giesy JP. Solid-liquid distribution of SARS-CoV-2 in primary effluent of a wastewater treatment plant. MethodsX 2024; 12:102645. [PMID: 38524303 PMCID: PMC10957428 DOI: 10.1016/j.mex.2024.102645] [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: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Distributions of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and fecal viral biomarkers between solid and liquid phases of wastewater are largely unknown. Herein, distributions of SARS-CoV-2, Pepper Mild Mottle Virus (PMMoV), and F-RNA bacteriophage group II (FRNAPH-II) were determined by viral RNA RT-qPCR. Comparison of viral recovery using three conventional fractionation methods included membrane filtration, a combination of mid-speed centrifugation and membrane filtration, and high-speed centrifugation. SARS-CoV-2 partitioned to the solids fraction in greater abundance compared to liquid fractions in a combination of mid-speed centrifugation and membrane filtration and high-speed centrifugation, but not in membrane filtration method in a particular assay, while fecal biomarkers (PMMoV and FRNAPH-II) exhibited the reciprocal relationship. The wastewater fractionation method had minimal effects on the solids-liquids distribution for all viral and phage markers tested; however, viral RNA load was significantly greater in solid-liquid fractions viral RNA loads compared with the than whole-wastewater PEG precipitation. A RNeasy PowerWater Kit with PCR inhibitor removal resulted in greater viral RNA loads and lesser PCR inhibition compared to a QIAamp Viral RNA Mini Kit without PCR inhibitor removal. These results support the development of improved methods and interpretation of WBE of SARS-CoV-2. •Distribution of SARS-CoV-2 to liquid and solid portions was addressed.•Addressing PCR inhibition is important in wastewater-based epidemiology.•Fraction methods have minimal effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Femi F. Oloye
- Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Yuwei Xie
- Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
- Nanjing Institute of Environmental Science, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China, Nanjing 210042, China
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide Environmental Assessment and Pollution Control, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China, Nanjing 210042, China
| | - Mohsen Asadi
- Department of Civil, Geological and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | | | - Charles A. Osunla
- Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Pu Xia
- Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Jenna Cantin
- Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | | | - Markus Brinkmann
- Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
- School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
- Global Institute for Water Security, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Kerry N. McPhedran
- Department of Civil, Geological and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Mike Sadowski
- Saskatoon Water Department, Wastewater Treatment Plant, City of Saskatoon, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Sudhir Pandey
- Saskatoon Water Department, Wastewater Treatment Plant, City of Saskatoon, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Paul D. Jones
- Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
- School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Chand Mangat
- Antimicrobial Resistance and Nosocomial Infections, National Microbiology Laboratory / Public Health Agency of Canada, Canada
| | - Mark R. Servos
- Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - John P. Giesy
- Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
- Department of Zoology and Center for Integrative Toxicology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
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3
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Pasha ABT, Kotlarz N, Holcomb D, Reckling S, Kays J, Bailey E, Guidry V, Christensen A, Berkowitz S, Engel LS, de Los Reyes F, Harris A. Monitoring SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater from a shared septic system and sub-sewershed sites to expand COVID-19 disease surveillance. JOURNAL OF WATER AND HEALTH 2024; 22:978-992. [PMID: 38935450 DOI: 10.2166/wh.2024.303] [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: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 06/29/2024]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology has expanded as a tool for collecting COVID-19 surveillance data, but there is limited information on the feasibility of this form of surveillance within decentralized wastewater systems (e.g., septic systems). This study assessed SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations in wastewater samples from a septic system servicing a mobile home park (66 households) and from two pumping stations serving a similarly sized (71 households) and a larger (1,000 households) neighborhood within a nearby sewershed over 35 weeks in 2020. Also, raw wastewater from a hospital in the same sewershed was sampled. The mobile home park samples had the highest detection frequency (39/39 days) and mean concentration of SARS-CoV-2 RNA (2.7 × 107 gene copies/person/day for the N1) among the four sampling sites. N1 gene and N2 gene copies were highly correlated across mobile home park samples (Pearson's r = 0.93, p < 0.0001). In the larger neighborhood, new COVID-19 cases were reported every week during the sampling period; however, we detected SARS-CoV-2 RNA in 12% of the corresponding wastewater samples. The results of this study suggest that sampling from decentralized wastewater infrastructure can be used for continuous monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- A B Tanvir Pasha
- Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, North Carolina State University (NC State), 915 Partners Way, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA
| | - Nadine Kotlarz
- Center for Human Health and the Environment, NC State, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - David Holcomb
- Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Stacie Reckling
- Division of Public Health, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Judith Kays
- Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, North Carolina State University (NC State), 915 Partners Way, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA
| | | | - Virginia Guidry
- Division of Public Health, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Ariel Christensen
- Division of Public Health, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Steven Berkowitz
- Division of Public Health, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Lawrence S Engel
- Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Francis de Los Reyes
- Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, North Carolina State University (NC State), 915 Partners Way, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA
| | - Angela Harris
- Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, North Carolina State University (NC State), 915 Partners Way, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA E-mail:
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Girón-Guzmán I, Cuevas-Ferrando E, Barranquero R, Díaz-Reolid A, Puchades-Colera P, Falcó I, Pérez-Cataluña A, Sánchez G. Urban wastewater-based epidemiology for multi-viral pathogen surveillance in the Valencian region, Spain. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 255:121463. [PMID: 38537489 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/24/2024]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has lately arised as a promising tool for monitoring and tracking viral pathogens in communities. In this study, we analysed WBE's role as a multi-pathogen surveillance strategy to detect the presence of several viral illness causative agents. Thus, an epidemiological study was conducted from October 2021 to February 2023 to estimate the weekly levels of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), Respiratory Syncytial virus (RSV), and Influenza A virus (IAV) in influent wastewater samples (n = 69). In parallel, a one-year study (October 2021 to October 2022) was performed to assess the presence of pathogenic human enteric viruses. Besides, monitoring of proposed viral fecal contamination indicators crAssphage and Pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) was also assessed, along with plaque counting of somatic coliphages. Genetic material of rotavirus (RV), human astrovirus (HAStV), and norovirus genogroup I (GI) and GII was found in almost all samples, while hepatitis A and E viruses (HAV and HEV) only tested positive in 3.77 % and 22.64 % of the samples, respectively. No seasonal patterns were overall found for enteric viruses, although RVs had a peak prevalence in the winter months. All samples tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA, with a mean concentration of 5.43 log genome copies per liter (log GC/L). The tracking of the circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) was performed by both duplex RT-qPCR and next generation sequencing (NGS). Both techniques reliably showed how the dominant VOC transitioned from Delta to Omicron during two weeks in Spain in December 2021. RSV and IAV viruses peaked in winter months with mean concentrations 6.40 and 4.10 log GC/L, respectively. Moreover, the three selected respiratory viruses strongly correlated with reported clinical data when normalised by wastewater physico-chemical parameters and presented weaker correlations when normalising sewage concentration levels with crAssphage or somatic coliphages titers. Finally, predictive models were generated for each respiratory virus, confirming high reliability on WBE data as an early-warning system and communities illness monitoring system. Overall, this study presents WBE as an optimal tool for multi-pathogen tracking reflecting viral circulation and diseases trends within a selected area, its value as a multi-pathogen early-warning tool stands out due to its public health interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inés Girón-Guzmán
- Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology, IATA-CSIC, Av. Agustín Escardino 7, Paterna, Valencia 46980, Spain
| | - Enric Cuevas-Ferrando
- Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology, IATA-CSIC, Av. Agustín Escardino 7, Paterna, Valencia 46980, Spain.
| | - Regino Barranquero
- Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology, IATA-CSIC, Av. Agustín Escardino 7, Paterna, Valencia 46980, Spain
| | - Azahara Díaz-Reolid
- Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology, IATA-CSIC, Av. Agustín Escardino 7, Paterna, Valencia 46980, Spain
| | - Pablo Puchades-Colera
- Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology, IATA-CSIC, Av. Agustín Escardino 7, Paterna, Valencia 46980, Spain
| | - Irene Falcó
- Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology, IATA-CSIC, Av. Agustín Escardino 7, Paterna, Valencia 46980, Spain; Department of Microbiology and Ecology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Alba Pérez-Cataluña
- Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology, IATA-CSIC, Av. Agustín Escardino 7, Paterna, Valencia 46980, Spain
| | - Gloria Sánchez
- Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology, IATA-CSIC, Av. Agustín Escardino 7, Paterna, Valencia 46980, Spain.
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5
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Folkes M, Castro-Gutierrez V, Lundy L, Bajón-Fernández Y, Soares A, Jeffrey P, Hassard F. Campus source to sink wastewater surveillance of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). CURRENT RESEARCH IN MICROBIAL SCIENCES 2024; 6:100240. [PMID: 38774836 PMCID: PMC11106825 DOI: 10.1016/j.crmicr.2024.100240] [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] [Indexed: 05/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) offers an aggregate, and cost-effective approach for tracking infectious disease outbreak prevalence within communities, that provides data on community health complementary to individual clinical testing. This study reports on a 16-month WBS initiative on a university campus in England, UK, assessing the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in sewers from large buildings, downstream sewer locations, raw wastewater, partially treated and treated effluents. Key findings include the detection of the Alpha (B.1.1.7) variant in wastewater, with 70 % of confirmed campus cases correlating with positive wastewater samples. Notably, ammonium nitrogen (NH4-N) levels showed a positive correlation (ρ = 0.543, p < 0.01) with virus levels at the large building scale, a relationship not observed at the sewer or wastewater treatment works (WWTW) levels due to dilution. The WWTW was compliant to wastewater standards, but the secondary treatment processes were not efficient for virus removal as SARS-CoV-2 was consistently detected in treated discharges. Tools developed through WBS can also be used to enhance traditional environmental monitoring of aquatic systems. This study provides a detailed source-to-sink evaluation, emphasizing the critical need for the widespread application and improvement of WBS. It showcases WBS utility and reinforces the ongoing challenges posed by viruses to receiving water quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Folkes
- Cranfield University, College Road, Cranfield, Bedfordshire, MK43 0AL, UK
| | - V.M. Castro-Gutierrez
- Center for Research on Environmental Pollution (CICA), Universidad de Costa Rica, Montes de Oca, 11501, Costa Rica
| | - L. Lundy
- Department of Natural Sciences, Middlesex University, NW4 4BT, UK
| | - Y. Bajón-Fernández
- Cranfield University, College Road, Cranfield, Bedfordshire, MK43 0AL, UK
| | - A. Soares
- Cranfield University, College Road, Cranfield, Bedfordshire, MK43 0AL, UK
| | - P. Jeffrey
- Cranfield University, College Road, Cranfield, Bedfordshire, MK43 0AL, UK
| | - F. Hassard
- Cranfield University, College Road, Cranfield, Bedfordshire, MK43 0AL, UK
- Institute for Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Mullins N, Alashraf AR, McDermott K, Brown RS, Payne SJ. Polyethylenimine mediated recovery of SARS-CoV-2 and total viral RNA: Impact of aqueous conditions on behaviour and recovery. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 253:121207. [PMID: 38401469 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Revised: 10/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/26/2024]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is an emerging, practical surveillance tool for monitoring community levels of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, SC2). However, a paucity of data exists regarding SARS-CoV-2 and viral biomarker behaviour in aqueous and wastewater environments. Therefore, there is a pressing need to develop efficient and robust methods that both improve method sensitivity and reduce time and cost. We present a novel method for SARS-CoV-2, Human Coronavirus 229E (229E), and Pepper Mild Mottle Virus (PMMoV) recovery utilizing surface charge-based attraction via the branched cationic polymer, polyethylenimine (PEI). Initially, dose-optimization experiments demonstrated that low concentrations of PEI (0.001% w/v) proved most effective at flocculating suspended viruses and viral material, including additional unbound SC2 viral fragments and/or RNA from raw wastewater. A design-of-experiments (DOE) approach was used to optimize virus and/or viral material aggregation behaviour and recovery across varying aqueous conditions, revealing pH as a major influence on recoverability in this system, combinatorially due to both a reduction in viral material surface charge and increased protonation of PEI-bound amine groups. Overall, this method has shown great promise in significantly improving quantitative viral recovery, providing a straightforward and effective augmentation to standard centrifugation techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan Mullins
- Queen's University, Department of Civil Engineering, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6, Canada; McMaster University, Department of Chemical Engineering, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4L7, Canada
| | - Abdul Rahman Alashraf
- Queen's University, Department of Civil Engineering, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6, Canada; Queen's University, Beaty Water Research Centre, Department of Civil Engineering, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6, Canada
| | | | - R Stephen Brown
- Queen's University, Department of Chemistry and School of Environmental Studies, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6, Canada; Queen's University, Beaty Water Research Centre, Department of Civil Engineering, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6, Canada.
| | - Sarah Jane Payne
- Queen's University, Department of Civil Engineering, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6, Canada; Queen's University, Beaty Water Research Centre, Department of Civil Engineering, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6, Canada.
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Li Y, Ash K, Alamilla I, Joyner D, Williams DE, McKay PJ, Green B, DeBlander S, North C, Kara-Murdoch F, Swift C, Hazen TC. COVID-19 trends at the University of Tennessee: predictive insights from raw sewage SARS-CoV-2 detection and evaluation and PMMoV as an indicator for human waste. Front Microbiol 2024; 15:1379194. [PMID: 38605711 PMCID: PMC11007199 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1379194] [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: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has become a valuable tool for monitoring the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 on university campuses. However, concerns about effectiveness of raw sewage as a COVID-19 early warning system still exist, and it's not clear how useful normalization by simultaneous comparison of Pepper Mild Mottle Virus (PMMoV) is in addressing variations resulting from fecal discharge dilution. This study aims to contribute insights into these aspects by conducting an academic-year field trial at the student residences on the University of Tennessee, Knoxville campus, raw sewage. This was done to investigate the correlations between SARS-CoV-2 RNA load, both with and without PMMoV normalization, and various parameters, including active COVID-19 cases, self-isolations, and their combination among all student residents. Significant positive correlations between SARS-CoV-2 RNA load a week prior, during the monitoring week, and the subsequent week with active cases. Despite these correlations, normalization by PMMoV does not enhance these associations. These findings suggest the potential utility of SARS-CoV-2 RNA load as an early warning indicator and provide valuable insights into the application and limitations of WBE for COVID-19 surveillance specifically within the context of raw sewage on university campuses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ye Li
- Department of Civil and Environmental Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States
| | - Kurt Ash
- Department of Civil and Environmental Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, United States
| | | | - Dominique Joyner
- Department of Civil and Environmental Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States
| | - Daniel Edward Williams
- Center for Environmental Biotechnology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States
| | - Peter J. McKay
- Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Brianna Green
- Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States
| | - Sydney DeBlander
- College of Natural Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
| | - Carman North
- Student Health Center, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States
| | - Fadime Kara-Murdoch
- Department of Civil and Environmental Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States
- Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, OH, United States
- Center for Environmental Biotechnology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States
| | - Cynthia Swift
- Department of Civil and Environmental Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States
- Center for Environmental Biotechnology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States
| | - Terry C. Hazen
- Department of Civil and Environmental Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, United States
- Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States
- Institute for a Secure and Sustainable Environment, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States
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8
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Parkins MD, Lee BE, Acosta N, Bautista M, Hubert CRJ, Hrudey SE, Frankowski K, Pang XL. Wastewater-based surveillance as a tool for public health action: SARS-CoV-2 and beyond. Clin Microbiol Rev 2024; 37:e0010322. [PMID: 38095438 PMCID: PMC10938902 DOI: 10.1128/cmr.00103-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) has undergone dramatic advancement in the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The power and potential of this platform technology were rapidly realized when it became evident that not only did WBS-measured SARS-CoV-2 RNA correlate strongly with COVID-19 clinical disease within monitored populations but also, in fact, it functioned as a leading indicator. Teams from across the globe rapidly innovated novel approaches by which wastewater could be collected from diverse sewersheds ranging from wastewater treatment plants (enabling community-level surveillance) to more granular locations including individual neighborhoods and high-risk buildings such as long-term care facilities (LTCF). Efficient processes enabled SARS-CoV-2 RNA extraction and concentration from the highly dilute wastewater matrix. Molecular and genomic tools to identify, quantify, and characterize SARS-CoV-2 and its various variants were adapted from clinical programs and applied to these mixed environmental systems. Novel data-sharing tools allowed this information to be mobilized and made immediately available to public health and government decision-makers and even the public, enabling evidence-informed decision-making based on local disease dynamics. WBS has since been recognized as a tool of transformative potential, providing near-real-time cost-effective, objective, comprehensive, and inclusive data on the changing prevalence of measured analytes across space and time in populations. However, as a consequence of rapid innovation from hundreds of teams simultaneously, tremendous heterogeneity currently exists in the SARS-CoV-2 WBS literature. This manuscript provides a state-of-the-art review of WBS as established with SARS-CoV-2 and details the current work underway expanding its scope to other infectious disease targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael D. Parkins
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- O’Brien Institute of Public Health, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Bonita E. Lee
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Nicole Acosta
- Department of Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Maria Bautista
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Casey R. J. Hubert
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Steve E. Hrudey
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Kevin Frankowski
- Advancing Canadian Water Assets, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Xiao-Li Pang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Provincial Health Laboratory, Alberta Health Services, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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9
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Graves AM, Warren BG, Barrett A, Lewis SS, Smith B, Weber DJ, Sickbert-Bennett EE, Anderson DJ. Healthcare Provider N95 Respirator Contamination Worn Behind Face Shields With SARS-CoV-2 During Routine Clinical Care of Patients With COVID-19. Open Forum Infect Dis 2024; 11:ofae040. [PMID: 38449922 PMCID: PMC10917086 DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofae040] [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: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024] Open
Abstract
N95 respirator contamination with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) during clinical care of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 is poorly understood. We performed a prospective observational study on healthcare provider's (HCP's) N95 respirators' and face shields' SARS-CoV-2 contamination during aerosol-generating procedures on SARS-CoV-2-positive patients housed in a COVID-19-specific unit. Medical masks worn on top of HCP's N95 respirators, and under face shields, during study aerosol-generating procedures were used as surrogates to detect contamination to avoid waste. Thirty-three HCPs were studied, and a total of 33 mask and 27 face shields were sampled. Masks were cut into 9 pieces and face shields were sampled twice, front and back, to determine locality of contamination; however, no positive samples were identified using standard polymerase chain reaction techniques with a CT value up to 40. All 9 mask piece samples were then pooled, as were face shield samples, using centrifugal concentration with polyethersulfone membranes. Once pooled and concentrated, overall, 9 (15%) samples were positive via real-time polymerase chain reaction: 5 from masks (15.2%) and 4 from face shields (14.8%).
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda M Graves
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Duke Center for Antimicrobial Stewardship and Infection Prevention, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Disinfection, Resistance and Transmission Epidemiology (DiRTE) lab, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Bobby G Warren
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Duke Center for Antimicrobial Stewardship and Infection Prevention, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Disinfection, Resistance and Transmission Epidemiology (DiRTE) lab, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Aaron Barrett
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Duke Center for Antimicrobial Stewardship and Infection Prevention, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Disinfection, Resistance and Transmission Epidemiology (DiRTE) lab, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Sarah S Lewis
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Duke Center for Antimicrobial Stewardship and Infection Prevention, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Becky Smith
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Duke Center for Antimicrobial Stewardship and Infection Prevention, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - David J Weber
- Division of Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Emily E Sickbert-Bennett
- Division of Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Deverick J Anderson
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Duke Center for Antimicrobial Stewardship and Infection Prevention, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Disinfection, Resistance and Transmission Epidemiology (DiRTE) lab, Durham, North Carolina, USA
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10
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Akter J, Smith WJ, Liu Y, Kim I, Simpson SL, Thai P, Korajkic A, Ahmed W. Comparison of adsorption-extraction (AE) workflows for improved measurements of viral and bacterial nucleic acid in untreated wastewater. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 908:167966. [PMID: 38476760 PMCID: PMC10927021 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
The lack of standardized methods and large differences in virus concentration and extraction workflows have hampered Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV-2) wastewater surveillance and data reporting practices. Numerous studies have shown that adsorption-extraction (AE) method holds promise, yet several uncertainties remain regarding the optimal AE workflow. Several procedural components may influence the recovered concentrations of target nucleic acid, including membrane types, homogenization instruments, speed and duration, and lysis buffer. In this study, 42 different AE workflows that varied these components were compared to determine the optimal workflow by quantifying endogenous SARS-CoV-2, human adenovirus 40/41 (HAdV 40/41), and a bacterial marker gene of fecal contamination (Bacteroides HF183). Our findings suggest that the workflow chosen had a significant impact on SARS-CoV-2 concentrations, whereas it had minimal impact on HF183 and no effect on HAdV 40/41 concentrations. When comparing individual components in a workflow, such as membrane type (MF-Millipore™ 0.45 μm MCE vs. Isopore™ 0.40 μm), we found that they had no impact on SARS-CoV-2, HAdV 40/41, and HF183 concentrations. This suggests that at least some consumables and equipment are interchangeable. Buffer PM1 + TRIzol-based workflows yielded higher concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 than other workflows. HF183 concentrations were higher in workflows without chloroform. Similarly, higher homogenization speeds (5000-10,000 rpm) led to increased concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 and HF183 but had no effect on HAdV 40/41. Our findings indicate that minor enhancements to the AE workflow can improve the recovery of viruses and bacteria from the wastewater, leading to improved outcomes from wastewater surveillance efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesmin Akter
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Science and Technology (UST), Daejeon 34113, Republic of Korea
- Department of Environmental Research, Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT), Gyeonggi-do 10223, Republic of Korea
- CSIRO Environment, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, Dutton Park, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Wendy J.M. Smith
- CSIRO Environment, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, Dutton Park, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Yawen Liu
- CSIRO Environment, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, Dutton Park, QLD 4102, Australia
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of the Environment & Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Ilho Kim
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Science and Technology (UST), Daejeon 34113, Republic of Korea
- Department of Environmental Research, Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT), Gyeonggi-do 10223, Republic of Korea
| | | | - Phong Thai
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 4102 Brisbane, Australia
| | - Asja Korajkic
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, 26W Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA
| | - Warish Ahmed
- CSIRO Environment, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, Dutton Park, QLD 4102, Australia
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11
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Hegazy N, Tian X, D'Aoust PM, Pisharody L, Towhid ST, Mercier É, Zhang Z, Wan S, Thakali O, Kabir MP, Fang W, Nguyen TB, Ramsay NT, MacKenzie AE, Graber TE, Guilherme S, Delatolla R. Impact of coagulation on SARS-CoV-2 and PMMoV viral signal in wastewater solids. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2024; 31:5242-5253. [PMID: 38112868 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-31444-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater surveillance (WWS) of SARS-CoV-2 has become a crucial tool for monitoring COVID-19 cases and outbreaks. Previous studies have indicated that SARS-CoV-2 RNA measurement from testing solid-rich primary sludge yields better sensitivity compared to testing wastewater influent. Furthermore, measurement of pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) signal in wastewater allows for precise normalization of SARS-CoV-2 viral signal based on solid content, enhancing disease prevalence tracking. However, despite the widespread adoption of WWS, a knowledge gap remains regarding the impact of ferric sulfate coagulation, commonly used in enhanced primary clarification, the initial stage of wastewater treatment where solids are sedimented and removed, on SARS-CoV-2 and PMMoV quantification in wastewater-based epidemiology. This study examines the effects of ferric sulfate addition, along with the associated pH reduction, on the measurement of SARS-CoV-2 and PMMoV viral measurements in wastewater primary clarified sludge through jar testing. Results show that the addition of Fe3+ concentrations in the conventional 0 to 60 mg/L range caused no effect on SARS-CoV-2 N1 and N2 gene region measurements in wastewater solids. However, elevated Fe3+ concentrations were shown to be associated with a statistically significant increase in PMMoV viral measurements in wastewater solids, which consequently resulted in the underestimation of PMMoV-normalized SARS-CoV-2 viral signal measurements (N1 and N2 copies/copies of PMMoV). The observed pH reduction from coagulant addition did not contribute to the increased PMMoV measurements, suggesting that this phenomenon arises from the partitioning of PMMoV viral particles into wastewater solids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nada Hegazy
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Xin Tian
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Patrick M D'Aoust
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Lakshmi Pisharody
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | | | - Élisabeth Mercier
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Zhihao Zhang
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Shen Wan
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Ocean Thakali
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Md Pervez Kabir
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Wanting Fang
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Tram B Nguyen
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Nathan T Ramsay
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Alex E MacKenzie
- Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Tyson E Graber
- Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | | | - Robert Delatolla
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
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12
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North D, Bibby K. Comparison of viral concentration techniques for native fecal indicators and pathogens from wastewater. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 905:167190. [PMID: 37741389 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/25/2023]
Abstract
Viral pathogens are typically dilute in environmental waters, necessitating a concentration step prior to subsequent quantification or analysis. Historically, studies on viral concentration efficiency have been done by spiking known viruses into the sample; however, spike-in controls may not have the same behavior as "native" viruses exposed to environmental conditions. In this study, four concentration methods, including polyethylene glycol precipitation (PEG), skimmed milk flocculation (SMF), pH drop followed by filtration through a 0.45 μm filter (pH), and centrifugation using an Amicon filter (Amicon), were evaluated to concentrate native viral targets in wastewater. Viral targets included both indicators (crAssphage and pepper mild mottle virus) and pathogens (adenovirus, norovirus GII, human polyomavirus, and SARS-CoV-2) in addition to a bacterial marker (HF183). A non-native spike-in control was also added to compare native and spike-in recoveries. Recovery varied widely across targets and methods, ranging from 0.1 to 39.3 %. The Amicon method was the most broadly effective concentration for recovery efficiency. For the lowest-titer target, the PEG method resulted in the lowest number of non-detections, with 96.7 % positive detections for SARS-CoV-2, compared to 66.7 %, 80 %, and 76.7 % positive detections for SMF, pH, and Amicon, respectively. The non-native spike-ins chosen were only representative of a few native recovery trends, varying by both target and concentration method, and consistently under or over-estimated recovery. Overall, this study suggests the utility of including native targets in viral concentration evaluation and determining the efficiency of concentration methods for a specific target of interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Devin North
- Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering & Earth Sciences, University of Notre Dame, 156 Fitzpatrick Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556, United States
| | - Kyle Bibby
- Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering & Earth Sciences, University of Notre Dame, 156 Fitzpatrick Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556, United States.
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13
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Di DYW, Li B, Jeon MK, Yan T. Comparing solid-based concentration methods for rapid and efficient recovery of SARS-CoV-2 for wastewater surveillance. J Virol Methods 2023; 320:114790. [PMID: 37558056 DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2023.114790] [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: 05/01/2023] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023]
Abstract
As wastewater-based surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 attracts interest globally, there is a need to evaluate and identify rapid and efficient methods for concentrating enveloped viruses in wastewater. When comparing five precipitation/flocculation-based concentration methods (including aluminum hydroxide adsorption-precipitation, AHAP; zinc acetate precipitation, ZAP; skimmed milk flocculation, SMF; FeCl3 precipitation, FCP; and direct centrifugation, DC), AHAP was found to be the most efficient method in terms of seeded BCoV recovery (50.2 %). Based on the BCoV recovery efficiency and turnaround time, the AHAP and DC methods were selected and tested on five additional wastewater samples containing both seeded BCoV and indigenous wastewater SARS-CoV-2 RNA. The BCoV recovery (DC: average=30.1 %, sx =14.7 %; AHAP: average=33.0 %, sx =14.2 %) and SARS-CoV-2 based on the N2 gene assay (DC: average=3.6 ×103 gene copies or GC/mL, sx =1.9 × 103 GC/mL; AHAP: average=3.0 ×103 GC/mL, sx =2.0 ×103 GC/mL) of both methods were not significantly different in solid fraction (p = 0.89). This study showed significant higher BCoV recovery and SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA in wastewater solid fraction (p = 0.006) than liquid fraction. Our result suggests that the solid fraction of wastewater samples is more suitable for recovering enveloped viruses from wastewater, and the DC and AHAP methods equally provide suitably rapid, cost-effective, and significantly higher recovery of SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA in wastewater samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Doris Yoong Wen Di
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
| | - Bo Li
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
| | - Min Ki Jeon
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
| | - Tao Yan
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA; Water Resources Research Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA.
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14
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Ciannella S, González-Fernández C, Gomez-Pastora J. Recent progress on wastewater-based epidemiology for COVID-19 surveillance: A systematic review of analytical procedures and epidemiological modeling. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 878:162953. [PMID: 36948304 PMCID: PMC10028212 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), whose causative agent is the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a pandemic. This virus is predominantly transmitted via respiratory droplets and shed via sputum, saliva, urine, and stool. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has been able to monitor the circulation of viral pathogens in the population. This tool demands both in-lab and computational work to be meaningful for, among other purposes, the prediction of outbreaks. In this context, we present a systematic review that organizes and discusses laboratory procedures for SARS-CoV-2 RNA quantification from a wastewater matrix, along with modeling techniques applied to the development of WBE for COVID-19 surveillance. The goal of this review is to present the current panorama of WBE operational aspects as well as to identify current challenges related to it. Our review was conducted in a reproducible manner by following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines for systematic reviews. We identified a lack of standardization in wastewater analytical procedures. Regardless, the reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) approach was the most reported technique employed to detect and quantify viral RNA in wastewater samples. As a more convenient sample matrix, we suggest the solid portion of wastewater to be considered in future investigations due to its higher viral load compared to the liquid fraction. Regarding the epidemiological modeling, the data-driven approach was consistently used for the prediction of variables associated with outbreaks. Future efforts should also be directed toward the development of rapid, more economical, portable, and accurate detection devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Ciannella
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock 79409, TX, USA.
| | - Cristina González-Fernández
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock 79409, TX, USA; Departamento de Ingenierías Química y Biomolecular, Universidad de Cantabria, Avda. Los Castros, s/n, 39005 Santander, Spain.
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15
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Reyes-Calderón A, Mindreau-Ganoza E, Pardo-Figueroa B, Garcia-Luquillas KR, Yufra SP, Romero PE, Antonini C, Renom JM, Mota CR, Santa-Maria MC. Evaluation of low-cost SARS-CoV-2 RNA purification methods for viral quantification by RT-qPCR and next-generation sequencing analysis: Implications for wider wastewater-based epidemiology adoption. Heliyon 2023; 9:e16130. [PMID: 37228686 PMCID: PMC10188194 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Revised: 04/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Based Epidemiology (WBE) consists of quantifying biomarkers in sewerage systems to derive real-time information on the health and/or lifestyle of the contributing population. WBE usefulness was vastly demonstrated in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many methods for SARS-CoV-2 RNA determination in wastewater were devised, which vary in cost, infrastructure requirements and sensitivity. For most developing countries, implementing WBE for viral outbreaks, such as that of SARS-CoV-2, proved challenging due to budget, reagent availability and infrastructure constraints. In this study, we assessed low-cost methods for SARS-CoV-2 RNA quantification by RT-qPCR, and performed variant identification by NGS in wastewater samples. Results showed that the effect of adjusting pH to 4 and/or adding MgCl2 (25 mM) was negligible when using the adsorption-elution method, as well as basal physicochemical parameters in the sample. In addition, results supported the standardized use of linear rather than plasmid DNA for a more accurate viral RT-qPCR estimation. The modified TRIzol-based purification method in this study yielded comparable RT-qPCR estimation to a column-based approach, but provided better NGS results, suggesting that column-based purification for viral analysis should be revised. Overall, this work provides evaluation of a robust, sensitive and cost-effective method for SARS-CoV-2 RNA analysis that could be implemented for other viruses, for a wider WEB adoption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alonso Reyes-Calderón
- Centro de Investigación y Tecnología del Agua - CITA, Universidad de Ingenieria y Tecnologia - UTEC, Jr. Medrano Silva 165, Lima, 15063, Peru
| | - Elías Mindreau-Ganoza
- Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Av. Germán Amézaga s/n, Lima, 15081, Peru
| | - Braulio Pardo-Figueroa
- Centro de Investigación y Tecnología del Agua - CITA, Universidad de Ingenieria y Tecnologia - UTEC, Jr. Medrano Silva 165, Lima, 15063, Peru
| | - Katherine R Garcia-Luquillas
- Centro de Investigación y Tecnología del Agua - CITA, Universidad de Ingenieria y Tecnologia - UTEC, Jr. Medrano Silva 165, Lima, 15063, Peru
| | - Sonia P Yufra
- Departamento de Ingeniería Metalúrgica e Ingeniería Ambiental, Universidad Nacional de San Agustín, Av. Independencia s/n, Arequipa, 04001, Peru
| | - Pedro E Romero
- Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Av. Germán Amézaga s/n, Lima, 15081, Peru
| | - Claudia Antonini
- Departamento de Ingeniería Industrial, Universidad de Ingenieria y Tecnologia - UTEC, Jr. Medrano Silva 165, Lima, 15063, Peru
| | - Jose-Miguel Renom
- Departamento de Ciencias, Universidad de Ingenieria y Tecnologia - UTEC, Jr. Medrano Silva 165, Lima, 15063, Peru
| | - Cesar R Mota
- Departamento de Engenharia Sanitária e Ambiental, Escola de Engenharia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Av. Antonio Carlos, Belo Horizonte, 6.627, 31270-901, Brazil
| | - Monica C Santa-Maria
- Centro de Investigación y Tecnología del Agua - CITA, Universidad de Ingenieria y Tecnologia - UTEC, Jr. Medrano Silva 165, Lima, 15063, Peru
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16
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Oloye FF, Xie Y, Challis JK, Femi-Oloye OP, Brinkmann M, McPhedran KN, Jones PD, Servos MR, Giesy JP. Understanding common population markers for SARS-CoV-2 RNA normalization in wastewater - A review. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 333:138682. [PMID: 37201600 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.138682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater monitoring and epidemiology have seen renewed interest during the recent COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, there is an increasing need to normalize wastewater-derived viral loads in local populations. Chemical tracers, both exogenous and endogenous compounds, have proven to be more stable and reliable for normalization than biological indicators. However, differing instrumentation and extraction methods can make it difficult to compare results. This review examines current extraction and quantification methods for ten common population indicators: creatinine, coprostanol, nicotine, cotinine, sucralose, acesulfame, androstenedione 5-hydroindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), caffeine, and 1,7-dimethyluric acid. Some wastewater parameters such as ammonia, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and daily flowrate were also evaluated. The analytical methods included direct injection, dilute and shoot, liquid/liquid, and solid phase extraction (SPE). Creatine, acesulfame, nicotine, 5-HIAA and androstenedione have been analysed by direct injection into LC-MS; however, most authors prefer to include SPE steps to avoid matrix effects. Both LC-MS and GC-MS have been successfully used to quantify coprostanol in wastewater, and the other selected indicators have been quantified successfully with LC-MS. Acidification to stabilize the sample before freezing to maintain the integrity of samples has been reported to be beneficial. However, there are arguments both for and against working at acidic pHs. Wastewater parameters mentioned earlier are quick and easy to quantify, but the data does not always represent the human population effectively. A preference for population indicators originating solely from humans is apparent. This review summarises methods employed for chemical indicators in wastewater, provides a basis for choosing an appropriate extraction and analysis method, and highlights the utility of accurate chemical tracer data for wastewater-based epidemiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Femi F Oloye
- Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.
| | - Yuwei Xie
- Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | | | | | - Markus Brinkmann
- Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada; Global Institute for Water Security, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada; School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Kerry N McPhedran
- School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada; Department of Civil, Geological and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Paul D Jones
- Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada; Global Institute for Water Security, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada; School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Mark R Servos
- Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
| | - John P Giesy
- Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada; Department of Environmental Sciences, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA; Department of Integrative Biology and Center for Integrative Toxicology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
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17
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Tang L, Wu J, Liu R, Feng Z, Zhang Y, Zhao Y, Li Y, Yang K. Exploration on wastewater-based epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2: Mimic relative quantification with endogenous biomarkers as internal reference. Heliyon 2023; 9:e15705. [PMID: 37124340 PMCID: PMC10122556 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e15705] [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: 12/01/2022] [Revised: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology has become a powerful surveillance tool for monitoring the pandemic of COVID-19. Although it is promising to quantitatively correlate the SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentration in wastewater with the incidence of community infection, there is still no consensus on whether the viral nucleic acid concentration in sewage should be normalized against the abundance of endogenous biomarkers and which biomarker should be used as a reference for the normalization. Here, several candidate endogenous reference biomarkers for normalization of SARS-CoV-2 signal in municipal sewage were evaluated. The human fecal indicator virus (crAssphage) is a promising candidate of endogenous reference biomarker for data normalization of both DNA and RNA viruses for its intrinsic viral nature and high and stable content in sewage. Without constructing standard curves, the relative quantification of sewage viral nucleic acid against the abundance of the reference biomarker can be used to correlate with community COVID-19 incidence, which was proved via mimic experiments by spiking pseudovirus of different concentrations in sewage samples. Dilution of pseudovirus-seeded wastewater did not affect the relative abundance of viral nucleic acid, demonstrating that relative quantification can overcome the sewage dilution effects caused by the greywater input, precipitation and/or groundwater infiltration. The process of concentration, recovery and detection of the endogenous biomarker was consistent with that of SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Thus, it is necessary to co-quantify the endogenous biomarker because it can be not only an internal reference for data normalization, but also a process control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Langjun Tang
- Department of Pharmaceutical & Biological Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
| | - Jinyong Wu
- Department of Pharmaceutical & Biological Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
| | - Rui Liu
- Department of Pharmaceutical & Biological Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
| | - Zhongxi Feng
- Department of Pharmaceutical & Biological Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
| | - Yanan Zhang
- Department of Pharmaceutical & Biological Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
| | - Yingzhe Zhao
- Department of Pharmaceutical & Biological Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
| | - Yonghong Li
- Department of Pharmaceutical & Biological Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
| | - Kun Yang
- Department of Pharmaceutical & Biological Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
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18
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Othman I, Helmi A, Slama I, Hamdi R, Mastouri M, Aouni M. Evaluation of three viral concentration methods for detection and quantification of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater. JOURNAL OF WATER AND HEALTH 2023; 21:354-360. [PMID: 37338315 PMCID: wh_2023_264 DOI: 10.2166/wh.2023.264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) could be useful as an early warning system for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic spread. Viruses are highly diluted in wastewater. Therefore, a virus concentration step is needed for SARS-CoV-2 wastewater detection. We tested the efficiency of three wastewater viral concentration methods: ultrafiltration (UF), electronegative membrane filtration and aluminum hydroxide adsorption-elution. We spiked wastewater with inactivated SARS-CoV-2 and we collected 20 other wastewater samples from five sites in Tunisia. Samples were concentrated by the three methods and SARS-CoV-2 was quantified by reverse transcription digital PCR (RT-dPCR). The most efficient method was UF with a mean SARS-CoV-2 recovery of 54.03 ± 8.25. Moreover, this method provided significantly greater mean concentration and virus detection ability (95%) than the two other methods. The second-most efficient method used electronegative membrane filtration with a mean SARS-CoV-2 recovery of 25.59 ± 5.04% and the least efficient method was aluminum hydroxide adsorption-elution. This study suggests that the UF method provides rapid and straightforward recovery of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ines Othman
- University of Monastir, Faculty of Pharmacy, LR99-ES27, Monastir, Tunisia E-mail:
| | - Amna Helmi
- Directorate of Milieu Hygiene and Environmental Protection at the Health Ministry, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Ichrak Slama
- University of Monastir, Faculty of Pharmacy, LR99-ES27, Monastir, Tunisia E-mail:
| | - Rawand Hamdi
- University of Monastir, Faculty of Pharmacy, LR99-ES27, Monastir, Tunisia E-mail:
| | - Maha Mastouri
- University of Monastir, Faculty of Pharmacy, LR99-ES27, Monastir, Tunisia E-mail: ; Fattouma Bourguiba University Hospital, Laboratory of Microbiology, Monastir, Tunisia
| | - Mahjoub Aouni
- University of Monastir, Faculty of Pharmacy, LR99-ES27, Monastir, Tunisia E-mail:
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Chekkala A, Atasoy M, Williams C, Cetecioglu Z. Statistical Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 Using Wastewater-Based Data of Stockholm, Sweden. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:4181. [PMID: 36901194 PMCID: PMC10002411 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20054181] [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: 01/11/2023] [Revised: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
An approach based on wastewater epidemiology can be used to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic by assessing the gene copy number of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater. In the present study, we statistically analyzed such data from six inlets of three wastewater treatment plants, covering six regions of Stockholm, Sweden, collected over an approximate year period (week 16 of 2020 to week 22 of 2021). SARS-CoV-2 gene copy number and population-based biomarker PMMoV, as well as clinical data, such as the number of positive cases, intensive care unit numbers, and deaths, were analyzed statistically using correlations and principal component analysis (PCA). Despite the population differences, the PCA for the Stockholm dataset showed that the case numbers are well grouped across wastewater treatment plants. Furthermore, when considering the data from the whole of Stockholm, the wastewater characteristics (flow rate m3/day, PMMoV Ct value, and SARS-CoV gene copy number) were significantly correlated with the public health agency's report of SARS-CoV-2 infection rates (0.419 to 0.95, p-value < 0.01). However, while the PCA results showed that the case numbers for each wastewater treatment plant were well grouped concerning PC1 (37.3%) and PC2 (19.67%), the results from the correlation analysis for the individual wastewater treatment plants showed varied trends. SARS-CoV-2 fluctuations can be accurately predicted through statistical analyses of wastewater-based epidemiology, as demonstrated in this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aashlesha Chekkala
- Department of Chemical Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 10044 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Merve Atasoy
- Department of Chemical Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 10044 Stockholm, Sweden
- UNLOCK, Wageningen University & Research and Technical University Delft, 6708PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Cecilia Williams
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Protein Science, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 17121 Solna, Sweden
| | - Zeynep Cetecioglu
- Department of Chemical Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 10044 Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Industrial Biotechnology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, AlbaNova University Center, 11421 Stockholm, Sweden
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Ahmed W, Bivins A, Korajkic A, Metcalfe S, Smith WJM, Simpson SL. Comparative analysis of Adsorption-Extraction (AE) and Nanotrap® Magnetic Virus Particles (NMVP) workflows for the recovery of endogenous enveloped and non-enveloped viruses in wastewater. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 859:160072. [PMID: 36356768 PMCID: PMC10823496 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Revised: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
In this study, two virus concentration methods, namely Adsorption-Extraction (AE) and Nanotrap® Magnetic Virus Particles (NMVP) along with commercially available extraction kits were used to quantify endogenous pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) in nucleic acid extracted from 48 wastewater samples collected over six events from eight wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The main aim was to determine which workflow (i.e., concentration and extraction methods) produces greater concentrations of endogenous PMMoV and SARS-CoV-2 gene copies (GC) in comparison with each other. Turbidity and total suspended solids (TSS) of wastewater samples within and among the eight WWTPs were highly variable (41-385 NTU and 77-668 mg/L TSS). In 58 % of individual wastewater samples, the log10 GC concentrations of PMMoV were greater by NMVP workflow compared to AE workflow. Paired measurements of PMMoV GC/10 mL from AE and NMVP across all 48 wastewater samples were weakly correlated (r = 0.455, p = 0.001) and demonstrated a poor linear relationship (r2 = 0.207). The log10 GC concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 in 69 % of individual samples were greater by AE workflow compared to NMVP workflow. In contrast to PMMoV, the AE and NMVP derived SARS-CoV-2 GC counts were strongly correlated (r = 0.859, p < 0.001) and demonstrated a strong linear relationship (r2 = 0.738). In general, the PMMoV GC achieved by the NMVP workflow decreased with increasing turbidity, but the PMMoV GC by the AE workflow did not appear to be as sensitive to either turbidity or TSS levels. These findings suggest that wastewater sample turbidity or suspended solids concentration, and the intended target for analysis should be considered when validating an optimal workflow for wastewater surveillance of viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Warish Ahmed
- CSIRO Land and Water, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, Dutton Park, QLD 4102, Australia.
| | - Aaron Bivins
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Louisiana State University, 3255 Patrick F. Taylor Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
| | - Asja Korajkic
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, 26W Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA
| | - Suzanne Metcalfe
- CSIRO Land and Water, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, Dutton Park, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Wendy J M Smith
- CSIRO Land and Water, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, Dutton Park, QLD 4102, Australia
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21
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Perez-Zabaleta M, Archer A, Khatami K, Jafferali MH, Nandy P, Atasoy M, Birgersson M, Williams C, Cetecioglu Z. Long-term SARS-CoV-2 surveillance in the wastewater of Stockholm: What lessons can be learned from the Swedish perspective? THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 858:160023. [PMID: 36356735 PMCID: PMC9640212 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160023] [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: 08/09/2022] [Revised: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) can be used to track the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in a population. This study presents the learning outcomes from over two-year long monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 in Stockholm, Sweden. The three main wastewater treatment plants in Stockholm, with a total of six inlets, were monitored from April 2020 until June 2022 (in total 600 samples). This spans five major SARS-CoV-2 waves, where WBE data provided early warning signals for each wave. Further, the measured SARS-CoV-2 content in the wastewater correlated significantly with the level of positive COVID-19 tests (r = 0.86; p << 0.0001) measured by widespread testing of the population. Moreover, as a proof-of-concept, six SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern were monitored using hpPCR assay, demonstrating that variants can be traced through wastewater monitoring. During this long-term surveillance, two sampling protocols, two RNA concentration/extraction methods, two calculation approaches, and normalization to the RNA virus Pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) were evaluated. In addition, a study of storage conditions was performed, demonstrating that the decay of viral RNA was significantly reduced upon the addition of glycerol to the wastewater before storage at -80 °C. Our results provide valuable information that can facilitate the incorporation of WBE as a prediction tool for possible future outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2 and preparations for future pandemics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariel Perez-Zabaleta
- Department of Industrial Biotechnology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, AlbaNova University Center, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Chemical Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-10044, Sweden
| | - Amena Archer
- Department of Protein Science, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Science for Life Laboratory, Solna, Sweden
| | - Kasra Khatami
- Department of Industrial Biotechnology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, AlbaNova University Center, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Chemical Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-10044, Sweden
| | - Mohammed Hakim Jafferali
- Department of Protein Science, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Science for Life Laboratory, Solna, Sweden
| | - Prachi Nandy
- Department of Chemical Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-10044, Sweden
| | - Merve Atasoy
- Department of Chemical Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-10044, Sweden
| | - Madeleine Birgersson
- Department of Protein Science, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Science for Life Laboratory, Solna, Sweden
| | - Cecilia Williams
- Department of Protein Science, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Science for Life Laboratory, Solna, Sweden
| | - Zeynep Cetecioglu
- Department of Industrial Biotechnology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, AlbaNova University Center, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Chemical Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-10044, Sweden.
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22
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Simple Wastewater Preparation Protocol Applied to Monitor the Emergence of the Omicron 21L/BA.2 Variant by Genome Sequencing. Viruses 2023; 15:v15020268. [PMID: 36851484 PMCID: PMC9965846 DOI: 10.3390/v15020268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Detecting and monitoring viruses in wastewater samples have been reported as useful ways of tracking SARS-CoV-2 epidemic trends. However, there is currently no unanimously recognised method of processing samples to identify and quantify SARS-CoV-2 variants in wastewater. We aimed to implement a method that was as simple as possible in order to be used universally. In a study performed between January 2022 and June 2022 in the city of Marseille, France, we first evaluated the impact of the sample preservation strategy. We then compared ultracentrifugation to ultrafiltration and several steps of filtration to determine the optimal approach for virus concentration. As a proof-of-concept, the definitive protocol was applied to next-generation sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater to monitor the emergence of the Omicron variant in the city. For sewage water to be processed in the week following the sampling, storage at +4 °C is sufficient, with less than 1 Ct loss. Filtration with a 5 µm syringe filter, then with a 0.8 µm filtration unit, followed by ultrafiltration was the optimal protocol, leading to an average increase of 3.24 Ct when the starting Ct was on average 38 in the wastewater. This made it possible to observe the emergence of the Omicron 21L/BA.2 variant after Omicron 21K/BA.1 by genome sequencing over a period ranging from 20 February to 10 April 2022 in agreement with observations based on patient data. To conclude, by using a simple method requiring only basic filters and a centrifuge as equipment, it is possible to accurately track the relative incidence rates and the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants based on sewage samples.
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23
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Li X, Zhang S, Sherchan S, Orive G, Lertxundi U, Haramoto E, Honda R, Kumar M, Arora S, Kitajima M, Jiang G. Correlation between SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentration in wastewater and COVID-19 cases in community: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2023; 441:129848. [PMID: 36067562 PMCID: PMC9420035 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.129848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Revised: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has been considered as a promising approach for population-wide surveillance of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Many studies have successfully quantified severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA concentration in wastewater (CRNA). However, the correlation between the CRNA and the COVID-19 clinically confirmed cases in the corresponding wastewater catchments varies and the impacts of environmental and other factors remain unclear. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to identify the correlation between CRNA and various types of clinically confirmed case numbers, including prevalence and incidence rates. The impacts of environmental factors, WBE sampling design, and epidemiological conditions on the correlation were assessed for the same datasets. The systematic review identified 133 correlation coefficients, ranging from -0.38 to 0.99. The correlation between CRNA and new cases (either daily new, weekly new, or future cases) was stronger than that of active cases and cumulative cases. These correlation coefficients were potentially affected by environmental and epidemiological conditions and WBE sampling design. Larger variations of air temperature and clinical testing coverage, and the increase of catchment size showed strong negative impacts on the correlation between CRNA and COVID-19 case numbers. Interestingly, the sampling technique had negligible impact although increasing the sampling frequency improved the correlation. These findings highlight the importance of viral shedding dynamics, in-sewer decay, WBE sampling design and clinical testing on the accurate back-estimation of COVID-19 case numbers through the WBE approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuan Li
- School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia; Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Shuxin Zhang
- School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia
| | - Samendrdra Sherchan
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Gorka Orive
- NanoBioCel Group, Laboratory of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Paseo de la Universidad 7, Vitoria-Gasteiz 01006, Spain; Biomedical Research Networking Centre in Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
| | - Unax Lertxundi
- Bioaraba Health Research Institute; Osakidetza Basque Health Service, Araba Mental Health Network, Araba Psychiatric Hospital, Pharmacy Service, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
| | - Eiji Haramoto
- Interdisciplinary Center for River Basin Environment, University of Yamanashi, Kofu, Japan
| | - Ryo Honda
- Faculty of Geosciences and Civil Engineering, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Manish Kumar
- Sustainability Cluster, School of Engineering, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Sudipti Arora
- Dr. B. Lal Institute of Biotechnology, Jaipur, India
| | - Masaaki Kitajima
- Division of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Guangming Jiang
- School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia; Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI), University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia.
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24
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Evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 concentrations in wastewater and river water samples. CASE STUDIES IN CHEMICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING 2022; 6. [PMID: 37520921 PMCID: PMC9055419 DOI: 10.1016/j.cscee.2022.100214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
There are only a few established methods to determine the concentration of encapsulated viruses, such as SARS-CoV-2, in water matrices, limiting the application of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE)—an important tool for public health research. The present study compared four methods that are commonly used to concentrate non-encapsulated enteric viruses for determining SARS-CoV-2 concentration in wastewater and wastewater-enriched river water samples. The four methods tested were electronegative membrane with Mg+2 addition, aluminum hydroxide-based precipitation, polyethylene glycol (PEG) 8000 precipitation, and ultrafiltration (with porosity of 10 and 50 kDa). Prior to the concentration step, filtration or centrifugation was performed to remove suspended particles from the samples (pretreatment). To evaluate the recovery efficiency (%), samples of SARS-CoV-2 from nasopharyngeal swabs obtained from RT-qPCR-positive patients were used as spiked samples. The second part of the analysis involved the quantification of the SARS-CoV-2 copy number in analytes without SARS-CoV-2-spiked samples. Among the tested methods, pretreatment via centrifugation followed by ultrafiltration with a 50-kDa cut-off was found the most efficient method for wastewater samples with spiked samples (54.3 or 113.01% efficiency). For the wastewater-enriched river samples with spiked samples, pretreatment via centrifugation followed by filtration using an electronegative membrane was the most efficient method (110.8% and 95.9% for N1 and N2 markers, respectively). However, ultrafiltration of the raw river water samples using 10 or 50 kDa cut-off filters and PEG 8000 precipitation showed the best concentration efficiency based on copy number, regardless of the pretreatment approach or sample type (values ranging from 3 × 105 to 6.7 × 103). The effectiveness of the concentration method can vary depending on the type of sample and concentration method. We consider that this study will contribute to more widespread use of WBE for the environmental surveillance of SARS-CoV-2.
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Dutta H, Kaushik G, Dutta V. Wastewater-based epidemiology: a new frontier for tracking environmental persistence and community transmission of COVID-19. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:85688-85699. [PMID: 34762243 PMCID: PMC8581603 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-17419-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 11/04/2021] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Recent research in many parts of the world has pointed towards evidence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in both treated and raw municipal wastewater discharged by communities. Therefore, concerns regarding it being a possible enteric virus are abundant. Past history of SARS-CoV-1 outbreaks and viral survival information helps in establishing information regarding possible viral infectivity and survival of SARS-CoV-2. The paper examines the existing strategies and techniques including the efficacy of laboratory-based RT-qPCR technique for tracking environmental persistence and community transmission of COVID-19. Analysis of studies targeting untreated and treated wastewater as source of samples is carried out. The analysis shows that untreated samples were mostly positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the target studies. Infectivity estimation from viral load data was found to be about two orders of magnitude higher than actual case data in one of the studies. Additionally, relevant research on environmental survivability of SARS-CoV-2 and possible gaps are examined. Biosensors and excretion metabolite tracking in viral detection are also examined, which hold tremendous importance for future research. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) shows incredible promise in the near future for tracking environmental persistence and community transmission of highly infectious diseases such as SARS-CoV-2. With limited research available on SARS-CoV-2 with regard to WBE, it is imperative that focus be established on the evidence-based targeted studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harsh Dutta
- Department of Biochemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Geetanjali Kaushik
- Department of Civil Engineering, Hi-Tech Institute of Technology, Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India
| | - Venkatesh Dutta
- Department of Environmental Science, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow, India.
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26
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Maksimovic Carvalho Ferreira O, Lengar Ž, Kogej Z, Bačnik K, Bajde I, Milavec M, Županič A, Mehle N, Kutnjak D, Ravnikar M, Gutierrez-Aguirre I. Evaluation of Methods and Processes for Robust Monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 in Wastewater. FOOD AND ENVIRONMENTAL VIROLOGY 2022; 14:384-400. [PMID: 35999429 PMCID: PMC9398038 DOI: 10.1007/s12560-022-09533-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has accelerated the development of virus concentration and molecular-based virus detection methods, monitoring systems and overall approach to epidemiology. Early into the pandemic, wastewater-based epidemiology started to be employed as a tool for tracking the virus transmission dynamics in a given area. The complexity of wastewater coupled with a lack of standardized methods led us to evaluate each step of the analysis individually and see which approach gave the most robust results for SARS-CoV-2 monitoring in wastewater. In this article, we present a step-by-step, retrospective view on the method development and implementation for the case of a pilot monitoring performed in Slovenia. We specifically address points regarding the thermal stability of the samples during storage, screening for the appropriate sample concentration and RNA extraction procedures and real-time PCR assay selection. Here, we show that the temperature and duration of the storage of the wastewater sample can have a varying impact on the detection depending on the structural form in which the SARS-CoV-2 target is present. We found that concentration and RNA extraction using Centricon filtration units coupled with Qiagen RNA extraction kit or direct RNA capture and extraction using semi-automated kit from Promega give the most optimal results out of the seven methods tested. Lastly, we confirm the use of N1 and N2 assays developed by the CDC (USA) as the best performing assays among four tested in combination with Fast Virus 1-mastermix. Data show a realistic overall process for method implementation as well as provide valuable information in regards to how different approaches in the analysis compare to one another under the specific conditions present in Slovenia during a pilot monitoring running from the beginning of the pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivera Maksimovic Carvalho Ferreira
- National Institute of Biology, Večna pot 111, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
- International Postgraduate School Jožef Stefan, Jamova cesta 39, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
| | - Živa Lengar
- National Institute of Biology, Večna pot 111, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Zala Kogej
- National Institute of Biology, Večna pot 111, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- International Postgraduate School Jožef Stefan, Jamova cesta 39, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Katarina Bačnik
- National Institute of Biology, Večna pot 111, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Irena Bajde
- National Institute of Biology, Večna pot 111, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Mojca Milavec
- National Institute of Biology, Večna pot 111, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Anže Županič
- National Institute of Biology, Večna pot 111, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Nataša Mehle
- National Institute of Biology, Večna pot 111, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- School for Viticulture and Enology, University of Nova Gorica, Dvorec Lanthieri, Glavni trg 8, 5271, Vipava, Slovenia
| | - Denis Kutnjak
- National Institute of Biology, Večna pot 111, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Maja Ravnikar
- National Institute of Biology, Večna pot 111, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Comparison of RT-dPCR and RT-qPCR and the effects of freeze-thaw cycle and glycine release buffer for wastewater SARS-CoV-2 analysis. Sci Rep 2022; 12:20641. [PMID: 36450877 PMCID: PMC9709738 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-25187-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Public health efforts to control the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic rely on accurate information on the spread of the disease in the community. Acute and surveillance testing has been primarily used to characterize the extent of the disease. However, obtaining a representative sample of the human population is challenging because of limited testing capacity and incomplete testing compliance. Wastewater-based epidemiology is an agnostic alternative to surveillance testing that provides an average sample from the population served by the treatment facility. We compare the performance of reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and reverse transcription digital droplet PCR (RT-dPCR) for analysis of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in a regional wastewater treatment facility in northern Indiana, USA from the earliest stages of the pandemic. 1-L grab samples of wastewater were clarified and concentrated. Nucleic acids were extracted from aliquots and analyzed in parallel using the two methods. Synthetic viral nucleic acids were used for method development and generation of add-in standard-curves. Both methods were highly sensitive in detecting SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater, with detection limits as low as 1 copy per 500 mL wastewater. RT-qPCR and RT-dPCR provided essentially identical coefficients of variation (s/[Formula: see text] = 0.15) for triplicate measurements made on wastewater samples taken on 16 days. We also observed a sevenfold decrease in viral load from a grab sample that was frozen at - 80 °C for 92 days compared to results obtained without freezing. Freezing samples before analysis should be discouraged. Finally, we found that treatment with a glycine release buffer resulted in a fourfold inhibition in RT-qPCR signal; treatment with a glycine release buffer also should be discouraged. Despite their prevalence and convenience in wastewater analysis, glycine release and freezing samples severely and additively (~ tenfold) degraded recovery and detection of SARS-CoV-2.
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28
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Babler KM, Amirali A, Sharkey ME, Williams SL, Boone MM, Cosculluela GA, Currall BB, Grills GS, Laine J, Mason CE, Reding BD, Schürer SC, Stevenson M, Vidovic D, Solo-Gabriele HM. Comparison of Electronegative Filtration to Magnetic Bead-Based Concentration and V2G-qPCR to RT-qPCR for Quantifying Viral SARS-CoV-2 RNA from Wastewater. ACS ES&T WATER 2022; 2:2004-2013. [PMID: 37601294 PMCID: PMC10438908 DOI: 10.1021/acsestwater.2c00047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Abstract
Methods of wastewater concentration (electronegative filtration (ENF) versus magnetic bead-based concentration (MBC)) were compared for the analysis of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), beta-2 microglobulin, and human-coronavirus OC43. Using ENF as the concentration method, two quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) analytical methods were also compared: Volcano 2nd Generation (V2G)-qPCR and reverse transcriptase (RT)-qPCR measuring three different targets of the virus responsible for the COVID-19 illness (N1, modified N3, and ORF1ab). Correlations between concentration methods were strong and statistically significant for SARS-CoV-2 (r=0.77, p<0.001) and B2M (r=0.77, p<0.001). Comparison of qPCR analytical methods indicate that, on average, each method provided equivalent results with average ratios of 0.96, 0.96 and 1.02 for N3 to N1, N3 to ORF1ab, and N1 to ORF1ab and were supported by significant (p<0.001) correlation coefficients (r =0.67 for V2G (N3) to RT (N1), r =0.74 for V2G (N3) to RT (ORF1ab), r = 0.81 for RT (N1) to RT (ORF1ab)). Overall results suggest that the two concentration methods and qPCR methods provide equivalent results, although variability is observed for individual measurements. Given the equivalency of results, additional advantages and disadvantages, as described in the discussion, are to be considered when choosing an appropriate method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina M. Babler
- Department of Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering, Coral Gables, FL USA
| | - Ayaaz Amirali
- Department of Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering, Coral Gables, FL USA
| | - Mark E. Sharkey
- Department of Medicine, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL USA
| | - Sion L. Williams
- Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL USA
| | - Melinda M. Boone
- Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL USA
| | | | - Benjamin B. Currall
- Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL USA
| | - George S. Grills
- Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL USA
| | - Jennifer Laine
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics and the WorldQuant Initiative, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York City, NY USA
| | | | - Brian D. Reding
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics and the WorldQuant Initiative, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York City, NY USA
| | - Stephan C. Schürer
- Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL USA
- Department of Molecular & Cellular Pharmacology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicines, Miami, FL USA
- Institute for Data Science & Computing, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL USA
| | - Mario Stevenson
- Department of Medicine, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL USA
| | - Dusica Vidovic
- Department of Molecular & Cellular Pharmacology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicines, Miami, FL USA
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29
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Langan LM, O’Brien M, Rundell ZC, Back JA, Ryan BJ, Chambliss CK, Norman RS, Brooks BW. Comparative Analysis of RNA-Extraction Approaches and Associated Influences on RT-qPCR of the SARS-CoV-2 RNA in a University Residence Hall and Quarantine Location. ACS ES&T WATER 2022; 2:1929-1943. [PMID: 37552714 PMCID: PMC9063990 DOI: 10.1021/acsestwater.1c00476] [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: 12/13/2021] [Revised: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) provides an early warning and trend analysis approach for determining the presence of COVID-19 in a community and complements clinical testing in assessing the population level, even as viral loads fluctuate. Here, we evaluate combinations of two wastewater concentration methods (i.e., ultrafiltration and composite supernatant-solid), four pre-RNA extraction modifications, and three nucleic acid extraction kits using two different wastewater sampling locations. These consisted of a quarantine facility containing clinically confirmed COVID-19-positive inhabitants and a university residence hall. Of the combinations examined, composite supernatant-solid with pre-RNA extraction consisting of water concentration and RNA/DNA shield performed the best in terms of speed and sensitivity. Further, of the three nucleic acid extraction kits examined, the most variability was associated with the Qiagen kit. Focusing on the quarantine facility, viral concentrations measured in wastewater were generally significantly related to positive clinical cases, with the relationship dependent on method, modification, kit, target, and normalization, although results were variable-dependent on individual time points (Kendall's Tau-b (τ) = 0.17 to 0.6) or cumulatively (Kendall's Tau-b (τ) = -0.048 to 1). These observations can support laboratories establishing protocols to perform wastewater surveillance and monitoring efforts for COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura M. Langan
- Department of Environmental Science,
Baylor University, One Bear Place #97266, Waco, Texas 76798,
United States
- Center for Reservoir and Aquatic Systems Research,
Baylor University, One Bear Place #97178, Waco, Texas 76798,
United States
| | - Megan O’Brien
- Center for Reservoir and Aquatic Systems Research,
Baylor University, One Bear Place #97178, Waco, Texas 76798,
United States
| | - Zach C. Rundell
- Center for Reservoir and Aquatic Systems Research,
Baylor University, One Bear Place #97178, Waco, Texas 76798,
United States
| | - Jeffrey A. Back
- Center for Reservoir and Aquatic Systems Research,
Baylor University, One Bear Place #97178, Waco, Texas 76798,
United States
| | - Benjamin J. Ryan
- Department of Environmental Science,
Baylor University, One Bear Place #97266, Waco, Texas 76798,
United States
| | - C. Kevin Chambliss
- Center for Reservoir and Aquatic Systems Research,
Baylor University, One Bear Place #97178, Waco, Texas 76798,
United States
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry,
Baylor University, One Bear Place #97348, Waco, Texas 76798,
United States
| | - R. Sean Norman
- Environmental Health Sciences, Arnold
School of Public Health, South Carolina, 921 Assembly Street, Columbia,
South Carolina 29208, United States
| | - Bryan W. Brooks
- Department of Environmental Science,
Baylor University, One Bear Place #97266, Waco, Texas 76798,
United States
- Center for Reservoir and Aquatic Systems Research,
Baylor University, One Bear Place #97178, Waco, Texas 76798,
United States
- Institute of Biomedical Studies, Baylor
University, One Bear Place #97224, Waco, Texas 76798, United
States
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30
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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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31
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Birnbaum DP, Vilardi KJ, Anderson CL, Pinto AJ, Joshi NS. Simple Affinity-Based Method for Concentrating Viruses from Wastewater Using Engineered Curli Fibers. ACS ES&T WATER 2022; 2:1836-1843. [PMID: 36778666 PMCID: PMC9916486 DOI: 10.1021/acsestwater.1c00208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater surveillance is a proven method for tracking community spread and prevalence of some infectious viral diseases. A primary concentration step is often used to enrich viral particles from wastewater prior to subsequent viral quantification and/or sequencing. Here, we present a simple procedure for concentrating viruses from wastewater using bacterial biofilm protein nanofibers known as curli fibers. Through simple genetic engineering, we produced curli fibers functionalized with single-domain antibodies (also known as nanobodies) specific for the coat protein of the model virus bacteriophage MS2. Using these modified fibers in a simple spin-down protocol, we demonstrated efficient concentration of MS2 in both phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and in the wastewater matrix. Additionally, we produced nanobody-functionalized curli fibers capable of binding the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, showing the versatility of the system. Our concentration protocol is simple to implement, can be performed quickly under ambient conditions, and requires only components produced through bacterial culture. We believe this technology represents an attractive alternative to existing concentration methods and warrants further research and optimization for field-relevant applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel P Birnbaum
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States; Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Katherine J Vilardi
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Christopher L Anderson
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Ameet J Pinto
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | - Neel S Joshi
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
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Relationship between SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater and clinical data from five wastewater sheds. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS ADVANCES 2022; 8:100159. [PMID: 36619827 PMCID: PMC9448702 DOI: 10.1016/j.hazadv.2022.100159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2022] [Revised: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has resulted in a global pandemic starting in 2019 with nearly 500 million confirmed cases as of April 2022. Infection with SARS-CoV-2 is accompanied by shedding of virus in stool, and its presence in wastewater samples has been documented globally. Therefore, monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater offers a promising approach to assess the pandemic situation covering pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic cases in areas with limited clinical testing. In this study, the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater from five wastewater resource recovery facilities (WRRFs), located in two adjacent counties, was investigated and compared with the number of clinical COVID-19 cases during a 2020-2021 outbreak in United States. Statistical correlation analyses of SARS-CoV-2 viral abundance in wastewater and COVID-19 daily vs weekly clinical cases was performed. While a weak correlation on a daily basis was observed, this correlation improved when weekly clinical case data were applied. The viral fecal indicator Pepper Mild Mottle Virus (PMMoV) was furthermore used to assess the effects of normalization and the impact of dilution due to infiltration in the wastewater sheds. Normalization did not improve the correlations with clinical data. However, PMMoV provided important information about infiltration and presence of industrial wastewater discharge in the wastewater sheds. This study showed the utility of WBE to assist in public health responses to COVID-19, emphasizing that routine monitoring of large WRRFs could provide sufficient information for large-scale dynamics.
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Wartell BA, Proano C, Bakalian L, Kaya D, Croft K, McCreary M, Lichtenstein N, Miske V, Arcellana P, Boyer J, Benschoten IV, Anderson M, Crabb A, Gilson S, Gourley A, Wheeler T, Trest B, Bowman G, Kjellerup BV. Implementing wastewater surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 on a university campus: Lessons learned. WATER ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH : A RESEARCH PUBLICATION OF THE WATER ENVIRONMENT FEDERATION 2022; 94:e10807. [PMID: 36372781 PMCID: PMC9827968 DOI: 10.1002/wer.10807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Revised: 10/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater surveillance, also known as wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE), has been successfully used to detect SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses in sewage in many locations in the United States and globally. This includes implementation of the surveillance on college and university campuses. A two-phase study was conducted during the 2020-2021 academic year to test the feasibility of a WBE system on campus and to supplement the clinical COVID-19 testing performed for the student, staff, and faculty body. The primary objective during the Fall 2020 semester was to monitor a large portion of the on-campus population and to obtain an understanding of the spreading of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The Spring 2021 objective was focused on selected residence halls and groups of residents on campus, as this was more efficient and relevant for an effective follow-up response. Logistical problems and planning oversights initially occurred but were corrected with improved communication and experience. Many lessons were learned, including effective mapping, site planning, communication, personnel organization, and equipment management, and obtained along the way, thereby paving an opportune guide for future planning efforts. PRACTITIONER POINTS: WBE was successful in the detection of many SARS-CoV-2 variants incl. Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Lambda, Mu, and Omicron. Careful planning and contingencies were essential for a successful implementation of a SARS-CoV-2 monitoring program. A surveillance program may be important for detection and monitoring of other public health relevant targets in wastewater incl. bacteria, viruses, fungi and viruses. Diverse lessons were learned incl. effective mapping, site planning, communication, personnel organization, and equipment management, thereby providing a guide for future planning efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian A. Wartell
- Department of Civil and Environmental EngineeringUniversity of Maryland College ParkCollege ParkMarylandUSA
| | - Camila Proano
- Department of Civil and Environmental EngineeringUniversity of Maryland College ParkCollege ParkMarylandUSA
| | - Lena Bakalian
- Department of Civil and Environmental EngineeringUniversity of Maryland College ParkCollege ParkMarylandUSA
| | - Devrim Kaya
- Department of Civil and Environmental EngineeringUniversity of Maryland College ParkCollege ParkMarylandUSA
| | - Kristen Croft
- Department of Civil and Environmental EngineeringUniversity of Maryland College ParkCollege ParkMarylandUSA
| | - Michael McCreary
- Department of Civil and Environmental EngineeringUniversity of Maryland College ParkCollege ParkMarylandUSA
| | - Naomi Lichtenstein
- Department of Civil and Environmental EngineeringUniversity of Maryland College ParkCollege ParkMarylandUSA
| | - Victoria Miske
- Department of Civil and Environmental EngineeringUniversity of Maryland College ParkCollege ParkMarylandUSA
| | - Patricia Arcellana
- Department of Civil and Environmental EngineeringUniversity of Maryland College ParkCollege ParkMarylandUSA
| | - Jessica Boyer
- Department of Civil and Environmental EngineeringUniversity of Maryland College ParkCollege ParkMarylandUSA
| | - Isabelle Van Benschoten
- Department of Civil and Environmental EngineeringUniversity of Maryland College ParkCollege ParkMarylandUSA
| | - Marya Anderson
- Department of Civil and Environmental EngineeringUniversity of Maryland College ParkCollege ParkMarylandUSA
| | - Andrea Crabb
- Department of Residential FacilitiesUniversity of Maryland College ParkCollege ParkMarylandUSA
| | - Susan Gilson
- Department of Residential FacilitiesUniversity of Maryland College ParkCollege ParkMarylandUSA
| | - Anthony Gourley
- Department of Residential FacilitiesUniversity of Maryland College ParkCollege ParkMarylandUSA
| | - Tim Wheeler
- Department of Residential FacilitiesUniversity of Maryland College ParkCollege ParkMarylandUSA
| | - Brian Trest
- Facilities ManagementUniversity of Maryland College ParkCollege ParkMarylandUSA
| | - Glynnis Bowman
- Facilities ManagementUniversity of Maryland College ParkCollege ParkMarylandUSA
| | - Birthe V. Kjellerup
- Department of Civil and Environmental EngineeringUniversity of Maryland College ParkCollege ParkMarylandUSA
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34
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Li X, Ahmed W, Wu Z, Xia Y. Developing a novel Bifidobacterium phage quantitative polymerase chain reaction-based assay for tracking untreated wastewater. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 838:155815. [PMID: 35550888 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Revised: 05/03/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Microbial source tracking (MST) tools provide insights on fecal pollution levels in aquatic environments using predominantly quantitative PCR (qPCR) assays that target host-associated molecular marker genes. Existing wastewater-associated marker genes have shown limited or significant cross-reactions with non-human fecal samples. In this study, we mined the current Gut Phage Database (GPD) and designed a novel untreated wastewater-specific Bifidobacterium phage qPCR assay (i.e., Bifi assay). The sensitivity and specificity of the Bifi marker genes were assessed by collectively analyzing untreated (n = 33) and treated (n = 15) wastewater and non-human fecal samples (i.e., Rabbit, mouse, cow, horse, pig, chicken, sheep, dog, deer, kangaroos; n = 113) in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China and Brisbane, Australia. Bifi assay revealed 100% host-specificity against non-human fecal samples collected from Shenzhen and Brisbane. Furthermore, this marker gene was also detected in all untreated and treated wastewater samples, whose concentrations ranged from 5.54 to 6.83 log10 GC/L. In Shenzhen, the concentrations of Bifi marker gene were approximately two orders of magnitude lower than Bacteroides (HF183/BacR287 assay) and CrAssphage (CPQ_56 assay). The concentration of Bifi marker gene in untreated wastewater from Brisbane was 1.35 log10 greater than those in Shenzhen. Our results suggest that Bifi marker gene has the potential to detect and quantify the levels of human fecal pollution in Shenzhen and Brisbane. If additional detection sensitivity is required for environmental studies, Bifi marker gene should be paired with either CrAssphage or HF183/BacR287 marker genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiang Li
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Integrated Surface Water-Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil and Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China.
| | - Warish Ahmed
- CSIRO Land and Water, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, Dutton Park, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Ziqi Wu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Yu Xia
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Integrated Surface Water-Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil and Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China.
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35
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Viveros ML, Azimi S, Pichon E, Roose-Amsaleg C, Bize A, Durandet F, Rocher V. Wild type and variants of SARS-COV-2 in Parisian sewage: presence in raw water and through processes in wastewater treatment plants. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:67442-67449. [PMID: 36029443 PMCID: PMC9418656 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-22665-x] [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: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
The presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA has been extensively reported at the influent of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) worldwide, and its monitoring has been proposed as a potential surveillance tool to early alert of epidemic outbreaks. However, the fate of the SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the treatment process of WWTP has not been widely studied yet; therefore, in this study, we aimed to evaluate the efficiency of treatment processes in reducing SARS-CoV-2 RNA levels in wastewater. The treatment process of three WWTPs of the Parisian area in France was monitored on six different weeks over a period of 2 months (from April 14 to June 9, 2021). SARS-CoV-2 RNA copies were detected using digital polymerase chain reaction (dPCR). Investigation on the presence of variants of concern (Del69-70, E484K, and L452R) was also performed. Additionally, SARS-CoV-2 RNA loads in the WWTPs influents were expressed as the viral concentration in per population equivalent (PE) and showed a good correlation with French public health indicators (incidence rate). SARS-CoV-2 RNA loads were notably reduced along the water treatment lines of the three WWTPs studied (2.5-3.4 log reduction). Finally, very low SARS-CoV-2 RNA loads were detected in effluents (non-detected in over half of the samples) which indicated that the potential risk of the release of wastewater effluents to the environment is probably insignificant, in the case of WWTPs enabling an efficient biological removal of nitrogen.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sam Azimi
- SIAAP - Direction Innovation, 82 avenue Kléber, 92700, Colombes, France
| | - Elodie Pichon
- GEOBIOMICS, 335 rue Louis Lépine, 34000, Montpellier, France
| | | | - Ariane Bize
- PRocédés biOtechnologiques Au Service de L'Environnement, INRAE Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, 92761, Antony, France
| | | | - Vincent Rocher
- SIAAP - Direction Innovation, 82 avenue Kléber, 92700, Colombes, France
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36
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Mac Mahon J, Criado Monleon AJ, Gill LW, O'Sullivan JJ, Meijer WG. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) for SARS-CoV-2 - A review focussing on the significance of the sewer network using a Dublin city catchment case study. WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY : A JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION ON WATER POLLUTION RESEARCH 2022; 86:1402-1425. [PMID: 36178814 DOI: 10.2166/wst.2022.278] [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
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has been employed by many countries globally since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in order to assess the benefits of this surveillance tool in the context of informing public health measures. WBE has been successfully employed to detect SARS-CoV-2 at wastewater treatment plants for community-wide surveillance, as well as in smaller catchments and institutions for targeted surveillance of COVID-19. In addition, WBE has been successfully used to detect new variants, identify areas of high infection levels, as well as to detect new infection outbreaks. However, due to to the large number of inherent uncertainties in the WBE process, including the inherent intricacies of the sewer network, decay of the virus en route to a monitoring point, levels of recovery from sampling and quantification methods, levels of faecal shedding among the infected population, as well as population normalisation methods, the usefulness of wastewater samples as a means of accurately quantifying SARS-CoV-2 infection levels among a population remains less clear. The current WBE programmes in place globally will help to identify new areas of research aimed at reducing the levels of uncertainty in the WBE process, thus improving WBE as a public health monitoring tool for future pandemics. In the meantime, such programmes can provide valuable comparisons to clinical testing data and other public health metrics, as well being an effective early warning tool for new variants and new infection outbreaks. This review includes a case study of sampled wastewater from the sewer network in Dublin, Ireland, during a peak infection period of COVID-19 in the city, which evaluates the different uncertainties in the WBE process.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - John J O'Sullivan
- UCD School of Civil Engineering, UCD Dooge Centre for Water Resources Research and UCD Earth Institute, University College Dublin
| | - Wim G Meijer
- UCD School of Biomolecular & Biomedical Science, UCD Earth Institute and UCD Conway Institute, University College Dublin
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37
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Hsu SY, Bayati M, Li C, Hsieh HY, Belenchia A, Klutts J, Zemmer SA, Reynolds M, Semkiw E, Johnson HY, Foley T, Wieberg CG, Wenzel J, Johnson MC, Lin CH. Biomarkers selection for population normalization in SARS-CoV-2 wastewater-based epidemiology. WATER RESEARCH 2022; 223:118985. [PMID: 36030667 PMCID: PMC9376872 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.118985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Revised: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/13/2022] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has been one of the most cost-effective approaches to track the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) levels in the communities since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in 2020. Normalizing SARS-CoV-2 concentrations by the population biomarkers in wastewater is critical for interpreting the viral loads, comparing the epidemiological trends among the sewersheds, and identifying the vulnerable communities. In this study, five population biomarkers, pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV), creatinine (CRE), 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), caffeine (CAF) and its metabolite paraxanthine (PARA) were investigated and validated for their utility in normalizing the SARS-CoV-2 loads through two normalizing approaches using the data from 64 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Missouri. Their utility in assessing the real-time population contributing to the wastewater was also evaluated. The best performing candidate was further tested for its capacity for improving correlation between normalized SARS-CoV-2 loads and the clinical cases reported in the City of Columbia, Missouri, a university town with a constantly fluctuating population. Our results showed that, except CRE, the direct and indirect normalization approaches using biomarkers allow accounting for the changes in wastewater dilution and differences in relative human waste input over time regardless flow volume and population of the given WWTP. Among selected biomarkers, PARA is the most reliable population biomarker in determining the SARS-CoV-2 load per capita due to its high accuracy, low variability, and high temporal consistency to reflect the change in population dynamics and dilution in wastewater. It also demonstrated its excellent utility for real-time assessment of the population contributing to the wastewater. In addition, the viral loads normalized by the PARA-estimated population significantly improved the correlation (rho=0.5878, p < 0.05) between SARS-CoV-2 load per capita and case numbers per capita. This chemical biomarker complements the current normalization scheme recommended by CDC and helps us understand the size, distribution, and dynamics of local populations for forecasting the prevalence of SARS-CoV2 within each sewershed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shu-Yu Hsu
- School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65201, USA; Center for Agroforestry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65201, USA
| | - Mohamed Bayati
- School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65201, USA
| | - Chenhui Li
- School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65201, USA
| | - Hsin-Yeh Hsieh
- School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65201, USA
| | - Anthony Belenchia
- Bureau of Environmental Epidemiology, Division of Community and Public Health, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Jefferson City, MO, USA
| | - Jessica Klutts
- Water Protection Program, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Jefferson City, MO, USA
| | - Sally A Zemmer
- Water Protection Program, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Jefferson City, MO, USA
| | - Melissa Reynolds
- Bureau of Environmental Epidemiology, Division of Community and Public Health, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Jefferson City, MO, USA
| | - Elizabeth Semkiw
- Bureau of Environmental Epidemiology, Division of Community and Public Health, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Jefferson City, MO, USA
| | - Hwei-Yiing Johnson
- Bureau of Environmental Epidemiology, Division of Community and Public Health, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Jefferson City, MO, USA
| | - Trevor Foley
- Missouri Department of Corrections, Jefferson City, MO, USA
| | - Chris G Wieberg
- Water Protection Program, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Jefferson City, MO, USA
| | - Jeff Wenzel
- Bureau of Environmental Epidemiology, Division of Community and Public Health, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Jefferson City, MO, USA
| | - Marc C Johnson
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, University of Missouri, School of Medicine and the Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center, Columbia, MO 65201, USA
| | - Chung-Ho Lin
- School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65201, USA; Center for Agroforestry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65201, USA.
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Amahmid O, El Guamri Y, Rakibi Y, Ouizat S, Yazidi M, Razoki B, Kaid Rassou K, Asmama S, Bouhoum K, Belghyti D. Occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 in excreta, sewage, and environment: epidemiological significance and potential risks. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH RESEARCH 2022; 32:1686-1706. [PMID: 33752527 DOI: 10.1080/09603123.2021.1901865] [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: 12/19/2020] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
The detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in patients' excreta raises the issue of its occurrence and fate in sewage. This review has focused on the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 in human excreta, wastewater, sewage sludge, and river waters. It explored the potential use of the wastewater-based epidemiology approach to report on the situation of current and eventual future SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks. The main concern of the occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 in the environment is the public health risks at sites of sewage products disposal and reuse, especially in low-income countries with inadequate sanitation, where direct discharge and reuse of raw sewage are common practices. The review also addressed the role sewage-irrigated agriculture can have in SARS-CoV-2 spread in the environmental compartments reached through sewage products application. An overview was made on the interest of sewage management, water safety, and hygienic practices for controlling the environmental dissemination of SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omar Amahmid
- Department of Life and Earth Sciences, (Biology/geology Research Units), Regional Centre for Careers of Education and Training CRMEF Marrakech-Safi, Marrakesh, Morocco
- Department of Biology, Laboratory of Water, Biodiversity and Climatic Change, Faculty of Sciences Semlalia, Cadi Ayyad Univesity, Marrakesh, Morocco
- Department of Biology, Laboratory of Natural Resources and Sustainable Development, University Ibn Tofail, Kenitra, Morocco
| | - Youssef El Guamri
- Department of Life and Earth Sciences, (Biology/geology Research Units), Regional Centre for Careers of Education and Training CRMEF Marrakech-Safi, Marrakesh, Morocco
- Department of Biology, Laboratory of Natural Resources and Sustainable Development, University Ibn Tofail, Kenitra, Morocco
| | - Youness Rakibi
- Department of Life and Earth Sciences, (Biology/geology Research Units), Regional Centre for Careers of Education and Training CRMEF Marrakech-Safi, Marrakesh, Morocco
- Engineering Laboratory of Organometallic, Molecular Materials and Environment (LIMOME), Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah University, Fez, Morocco
| | - Saadia Ouizat
- Chemistry and Didactics Unit, Regional Centre for Careers of Education and Training CRMEF Marrakech-Safi, Marrakesh, Morocco
| | - Mohamed Yazidi
- Department of Life and Earth Sciences, (Biology/geology Research Units), Regional Centre for Careers of Education and Training CRMEF Marrakech-Safi, Marrakesh, Morocco
| | - Bouchra Razoki
- Department of Life and Earth Sciences, (Biology/geology Research Units), Regional Centre for Careers of Education and Training CRMEF Marrakech-Safi, Marrakesh, Morocco
| | - Khadija Kaid Rassou
- Department of Life and Earth Sciences, (Biology/geology Research Units), Regional Centre for Careers of Education and Training CRMEF Marrakech-Safi, Marrakesh, Morocco
| | - Souad Asmama
- Laboratory of Biomedical Analysis, University Hospital Centre Mohammad VI, Marrakech, Morocco
| | - Khadija Bouhoum
- Department of Biology, Laboratory of Water, Biodiversity and Climatic Change, Faculty of Sciences Semlalia, Cadi Ayyad Univesity, Marrakesh, Morocco
| | - Driss Belghyti
- Department of Biology, Laboratory of Natural Resources and Sustainable Development, University Ibn Tofail, Kenitra, Morocco
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Mazumder P, Dash S, Honda R, Sonne C, Kumar M. Sewage surveillance for SARS-CoV-2: Molecular detection, quantification, and normalization factors. CURRENT OPINION IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & HEALTH 2022; 28:100363. [PMID: 35694049 PMCID: PMC9170178 DOI: 10.1016/j.coesh.2022.100363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
The presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) in wastewater systems provides a primary indication of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spread throughout communities worldwide. Droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (dd-PCR) or reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) administration of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewaters provides a reliable and efficient technology for gathering secondary local-level public health data. Often the accuracy of prevalence estimation is hampered by many methodological issues connected with wastewater surveillance. Still, more studies are needed to use and create efficient approaches for deciphering the actual SARS-CoV-2 indication from noise in the specimens/samples. Nearly 39-65% of positive patients and asymptomatic carriers expel the virus through their faeces however, only ∼6% of the infected hosts eject it through their urine. COVID-19 positive patients can shed the remnants of the SARS-CoV-2 RNA virus within the concentrations ∼103-108 copies/L. However, it can decrease up to 102 copies/L in wastewaters due to dilution. Environmental virology and microbiology laboratories play a significant role in the identification and analysis of SARS-CoV-2 ribonucleic acid (RNA) in waste and ambient waters worldwide. Virus extraction or recovery from the wastewater (However, due to lack of knowledge, established procedures, and integrated quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) approaches, the novel coronavirus RNA investigation for estimating current illnesses and predicting future outbreaks is insufficient and/or conducted inadequately. The present manuscript is a technical review of the various methods and factors considered during the identification of SARS-CoV-2 genetic material in wastewaters and/or sludge, including tips and tricks to be taken care of during sampling, virus concentration, normalization, PCR inhibition, and trend line smoothening when compared with clinically active/positive cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Payal Mazumder
- Sustainability Cluster, School of Engineering, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, 248007, India
| | - Siddhant Dash
- Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, Assam, 781039, India
| | - Ryo Honda
- School of Geosciences and Civil Engineering, Kanazawa University, Kakumamachi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, 920-1192, Japan
| | - Christian Sonne
- Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Roskilde, DK-4000, Denmark
- Henan Province Engineering Research Center for Biomass Value-Added Products, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450002, China
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, International Innovation Center for Forest Chemicals and Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210037, China
| | - Manish Kumar
- Sustainability Cluster, School of Engineering, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, 248007, India
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El-Malah SS, Saththasivam J, Jabbar KA, K K A, Gomez TA, Ahmed AA, Mohamoud YA, Malek JA, Abu Raddad LJ, Abu Halaweh HA, Bertollini R, Lawler J, Mahmoud KA. Application of human RNase P normalization for the realistic estimation of SARS-CoV-2 viral load in wastewater: A perspective from Qatar wastewater surveillance. ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION 2022; 27:102775. [PMID: 35761926 PMCID: PMC9220754 DOI: 10.1016/j.eti.2022.102775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Revised: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 06/19/2022] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The apparent uncertainty associated with shedding patterns, environmental impacts, and sample processing strategies have greatly influenced the variability of SARS-CoV-2 concentrations in wastewater. This study evaluates the use of a new normalization approach using human RNase P for the logic estimation of SARS-CoV-2 viral load in wastewater. SARS-CoV-2 variants outbreak was monitored during the circulating wave between February and August 2021. Sewage samples were collected from five major wastewater treatment plants and subsequently analyzed to determine the viral loads in the wastewater. SARS-CoV-2 was detected in all the samples where the wastewater Ct values exhibited a similar trend as the reported number of new daily positive cases in the country. The infected population number was estimated using a mathematical model that compensated for RNA decay due to wastewater temperature and sewer residence time, and which indicated that the number of positive cases circulating in the population declined from 765,729 ± 142,080 to 2,303 ± 464 during the sampling period. Genomic analyses of SARS-CoV-2 of thirty wastewater samples collected between March 2021 and April 2021 revealed that alpha (B.1.1.7) and beta (B.1.351) were among the dominant variants of concern (VOC) in Qatar. The findings of this study imply that the normalization of data allows a more realistic assessment of incidence trends within the population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shimaa S El-Malah
- Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, P.O. Box 34110, Doha, Qatar
| | - Jayaprakash Saththasivam
- Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, P.O. Box 34110, Doha, Qatar
| | - Khadeeja Abdul Jabbar
- Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, P.O. Box 34110, Doha, Qatar
| | - Arun K K
- Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, P.O. Box 34110, Doha, Qatar
| | - Tricia A Gomez
- Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, P.O. Box 34110, Doha, Qatar
| | - Ayeda A Ahmed
- Genomics Laboratory, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q), Cornell University, Doha, Qatar
| | - Yasmin A Mohamoud
- Genomics Laboratory, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q), Cornell University, Doha, Qatar
| | - Joel A Malek
- Genomics Laboratory, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q), Cornell University, Doha, Qatar
| | - Laith J Abu Raddad
- Infectious Disease Epidemiology Group, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Cornell University, Doha, Qatar
| | - Hussein A Abu Halaweh
- Drainage Network Operation & Maintenance Department, Public Works Authority, Doha, Qatar
| | | | - Jenny Lawler
- Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, P.O. Box 34110, Doha, Qatar
| | - Khaled A Mahmoud
- Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, P.O. Box 34110, Doha, Qatar
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Li X, Kulandaivelu J, Guo Y, Zhang S, Shi J, O'Brien J, Arora S, Kumar M, Sherchan SP, Honda R, Jackson G, Luby SP, Jiang G. SARS-CoV-2 shedding sources in wastewater and implications for wastewater-based epidemiology. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2022; 432:128667. [PMID: 35339834 PMCID: PMC8908579 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.128667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2022] [Revised: 03/05/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) approach for COVID-19 surveillance is largely based on the assumption of SARS-CoV-2 RNA shedding into sewers by infected individuals. Recent studies found that SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentration in wastewater (CRNA) could not be accounted by the fecal shedding alone. This study aimed to determine potential major shedding sources based on literature data of CRNA, along with the COVID-19 prevalence in the catchment area through a systematic literature review. Theoretical CRNA under a certain prevalence was estimated using Monte Carlo simulations, with eight scenarios accommodating feces alone, and both feces and sputum as shedding sources. With feces alone, none of the WBE data was in the confidence interval of theoretical CRNA estimated with the mean feces shedding magnitude and probability, and 63% of CRNA in WBE reports were higher than the maximum theoretical concentration. With both sputum and feces, 91% of the WBE data were below the simulated maximum CRNA in wastewater. The inclusion of sputum as a major shedding source led to more comparable theoretical CRNA to the literature WBE data. Sputum discharging behavior of patients also resulted in great fluctuations of CRNA under a certain prevalence. Thus, sputum is a potential critical shedding source for COVID-19 WBE surveillance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuan Li
- School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong, Australia
| | | | - Ying Guo
- School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong, Australia
| | - Shuxin Zhang
- School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong, Australia
| | - Jiahua Shi
- School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong, Australia; Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI), University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia
| | - Jake O'Brien
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, The University of Queensland, Woollongabba, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Sudipti Arora
- Dr. B. Lal Institute of Biotechnology, 6E, Malviya Industrial Area, Malviya Nagar, Jaipur 302017, India
| | - Manish Kumar
- Sustainability Cluster, School of Engineering, University of Petroleum & Energy Studies, Dehradun, Uttarakhand 248007, India
| | - Samendra P Sherchan
- Department of Environmental health sciences, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA; Bioenvironmental Science Program, Morgan Staate University, Baltimore, MD 21251, USA
| | - Ryo Honda
- Faculty of Geosciences and Civil Engineering, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan
| | - Greg Jackson
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, The University of Queensland, Woollongabba, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Stephen P Luby
- Stanford Center for Innovation in Global Health, and Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Guangming Jiang
- School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong, Australia; Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI), University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia.
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42
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Zheng X, Deng Y, Xu X, Li S, Zhang Y, Ding J, On HY, Lai JCC, In Yau C, Chin AWH, Poon LLM, Tun HM, Zhang T. Comparison of virus concentration methods and RNA extraction methods for SARS-CoV-2 wastewater surveillance. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 824:153687. [PMID: 35134418 PMCID: PMC8816846 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153687] [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: 11/15/2021] [Revised: 01/16/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater surveillance is a promising tool for population-level monitoring of the spread of infectious diseases, such as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Different from clinical specimens, viruses in community-scale wastewater samples need to be concentrated before detection because viral RNA is highly diluted. The present study evaluated eleven different virus concentration methods for the detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in wastewater. First, eight concentration methods of different principles were compared using spiked wastewater at a starting volume of 30 mL. Ultracentrifugation was the most effective method with a viral recovery efficiency of 25 ± 6%. The second-best option, AlCl3 precipitation method, yielded a lower recovery efficiency, only approximately half that of the ultracentrifugation method. Second, the potential of increasing method sensitivity was explored using three concentration methods starting with a larger volume of 1000 mL. Although ultracentrifugation using a large volume outperformed the other two large-volume methods, it only yielded a comparable method sensitivity as the ultracentrifugation using a small volume (30 mL). Thus, ultracentrifugation using less volume of wastewater is more preferable considering the sample processing throughput. Third, a comparison of two viral RNA extraction methods showed that the lysis-buffer-based extraction method resulted in higher viral recovery efficiencies, with cycle threshold (Ct) values 0.9-4.2 lower than those obtained for the acid-guanidinium-phenol-based method using spiked samples. These results were further confirmed by using positive wastewater samples concentrated by ultracentrifugation and extracted separately by the two viral RNA extraction methods. In summary, concentration using ultracentrifugation followed by the lysis buffer-based extraction method enables sensitive and robust detection of SARS-CoV-2 for wastewater surveillance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiawan Zheng
- Environmental Microbiome Engineering and Biotechnology Laboratory, Center for Environmental Engineering Research, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yu Deng
- Environmental Microbiome Engineering and Biotechnology Laboratory, Center for Environmental Engineering Research, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
| | - Xiaoqing Xu
- Environmental Microbiome Engineering and Biotechnology Laboratory, Center for Environmental Engineering Research, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
| | - Shuxian Li
- Environmental Microbiome Engineering and Biotechnology Laboratory, Center for Environmental Engineering Research, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yulin Zhang
- Environmental Microbiome Engineering and Biotechnology Laboratory, Center for Environmental Engineering Research, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
| | - Jiahui Ding
- Environmental Microbiome Engineering and Biotechnology Laboratory, Center for Environmental Engineering Research, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
| | - Hei Yin On
- School of Public Health, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China; HKU-Pasteur Research Pole, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
| | - Jimmy C C Lai
- School of Public Health, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China; HKU-Pasteur Research Pole, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
| | - Chung In Yau
- School of Public Health, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
| | - Alex W H Chin
- School of Public Health, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
| | - Leo L M Poon
- School of Public Health, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China; HKU-Pasteur Research Pole, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
| | - Hein M Tun
- School of Public Health, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China; HKU-Pasteur Research Pole, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
| | - Tong Zhang
- Environmental Microbiome Engineering and Biotechnology Laboratory, Center for Environmental Engineering Research, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China.
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Bar-Or I, Indenbaum V, Weil M, Elul M, Levi N, Aguvaev I, Cohen Z, Levy V, Azar R, Mannasse B, Shirazi R, Bucris E, Mor O, Sela Brown A, Sofer D, Zuckerman NS, Mendelson E, Erster O. National Scale Real-Time Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 Variants Dynamics by Wastewater Monitoring in Israel. Viruses 2022; 14:1229. [PMID: 35746700 PMCID: PMC9227326 DOI: 10.3390/v14061229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Revised: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
In this report, we describe a national-scale monitoring of the SARS-CoV-2 (SC-2) variant dynamics in Israel, using multiple-time sampling of 13 wastewater treatment plants. We used a combination of inclusive and selective quantitative PCR assays that specifically identify variants A19/A20 or B.1.1.7 and tested each sample for the presence and relative viral RNA load of each variant. We show that between December 2020 and March 2021, a complete shift in the SC-2 variant circulation was observed, where the B.1.1.7 replaced the A19 in all examined test points. We further show that the normalized viral load (NVL) values and the average new cases per week reached a peak in January 2021 and then decreased gradually in almost all test points, in parallel with the progression of the national vaccination campaign, during February-March 2021. This study demonstrates the importance of monitoring SC-2 variant by using a combination of inclusive and selective PCR tests on a national scale through wastewater sampling, which is far more amendable for high-throughput monitoring compared with sequencing. This approach may be useful for real-time dynamics surveillance of current and future variants, such as the Omicron (BA.1, BA.2) and other variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Itay Bar-Or
- Central Virology Laboratory, Israel Ministry of Health, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan 5262000, Israel; (I.B.-O.); (V.I.); (M.W.); (M.E.); (N.L.); (I.A.); (Z.C.); (V.L.); (R.A.); (B.M.); (R.S.); (E.B.); (O.M.); (A.S.B.); (D.S.); (N.S.Z.); (E.M.)
| | - Victoria Indenbaum
- Central Virology Laboratory, Israel Ministry of Health, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan 5262000, Israel; (I.B.-O.); (V.I.); (M.W.); (M.E.); (N.L.); (I.A.); (Z.C.); (V.L.); (R.A.); (B.M.); (R.S.); (E.B.); (O.M.); (A.S.B.); (D.S.); (N.S.Z.); (E.M.)
| | - Merav Weil
- Central Virology Laboratory, Israel Ministry of Health, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan 5262000, Israel; (I.B.-O.); (V.I.); (M.W.); (M.E.); (N.L.); (I.A.); (Z.C.); (V.L.); (R.A.); (B.M.); (R.S.); (E.B.); (O.M.); (A.S.B.); (D.S.); (N.S.Z.); (E.M.)
| | - Michal Elul
- Central Virology Laboratory, Israel Ministry of Health, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan 5262000, Israel; (I.B.-O.); (V.I.); (M.W.); (M.E.); (N.L.); (I.A.); (Z.C.); (V.L.); (R.A.); (B.M.); (R.S.); (E.B.); (O.M.); (A.S.B.); (D.S.); (N.S.Z.); (E.M.)
| | - Nofar Levi
- Central Virology Laboratory, Israel Ministry of Health, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan 5262000, Israel; (I.B.-O.); (V.I.); (M.W.); (M.E.); (N.L.); (I.A.); (Z.C.); (V.L.); (R.A.); (B.M.); (R.S.); (E.B.); (O.M.); (A.S.B.); (D.S.); (N.S.Z.); (E.M.)
| | - Irina Aguvaev
- Central Virology Laboratory, Israel Ministry of Health, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan 5262000, Israel; (I.B.-O.); (V.I.); (M.W.); (M.E.); (N.L.); (I.A.); (Z.C.); (V.L.); (R.A.); (B.M.); (R.S.); (E.B.); (O.M.); (A.S.B.); (D.S.); (N.S.Z.); (E.M.)
| | - Zvi Cohen
- Central Virology Laboratory, Israel Ministry of Health, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan 5262000, Israel; (I.B.-O.); (V.I.); (M.W.); (M.E.); (N.L.); (I.A.); (Z.C.); (V.L.); (R.A.); (B.M.); (R.S.); (E.B.); (O.M.); (A.S.B.); (D.S.); (N.S.Z.); (E.M.)
| | - Virginia Levy
- Central Virology Laboratory, Israel Ministry of Health, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan 5262000, Israel; (I.B.-O.); (V.I.); (M.W.); (M.E.); (N.L.); (I.A.); (Z.C.); (V.L.); (R.A.); (B.M.); (R.S.); (E.B.); (O.M.); (A.S.B.); (D.S.); (N.S.Z.); (E.M.)
| | - Roberto Azar
- Central Virology Laboratory, Israel Ministry of Health, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan 5262000, Israel; (I.B.-O.); (V.I.); (M.W.); (M.E.); (N.L.); (I.A.); (Z.C.); (V.L.); (R.A.); (B.M.); (R.S.); (E.B.); (O.M.); (A.S.B.); (D.S.); (N.S.Z.); (E.M.)
| | - Batya Mannasse
- Central Virology Laboratory, Israel Ministry of Health, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan 5262000, Israel; (I.B.-O.); (V.I.); (M.W.); (M.E.); (N.L.); (I.A.); (Z.C.); (V.L.); (R.A.); (B.M.); (R.S.); (E.B.); (O.M.); (A.S.B.); (D.S.); (N.S.Z.); (E.M.)
| | - Rachel Shirazi
- Central Virology Laboratory, Israel Ministry of Health, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan 5262000, Israel; (I.B.-O.); (V.I.); (M.W.); (M.E.); (N.L.); (I.A.); (Z.C.); (V.L.); (R.A.); (B.M.); (R.S.); (E.B.); (O.M.); (A.S.B.); (D.S.); (N.S.Z.); (E.M.)
| | - Efrat Bucris
- Central Virology Laboratory, Israel Ministry of Health, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan 5262000, Israel; (I.B.-O.); (V.I.); (M.W.); (M.E.); (N.L.); (I.A.); (Z.C.); (V.L.); (R.A.); (B.M.); (R.S.); (E.B.); (O.M.); (A.S.B.); (D.S.); (N.S.Z.); (E.M.)
| | - Orna Mor
- Central Virology Laboratory, Israel Ministry of Health, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan 5262000, Israel; (I.B.-O.); (V.I.); (M.W.); (M.E.); (N.L.); (I.A.); (Z.C.); (V.L.); (R.A.); (B.M.); (R.S.); (E.B.); (O.M.); (A.S.B.); (D.S.); (N.S.Z.); (E.M.)
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, School of Public Health, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Alin Sela Brown
- Central Virology Laboratory, Israel Ministry of Health, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan 5262000, Israel; (I.B.-O.); (V.I.); (M.W.); (M.E.); (N.L.); (I.A.); (Z.C.); (V.L.); (R.A.); (B.M.); (R.S.); (E.B.); (O.M.); (A.S.B.); (D.S.); (N.S.Z.); (E.M.)
| | - Danit Sofer
- Central Virology Laboratory, Israel Ministry of Health, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan 5262000, Israel; (I.B.-O.); (V.I.); (M.W.); (M.E.); (N.L.); (I.A.); (Z.C.); (V.L.); (R.A.); (B.M.); (R.S.); (E.B.); (O.M.); (A.S.B.); (D.S.); (N.S.Z.); (E.M.)
| | - Neta S. Zuckerman
- Central Virology Laboratory, Israel Ministry of Health, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan 5262000, Israel; (I.B.-O.); (V.I.); (M.W.); (M.E.); (N.L.); (I.A.); (Z.C.); (V.L.); (R.A.); (B.M.); (R.S.); (E.B.); (O.M.); (A.S.B.); (D.S.); (N.S.Z.); (E.M.)
| | - Ella Mendelson
- Central Virology Laboratory, Israel Ministry of Health, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan 5262000, Israel; (I.B.-O.); (V.I.); (M.W.); (M.E.); (N.L.); (I.A.); (Z.C.); (V.L.); (R.A.); (B.M.); (R.S.); (E.B.); (O.M.); (A.S.B.); (D.S.); (N.S.Z.); (E.M.)
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, School of Public Health, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Oran Erster
- Central Virology Laboratory, Israel Ministry of Health, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan 5262000, Israel; (I.B.-O.); (V.I.); (M.W.); (M.E.); (N.L.); (I.A.); (Z.C.); (V.L.); (R.A.); (B.M.); (R.S.); (E.B.); (O.M.); (A.S.B.); (D.S.); (N.S.Z.); (E.M.)
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44
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Kapoor V, Al-Duroobi H, Phan DC, Palekar RS, Blount B, Rambhia KJ. Wastewater surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 to support return to campus: Methodological considerations and data interpretation. CURRENT OPINION IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & HEALTH 2022; 27:100362. [PMID: 35402756 PMCID: PMC8975751 DOI: 10.1016/j.coesh.2022.100362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging for various institutions such as school systems due to widespread closures. As schools re-open their campuses to in-person education, there is a need for frequent screening and monitoring of the virus to ensure the safety of students and staff and to limit risk to the surrounding community. Wastewater surveillance (WWS) of SARS-CoV-2 is a rapid and economical approach to determine the extent of COVID-19 in the community. The focus of this review is on the emergence of WWS as a tool for safe return to school campuses, taking into account methodological considerations such as site selection, sample collection and processing, SARS-CoV-2 quantification, and data interpretation. Recently published studies on the implementation of COVID-19 WWS on school and college campuses were reviewed. While there are several logistical and technical challenges, WWS can be used to inform decision-making at the school campus and/or building level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vikram Kapoor
- School of Civil & Environmental Engineering, and Construction Management, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA
| | - Haya Al-Duroobi
- School of Civil & Environmental Engineering, and Construction Management, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA
| | - Duc C Phan
- School of Civil & Environmental Engineering, and Construction Management, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA
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45
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Gudra D, Dejus S, Bartkevics V, Roga A, Kalnina I, Strods M, Rayan A, Kokina K, Zajakina A, Dumpis U, Ikkere LE, Arhipova I, Berzins G, Erglis A, Binde J, Ansonska E, Berzins A, Juhna T, Fridmanis D. Detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater and importance of population size assessment in smaller cities: An exploratory case study from two municipalities in Latvia. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 823:153775. [PMID: 35151738 PMCID: PMC8830921 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Revised: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2022] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has regained global importance during the COVID-19 pandemic. The mobility of people and other factors, such as precipitation and irregular inflow of industrial wastewater, are complicating the estimation of the disease prevalence through WBE, which is crucial for proper crisis management. These estimations are particularly challenging in urban areas with moderate or low numbers of inhabitants in situations where movement restrictions are not adopted (as in the case of Latvia) because residents of smaller municipalities tend to be more mobile and less strict in following the rules and measures of disease containment. Thus, population movement can influence the outcome of WBE measurements significantly and may not reflect the actual epidemiological situation in the respective area. Here, we demonstrate that by combining the data of detected SARS-CoV-2 RNA copy number, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) analyses in wastewater and mobile call detail records it was possible to provide an accurate assessment of the COVID-19 epidemiological situation in towns that are small (COVID-19 28-day cumulative incidence r = 0.609 and 35-day cumulative incidence r = 0.89, p < 0.05) and medium-sized towns (COVID-19 21-day cumulative incidence r = 0.997, 28-day cumulative incidence r = 0.98 and 35-day cumulative incidence r = 0.997, p < 0.05). This is the first study demonstrating WBE for monitoring COVID-19 outbreaks in Latvia. We demonstrate that the application of population size estimation measurements such as total 5-HIAA and call detail record data improve the accuracy of the WBE approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dita Gudra
- Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, Ratsupites iela 1, Riga LV-1067, Latvia
| | - Sandis Dejus
- Riga Technical University, Laboratory of Water Research and Environmental Biotechnology, Kipsalas iela 6a/6b, Riga LV-1048, Latvia
| | - Vadims Bartkevics
- Institute of Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment BIOR, Lejupes iela 3, Riga LV-1067, Latvia.
| | - Ance Roga
- Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, Ratsupites iela 1, Riga LV-1067, Latvia
| | - Ineta Kalnina
- Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, Ratsupites iela 1, Riga LV-1067, Latvia
| | - Martins Strods
- Riga Technical University, Laboratory of Water Research and Environmental Biotechnology, Kipsalas iela 6a/6b, Riga LV-1048, Latvia
| | - Anton Rayan
- Riga Technical University, Laboratory of Water Research and Environmental Biotechnology, Kipsalas iela 6a/6b, Riga LV-1048, Latvia
| | - Kristina Kokina
- Riga Technical University, Laboratory of Water Research and Environmental Biotechnology, Kipsalas iela 6a/6b, Riga LV-1048, Latvia
| | - Anna Zajakina
- Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, Ratsupites iela 1, Riga LV-1067, Latvia
| | - Uga Dumpis
- University of Latvia, Aspazijas bulvaris 5, Riga LV-1050, Latvia
| | - Laura Elina Ikkere
- Institute of Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment BIOR, Lejupes iela 3, Riga LV-1067, Latvia
| | - Irina Arhipova
- Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, Liela iela 2, Jelgava LV-3001, Latvia
| | - Gundars Berzins
- University of Latvia, Aspazijas bulvaris 5, Riga LV-1050, Latvia
| | - Aldis Erglis
- University of Latvia, Aspazijas bulvaris 5, Riga LV-1050, Latvia
| | - Juris Binde
- LLC "Latvian Mobile Telephone", Ropazu iela 6, Riga LV-1039, Latvia
| | - Evija Ansonska
- University of Latvia, Aspazijas bulvaris 5, Riga LV-1050, Latvia
| | - Aivars Berzins
- Institute of Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment BIOR, Lejupes iela 3, Riga LV-1067, Latvia
| | - Talis Juhna
- Riga Technical University, Laboratory of Water Research and Environmental Biotechnology, Kipsalas iela 6a/6b, Riga LV-1048, Latvia.
| | - Davids Fridmanis
- Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, Ratsupites iela 1, Riga LV-1067, Latvia.
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46
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Yamkasem J, Prasartset T, Tattiyapong P, Sirikanchana K, Mongkolsuk S, Soto E, Surachetpong W. Persistence of Tilapia tilapinevirus in fish rearing and environmental water and its ability to infect cell line. JOURNAL OF FISH DISEASES 2022; 45:679-685. [PMID: 35218230 DOI: 10.1111/jfd.13593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Revised: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Tilapia tilapinevirus, or Tilapia Lake Virus (TiLV), is a RNA virus associated with mass morbidity and mortality in tilapia, leading to severe economic losses for global tilapia aquaculture. In this study, we investigated the persistence of TiLV in water by spiking sterile distilled water (SDW), freshwater collected from rearing fish tanks (FW) and natural pond water (PW) at 27°C as a representative of environmental water conditions with 0.6 ml of stock virus (3.18 × 107 viral copies/ml of water). The water samples were filtered through an electronegative charge membrane and quantified using reverse transcriptase quantitative PCR at 0, 3, 5, 7, 10 and 14 days post-inoculation. The results revealed that TiLV RNA in SDW was reduced by 1.34 log10 in 14 days. A similar approximately 4 log10 removal of the virus in FW and PW was observed at 3 and 7 days, respectively. Moreover, the infectivity of TiLV was further studied; the virus lost its infectivity in E-11 cells after 1 day in SDW, FW and PW water samples, even though the virus was spiked 10 more times than in the viral persistence study. Taken together, the results could be applied to improving biosecurity practices in tilapia farms by disinfecting or resting reservoir water for at least three to five days prior to stocking tilapia, to limit the spread of TiLV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jidapa Yamkasem
- Graduate Program in Animal Health and Biomedical Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Tharinthon Prasartset
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Puntanat Tattiyapong
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Interdisciplinary Program in Genetic Engineering and Bioinformatics, Graduate school, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | - Skorn Mongkolsuk
- Research Laboratory of Biotechnology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Esteban Soto
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Win Surachetpong
- Graduate Program in Animal Health and Biomedical Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Interdisciplinary Program in Genetic Engineering and Bioinformatics, Graduate school, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand
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47
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Ahmed W, Bivins A, Metcalfe S, Smith WJM, Verbyla ME, Symonds EM, Simpson SL. Evaluation of process limit of detection and quantification variation of SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR and RT-dPCR assays for wastewater surveillance. WATER RESEARCH 2022; 213:118132. [PMID: 35152136 PMCID: PMC8812148 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.118132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Revised: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/29/2022] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Effective wastewater surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 RNA requires the rigorous characterization of the limit of detection resulting from the entire sampling process - the process limit of detection (PLOD). Yet to date, no studies have gone beyond quantifying the assay limit of detection (ALOD) for RT-qPCR or RT-dPCR assays. While the ALOD is the lowest number of gene copies (GC) associated with a 95% probability of detection in a single PCR reaction, the PLOD represents the sensitivity of the method after considering the efficiency of all processing steps (e.g., sample handling, concentration, nucleic acid extraction, and PCR assays) to determine the number of GC in the wastewater sample matrix with a specific probability of detection. The primary objective of this study was to estimate the PLOD resulting from the combination of primary concentration and extraction with six SARS-CoV-2 assays: five RT-qPCR assays (US CDC N1 and N2, China CDC N and ORF1ab (CCDC N and CCDC ORF1ab), and E_Sarbeco RT-qPCR, and one RT-dPCR assay (US CDC N1 RT-dPCR) using two models (exponential survival and cumulative Gaussian). An adsorption extraction (AE) concentration method (i.e., virus adsorption on membrane and the RNA extraction from the membrane) was used to concentrate gamma-irradiated SARS-CoV-2 seeded into 36 wastewater samples. Overall, the US CDC N1 RT-dPCR and RT-qPCR assays had the lowest ALODs (< 10 GC/reaction) and PLODs (<3,954 GC/50 mL; 95% probability of detection) regardless of the seeding level and model used. Nevertheless, consistent amplification and detection rates decreased when seeding levels were < 2.32 × 103 GC/50 mL even for US CDC N1 RT-qPCR and RT-dPCR assays. Consequently, when SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations are expected to be low, it may be necessary to improve the positive detection rates of wastewater surveillance by analyzing additional field and RT-PCR replicates. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to assess the SARS-CoV-2 PLOD for wastewater and provides important insights on the analytical limitations for trace detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Warish Ahmed
- CSIRO Land and Water, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, Dutton Park, QLD 4102, Australia.
| | - Aaron Bivins
- Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering & Earth Science, University of Notre Dame, 156 Fitzpatrick Hall, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA
| | - Suzanne Metcalfe
- CSIRO Land and Water, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, Dutton Park, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Wendy J M Smith
- CSIRO Land and Water, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, Dutton Park, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Matthew E Verbyla
- Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Erin M Symonds
- Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, USA
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48
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Nagarkar M, Keely SP, Jahne M, Wheaton E, Hart C, Smith B, Garland J, Varughese EA, Braam A, Wiechman B, Morris B, Brinkman NE. SARS-CoV-2 monitoring at three sewersheds of different scales and complexity demonstrates distinctive relationships between wastewater measurements and COVID-19 case data. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 816:151534. [PMID: 34780821 PMCID: PMC8590472 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Revised: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 11/04/2021] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 presents a means of tracking COVID-19 community infection dynamics on a broader geographic scale. However, accounting for environmental and sample-processing losses may be necessary for wastewater measurements to readily inform our understanding of infection prevalence. Here, we present measurements of the SARS-CoV-2 N1 and N2 gene targets from weekly wastewater samples at three sites in Hamilton County, Ohio, during an increase and subsequent decline of COVID-19 infections. The concentration of N1 or N2 RNA in wastewater, measured over the course of six months, ranged from below the detection limit to over 104 gene copies/l, and correlated with case data at two wastewater treatment plants, but not at a sub-sewershed-level sampling site. We also evaluated the utility of a broader range of variables than has been reported consistently in previous work, in improving correlations of SARS-CoV-2 concentrations with case data. These include a spiked matrix recovery control (OC43), flow-normalization, and assessment of fecal loading using endogenous fecal markers (HF183, PMMoV, crAssphage). We found that adjusting for recovery, flow, and fecal indicators increased these correlations for samples from a larger sewershed (serving ~488,000 people) with greater industrial and stormwater inputs, but raw N1/N2 concentrations corresponded better with case data at a smaller, residential-oriented sewershed. Our results indicate that the optimal adjustment factors for correlating wastewater and clinical case data moving forward may not be generalizable to all sewersheds.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Nagarkar
- Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency, 26 W Martin Luther King Dr, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
| | - S P Keely
- Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency, 26 W Martin Luther King Dr, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
| | - M Jahne
- Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency, 26 W Martin Luther King Dr, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
| | - E Wheaton
- Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency, 26 W Martin Luther King Dr, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
| | - C Hart
- Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency, 26 W Martin Luther King Dr, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
| | - B Smith
- Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency, 26 W Martin Luther King Dr, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
| | - J Garland
- Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency, 26 W Martin Luther King Dr, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
| | - E A Varughese
- Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency, 26 W Martin Luther King Dr, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
| | - A Braam
- APTIM Corp., 4171 Essen Lane, Baton Rouge, LA 70809.
| | - B Wiechman
- APTIM Corp., 4171 Essen Lane, Baton Rouge, LA 70809.
| | - B Morris
- Pegasus Technical Services Inc., 26 W Martin Luther King Dr, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
| | - N E Brinkman
- Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency, 26 W Martin Luther King Dr, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
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49
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Oh C, Kim K, Araud E, Wang L, Shisler JL, Nguyen TH. A novel approach to concentrate human and animal viruses from wastewater using receptors-conjugated magnetic beads. WATER RESEARCH 2022; 212:118112. [PMID: 35091223 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.118112] [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: 12/04/2021] [Revised: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Viruses are present at low concentrations in wastewater; therefore, an effective method for concentrating virus particles is necessary for accurate wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE). We designed a novel approach to concentrate human and animal viruses from wastewater using porcine gastric mucin-conjugated magnetic beads (PGM-MBs). We systematically evaluated the performances of the PGM-MBs method (sensitivity, specificity, and robustness to environmental inhibitors) with six viral species, including Tulane virus (a surrogate for human norovirus), rotavirus, adenovirus, porcine coronavirus (transmissible gastroenteritis virus or TGEV), and two human coronaviruses (NL63 and SARS-CoV-2) in influent wastewater and raw sewage samples. We determined the multiplication factor (the ratio of genome concentration of the final solution to that of the initial solution) for the PGM-MBs method, which ranged from 1.3 to 64.0 depending on the viral species. Because the recovery efficiency was significantly higher when calculated with virus titers than it was with genome concentration, the PGM-MBs method could be an appropriate tool for assessing the risk to humans who are inadvertently exposed to wastewater contaminated with infectious viruses. Furthermore, PCR inhibitors were not concentrated by PGM-MBs, suggesting that this tool will be successful for use with environmental samples. In addition, the PGM-MBs method is cost-effective (0.5 USD/sample) and has a fast turnaround time (3 h from virus concentration to genome quantification). Thus, this method can be implemented in high throughput facilities. Because of its strong performance, intrinsic characteristics of targeting the infectious virus, robustness to wastewater, and adaptability to high throughput systems, the PGM-MBs method can be successfully applied to WBE and ultimately provides valuable public health information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chamteut Oh
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States.
| | - Kyukyoung Kim
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States
| | - Elbashir Araud
- Holonyak Micro & Nanotechnology Lab, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
| | - Leyi Wang
- Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States
| | - Joanna L Shisler
- Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States
| | - Thanh H Nguyen
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States; Institute of Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States
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50
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Mahmoudi T, Naghdi T, Morales-Narváez E, Golmohammadi H. Toward smart diagnosis of pandemic infectious diseases using wastewater-based epidemiology. Trends Analyt Chem 2022; 153:116635. [PMID: 35440833 PMCID: PMC9010328 DOI: 10.1016/j.trac.2022.116635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2021] [Revised: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
COVID-19 outbreak revealed fundamental weaknesses of current diagnostic systems, particularly in prediction and subsequently prevention of pandemic infectious diseases (PIDs). Among PIDs detection methods, wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has been demonstrated to be a favorable mean for estimation of community-wide health. Besides, by going beyond purely sensing usages of WBE, it can be efficiently exploited in Healthcare 4.0/5.0 for surveillance, monitoring, control, and above all prediction and prevention, thereby, resulting in smart sensing and management of potential outbreaks/epidemics/pandemics. Herein, an overview of WBE sensors for PIDs is presented. The philosophy behind the smart diagnosis of PIDs using WBE with the help of digital technologies is then discussed, as well as their characteristics to be met. Analytical techniques that are pushing the frontiers of smart sensing and have a high potential to be used in the smart diagnosis of PIDs via WBE are surveyed. In this context, we underscore key challenges ahead and provide recommendations for implementing and moving faster toward smart diagnostics.
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