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Chaqroun A, Bertrand I, Wurtzer S, Moulin L, Boni M, Soubies S, Boudaud N, Gantzer C. Assessing infectivity of emerging enveloped viruses in wastewater and sewage sludge: Relevance and procedures. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 943:173648. [PMID: 38825204 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173648] [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: 03/22/2024] [Revised: 05/27/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/04/2024]
Abstract
The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 has heightened the need to evaluate the detection of enveloped viruses in the environment, particularly in wastewater, within the context of wastewater-based epidemiology. The studies published over the past 80 years focused primarily on non-enveloped viruses due to their ability to survive longer in environmental matrices such as wastewater or sludge compared to enveloped viruses. However, different enveloped viruses survive in the environment for different lengths of time. Therefore, it is crucial to be prepared to assess the potential infectious risk that may arise from future emerging enveloped viruses. This will require appropriate tools, notably suitable viral concentration methods that do not compromise virus infectivity. This review has a dual purpose: first, to gather all the available literature on the survival of infectious enveloped viruses, specifically at different pH and temperature conditions, and in contact with detergents; second, to select suitable concentration methods for evaluating the infectivity of these viruses in wastewater and sludge. The methodology used in this data collection review followed the systematic approach outlined in the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis) guidelines. Concentration methods cited in the data gathered are more tailored towards detecting the enveloped viruses' genome. There is a lack of suitable methods for detecting infectious enveloped viruses in wastewater and sludge. Ultrafiltration, ultracentrifugation, and polyethylene glycol precipitation methods, under specific/defined conditions, appear to be relevant approaches. Further studies are necessary to validate reliable concentration methods for detecting infectious enveloped viruses. The choice of culture system is also crucial for detection sensitivity. The data also show that the survival of infectious enveloped viruses, though lower than that of non-enveloped ones, may enable environmental transmission. Experimental data on a wide range of enveloped viruses is required due to the variability in virus persistence in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahlam Chaqroun
- Université de Lorraine, CNRS, LCPME, F-54000 Nancy, France
| | | | | | | | - Mickael Boni
- French Armed Forces Biomedical Research Institute, 91220 Brétigny-sur-Orge, France
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Raya S, Tandukar S, Kattel HP, Sharma S, Sangsanont J, Sirikanchana K, Ngo HTT, Inson JGM, Enriquez MLD, Alam ZF, Setiyawan AS, Setiadi T, Haramoto E. Prevalence of hepatitis A and E viruses in wastewater in Asian countries. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 951:175473. [PMID: 39142413 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.175473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2024] [Revised: 08/09/2024] [Accepted: 08/10/2024] [Indexed: 08/16/2024]
Abstract
Hepatitis A and E viruses (HAV and HEV, respectively) remain a significant global health concern despite advancements in healthcare and vaccination programs. Regular monitoring and vaccine efficacy of HAV are still lacking in different countries. This study aimed to investigate HAV and HEV prevalence in developed, developing, and least-developed Asian countries using wastewater as a surveillance tool. A total of 232 untreated wastewater samples were collected from six wastewater treatment plants, a sewage treatment plant, or an open drainage in six countries [Nepal (n = 51), Indonesia (n = 37), Thailand (n = 30), Vietnam (n = 27), the Philippines (n = 17), and Japan (n = 70)] between April and October 2022. Viruses in wastewater were concentrated by simple centrifugation or polyethylene glycol precipitation method, followed by viral RNA extraction and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. HAV and HEV RNA were detected in the samples from Nepal (51 % for HAV and 2 % for HEV), Thailand (3 % for both viruses), and Japan (1 % for HAV and 24 % for HEV). Only HAV RNA was found in 11 % of the samples in Indonesia, whereas only HEV RNA was detected in Vietnam and the Philippines, with a positive ratio of 15 % and 12 %, respectively. These results highlighted the geographic variability in HAV and HEV prevalence, underscoring the need for localized public health strategies to address specific viral hepatitis challenges in each country.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunayana Raya
- Department of Engineering, University of Yamanashi, 4-3-11 Takeda, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-8511, Japan
| | - Sarmila Tandukar
- Organization for Public Health and Environment Management, Lalitpur, Nepal
| | - Hari Prasad Kattel
- Department of Microbiology, Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - Sangita Sharma
- Department of Microbiology, Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal.
| | - Jatuwat Sangsanont
- Department of Environmental Science, Chulalongkorn University, Phayathai Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand; Water Science and Technology for Sustainable Environmental Research Unit, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.
| | - Kwanrawee Sirikanchana
- Research Laboratory of Biotechnology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, 54 Kamphaeng Phet 6 Rd., Talat Bang Khen, Lak Si, Bangkok 10210, Thailand; Center of Excellence on Environmental Health and Toxicology (EHT), OPS, MHESI, Bangkok 10400, Thailand.
| | - Huong Thi Thuy Ngo
- Faculty of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Phenikaa University, Yen Nghia, Ha Dong, Hanoi 12116, Viet Nam; Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology Lab, Phenikaa University, Yen Nghia Ward - Ha Dong District, Hanoi 12116, Viet Nam.
| | - Jessamine Gail M Inson
- Department of Biology, De La Salle University, 2401 Taft Avenue, Manila 1004, Philippines; Environmental Biomonitoring Research Unit, Center for Natural Sciences and Environmental Research, De La Salle University, Manila 1004, Philippines.
| | - Ma Luisa D Enriquez
- Department of Biology, De La Salle University, 2401 Taft Avenue, Manila 1004, Philippines; Environmental Biomonitoring Research Unit, Center for Natural Sciences and Environmental Research, De La Salle University, Manila 1004, Philippines.
| | - Zeba F Alam
- Department of Biology, De La Salle University, 2401 Taft Avenue, Manila 1004, Philippines; Environmental Biomonitoring Research Unit, Center for Natural Sciences and Environmental Research, De La Salle University, Manila 1004, Philippines.
| | - Ahmad Soleh Setiyawan
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Jl. Ganesha No. 10, Bandung 40132, Indonesia; Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Jl. Ganesa No. 10, Bandung 40132, Indonesia.
| | - Tjandra Setiadi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Jl. Ganesa 10, Bandung 40132, Indonesia.
| | - Eiji Haramoto
- Interdisciplinary Center for River Basin Environment, University of Yamanashi, 4-3-11 Takeda, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-8511, Japan.
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Yang S, Jiao Y, Dong Q, Li S, Xu C, Liu Y, Sun L, Huang X. Evaluating approach uncertainties of quantitative detection of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater: Concentration, extraction and amplification. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 951:175285. [PMID: 39102960 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.175285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2024] [Revised: 06/10/2024] [Accepted: 08/02/2024] [Indexed: 08/07/2024]
Abstract
Substantial uncertainties pose challenges to the accuracy of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) quantification in wastewater. We conducted a comprehensive evaluation of two concentration methods, three nucleic acid extraction methods, and the amplification performance of eight primer-probe sets. Our results showed that the two concentration methods exhibited similar recovery rates. Specifically, using a 30 kDa cut-off ultrafilter and a centrifugal force of 2500 g achieved the highest virus recovery rates (27.32 ± 8.06 % and 26.37 ± 7.77 %, respectively), with lower corresponding quantification uncertainties of 29.51 % and 29.47 % in ultrafiltration methods. Similarly, a 15 % PEG concentration with 1.5 M NaCl markedly improved virus recovery (26.76 ± 5.92 % and 28.47 ± 6.74 %, respectively), and reducing variation to 22.16 % and 23.66 % in the PEG precipitation method. Additionally, employing a vigorous bead-beating approach at 6 m/s during viral RNA extraction significantly increased RNA yield, with an efficiency reaching up to 82.18 %. Among the evaluated eight primer-probe sets, the E_Sarbeco primer-probe set provided the most stable and consistent quantitative results across various sample matrices. These findings are crucial for establishing robust viral quantification protocols and enhancing methodological precision for effective wastewater surveillance, enabling sensitive and precise detection of SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaolin Yang
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 10084, China
| | - Yang Jiao
- Beijing Chaoyang Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 100021, China
| | - Qian Dong
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 10084, China
| | - Siqi Li
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 10084, China
| | - Chenyang Xu
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 10084, China
| | - Yanchen Liu
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 10084, China.
| | - Lingli Sun
- Beijing Chaoyang Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 100021, China.
| | - Xia Huang
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 10084, China.
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Maneein S, Sangsanont J, Limpiyakorn T, Sirikanchana K, Rattanakul S. The coagulation process for enveloped and non-enveloped virus removal in turbid water: Removal efficiencies, mechanisms and its application to SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 931:172945. [PMID: 38703849 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172945] [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: 02/14/2024] [Revised: 04/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024]
Abstract
The coagulation process has a high potential as a treatment method that can handle pathogenic viruses including emerging enveloped viruses in drinking water treatment process which can lower infection risk through drinking water consumption. In this study, a surrogate enveloped virus, bacteriophage Փ6, and surrogate non-enveloped viruses, including bacteriophage MS-2, T4, ՓX174, were used to evaluate removal efficiencies and mechanisms by the conventional coagulation process with alum, poly‑aluminum chloride, and ferric chloride at pH 5, 7, and 9 in turbid water. Also, treatability of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a recent virus of global concern by coagulation was evaluated as SARS-CoV-2 can presence in drinking water sources. It was observed that an increase in the coagulant dose enhanced the removal efficiency of turbidity and viruses, and the condition that provided the highest removal efficiency of enveloped and non-enveloped viruses was 50 mg/L of coagulants at pH 5. In addition, the coagulation process was more effective for enveloped virus removal than for the non-enveloped viruses, and it demonstrated reduction of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2 over 0.83-log with alum. According to culture- and molecular-based assays (qPCR and CDDP-qPCR), the virus removal mechanisms were floc adsorption and coagulant inactivation. Through inactivation with coagulants, coagulants caused capsid destruction, followed by genome damage in non-enveloped viruses; however, damage to a lipid envelope is suggested to contribute to a great extend for enveloped virus inactivation. We demonstrated that conventional coagulation is a promising method for controlling emerging and re-emerging viruses in drinking water.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siriwara Maneein
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok 10140, Thailand
| | - Jatuwat Sangsanont
- Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand; Water Science and Technology for Sustainable Environmental Research Unit, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - Tawan Limpiyakorn
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - Kwanrawee Sirikanchana
- Research Laboratory of Biotechnology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Bangkok 10210, Thailand; Center of Excellence on Environmental Health and Toxicology (EHT), OPS, MHESI, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
| | - Surapong Rattanakul
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok 10140, Thailand.
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Solomon T, Idris O, Nwaubani D, Baral R, Sherchan SP. Comparative analysis of membrane filter diameters for detection of selected viruses in wastewater samples. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 947:173973. [PMID: 38876339 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2024] [Revised: 06/10/2024] [Accepted: 06/11/2024] [Indexed: 06/16/2024]
Abstract
Wastewater serves as a valuable source of information as it contains biological markers that have been shed by infected individuals and from other biological organisms such as plants and animals. Wastewater has been proven to indicate the presence of emerging pathogens in a community before the manifestation of clinical symptoms. Several methods of concentration and nucleic acid extraction have been employed all around the world without a unified method. One such method involves the use of the adsorption extraction method (AE-method), which involves the use of electronegative membrane filters of different pore sizes. The membrane filters also differ by diameter, but no study has been reported on the effect of diameter on capture efficiency. This study was aimed at evaluating the comparative capture efficiency of two different membrane filter diameters of 45 and 90 mm with pore sizes of 0.45 μm for the detection of indicator and pathogenic viruses. Primary influent samples were obtained from two wastewater treatment plants in Baltimore, Maryland, between April 27 and June 29, 2023. A total of twenty samples were processed using 45- and 90-mm membrane filters. Nucleic acids were extracted from the filters using the QIAmp Viral RNA Mini Kit and assayed for four different targets: PMMoV, Norovirus (GI and GII), and CrAssphage by RT-qPCR. The result showed that 45 mm membrane filters had a higher combined mean capture efficiency in log10 gene copies per liter (gc/l) for crAssphage (7.40) than 90 mm membrane filters (7.10). Similarly, the 45-mm filter had higher mean capture efficiency for Norovirus GI (4.67) than the 90-mm filter (1.84) and likewise for Norovirus GII (2.14, 1.04). On the contrary, 90-mm membrane filters were observed to have better capture of PMMoV (6.84) compared to 45-mm membrane filters (6.69). This result therefore implies that 45-mm membrane filters could be more efficient for wastewater surveillance studies through the AE method for indicator viruses like CrAssphage and human disease-causing viruses like Norovirus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamunobelema Solomon
- Center of Research Excellence in Wastewater based epidemiology, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD 21251, United States of America; BioEnvironmental Science Program, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD 21251, United States of America
| | - Oladele Idris
- BioEnvironmental Science Program, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD 21251, United States of America
| | - Daniel Nwaubani
- BioEnvironmental Science Program, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD 21251, United States of America
| | - Rakshya Baral
- BioEnvironmental Science Program, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD 21251, United States of America
| | - Samendra P Sherchan
- Center of Research Excellence in Wastewater based epidemiology, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD 21251, United States of America; BioEnvironmental Science Program, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD 21251, United States of America.
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Raya S, Malla B, Shrestha S, Sthapit N, Kattel H, Sharma ST, Tuladhar R, Maharjan R, Takeda T, Kitajima M, Tandukar S, Haramoto E. Quantification of multiple respiratory viruses in wastewater in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal: Potential implications of wastewater-based epidemiology for community disease surveillance in developing countries. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 920:170845. [PMID: 38340866 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Revised: 02/04/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
Despite being the major cause of death, clinical surveillance of respiratory viruses at the community level is very passive, especially in developing countries. This study focused on the surveillance of three respiratory viruses [severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), influenza A virus (IFV-A), and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)] in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, by implication of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE). Fifty-one untreated wastewater samples were from two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) between April and October 2022. Among eight combinations of the pre-evaluated methods, the combination of concentration by simple centrifugation, pretreatment by DNA/RNA Shield (Zymo Research), and extraction by the QIAamp Viral RNA Mini Kit (QIAGEN) showed the best performance for detecting respiratory viruses. Using this method with a one-step reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), SARS-CoV-2 RNA was successfully detected from both WWTPs (positive ratio, 100 % and 81 %) at concentrations of 5.6 ± 0.6 log10 copies/L from each WWTP. Forty-six SARS-CoV-2 RNA-positive samples were further tested for three mutation site-specific one-step RT-qPCR (L452R, T478K, and E484A/G339D), where G339D/E484A mutations were frequently detected in both WWTPs (96 %). IFV-A RNA was more frequently detected in WWTP A (84 %) compared to WWTP B (38 %). RSV RNA was also detected in both WWTPs (28 % and 8 %, respectively). This is the first study on detecting IFV-A and RSV in wastewater in Nepal, showing the applicability and importance of WBE for respiratory viruses in developing countries where clinical data are lacking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunayana Raya
- Department of Engineering, University of Yamanashi, 4-3-11 Takeda, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-8511, Japan
| | - Bikash Malla
- Interdisciplinary Center for River Basin Environment, University of Yamanashi, 4-3-11 Takeda, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-8511, Japan
| | - Sadhana Shrestha
- Interdisciplinary Center for River Basin Environment, University of Yamanashi, 4-3-11 Takeda, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-8511, Japan
| | - Niva Sthapit
- Interdisciplinary Center for River Basin Environment, University of Yamanashi, 4-3-11 Takeda, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-8511, Japan
| | - Hari Kattel
- Department of Microbiology, Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - Sangita Tara Sharma
- Department of Microbiology, Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - Reshma Tuladhar
- Department of Microbiology, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - Rabin Maharjan
- Department of Civil Engineering, Institute of Engineering, Tribhuvan University, Lalitpur, Nepal
| | - Tomoko Takeda
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.
| | - Masaaki Kitajima
- Division of Environmental Engineering, Hokkaido University, North 13 West 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8628, Japan.
| | | | - Eiji Haramoto
- Interdisciplinary Center for River Basin Environment, University of Yamanashi, 4-3-11 Takeda, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-8511, Japan.
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Peng L, Yang F, Shi J, Pan L, Liu Y, Mao D, Luo Y. Molecular characterization of human bocavirus in municipal wastewaters using amplicon target sequencing. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 918:170674. [PMID: 38316309 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2023] [Revised: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
Human bocavirus (HBoV) is an emerging health concern worldwide, associated with range of clinical manifestations, including gastroenteritis and respiratory infections. Therefore, it is crucial to comprehend and minimize their prevalence in different systems. In this study, we conducted regular sampling throughout the year in two different sizes and work processes of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Tianjin, China. Our objective was to investigate the occurrence, prevalence, and endurance of HBoV in wastewater, while also evaluating the efficacy of amplicon target sequencing in directly detecting HBoV in wastewater. At two WWTPs, HBoV2 (45.51 %-45.67 %) and HBoV3 (38.30 %-40.25 %) were the most common genotypes identified, and the mean concentration range of HBoV was 2.54-7.40 log10 equivalent copies/l as determined by multiplex real-time quantitative PCR assay. A positive rate of HBoV was found in 96.6 % (29/30) samples of A-WWTP, and 96.6 % (26/27) samples of B-WWTP. The phylogenetic analysis indicated that the nucleotide similarity between the HBoV DNA sequences to the reference HBoV sequences published globally ranged from 90.14 %-100 %. A significant variation in the read abundance of HBoV2 and HBoV3 in two wastewater treatment plants (p < 0.05) was detected, specifically in the Winter and Summer seasons. The findings revealed a strong correlation between the genotypes detected in wastewater and the clinical data across various regions in China. In addition, it is worth mentioning that HBoV4 was exclusively detected in wastewater and not found in the clinical samples from patients. This study highlights the high prevalence of human bocavirus in municipal wastewater. This finding illustrates that amplicon target sequencing can amplify a wide variety of viruses, enabling the identification of newly discovered viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang Peng
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Fengxia Yang
- Agro-Environmental Protection Institute, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tianjin 300191, China.
| | - Jingliang Shi
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Liuzhu Pan
- School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Yixin Liu
- School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Daqing Mao
- School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Yi Luo
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China; State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing university, Nanjing 210093, China.
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Raya S, Malla B, Thakali O, Angga MS, Haramoto E. Development of highly sensitive one-step reverse transcription-quantitative PCR for SARS-CoV-2 detection in wastewater. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 907:167844. [PMID: 37852499 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 09/23/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants is a major public health concern that has highlighted the need to monitor circulating strains to better understand the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study was carried out to monitor SARS-CoV-2 RNA and its variant-specific mutations in wastewater using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). One-step RT-qPCR using the SARS-CoV-2 Detection RT-qPCR Kit for Wastewater (Takara Bio), which amplified two N-gene regions simultaneously using CDC N1 and N2 assays with a single fluorescence dye, demonstrated better performance in detecting SARS-CoV-2 RNA (positive ratio, 66 %) compared to two-step RT-qPCR using CDC N1 or N2 assay (40 % each, and 52 % when combined), with significantly lower Ct values. The one-step RT-qPCR assay detected SARS-CoV-2 RNA in 59 % (38/64) of influent samples collected from a wastewater treatment plant in Japan between January 2021 and March 2022. The correlation between the concentration of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the wastewater and the number of COVID-19 cases reported each day for 7 days pre- and post-sampling was significant (p < 0.05, r = 0.76 ± 0.03). Thirty-one influent samples which showed two-well positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA were further tested by six mutations site-specific one-step RT-qPCR (E484K, L452R, N501Y, T478K, G339D, and E484A mutations). The N501Y mutation was detected between March and June 2021 but was replaced by the L452R and T478K mutations between July and October 2021, reflecting the shift from Alpha to Delta variants in the study region. The G339D and E484A mutations were identified in January 2022 and later when the incidence of the Omicron variant peaked. These findings indicate that wastewater-based epidemiology has the epidemiological potential to complement clinical tests to track the spread of COVID-19 and monitor variants circulating in communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunayana Raya
- Department of Engineering, University of Yamanashi, 4-3-11 Takeda, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-8511, Japan
| | - Bikash Malla
- Interdisciplinary Center for River Basin Environment, University of Yamanashi, 4-3-11 Takeda, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-8511, Japan
| | - Ocean Thakali
- Department of Engineering, University of Yamanashi, 4-3-11 Takeda, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-8511, Japan
| | - Made Sandhyana Angga
- Department of Engineering, University of Yamanashi, 4-3-11 Takeda, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-8511, Japan
| | - Eiji Haramoto
- Interdisciplinary Center for River Basin Environment, University of Yamanashi, 4-3-11 Takeda, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-8511, Japan.
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Canh VD, Nga TTV, Lien NT, Katayama H. Development of a simple and low-cost method using Moringa seeds for efficient virus concentration in wastewater. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 905:167101. [PMID: 37716673 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2023] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/18/2023]
Abstract
Effective virus concentration methods are essential for detecting pathogenic viruses in environmental waters and play a crucial role in wastewater-based epidemiology. However, the current methods are often expensive, complicated, and time-consuming, which limits their practical application. In this study, a simple and low-cost method was developed using the extract of Moringa oleifera (MO) seeds (MO method) to recover both enveloped and non-enveloped viruses, including pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV), murine norovirus (MNV), Aichivirus (AiV), murine hepatitis virus (MHV), and influenza A virus subtype H1N1[H1N1] in wastewater. The optimal conditions for the MO method were determined to be a concentration of MO extract at the UV280 value of 0.308 cm-1 and an elution buffer (0.05 M KH2PO4, 1 M NaCl, 0.1 % Tween80 [v/v]) for recovering the tested viruses in wastewater. Compared to other commonly used virus concentration methods such as InnovaPrep, HA, PEG, and Centricon, the MO method was found to be more efficient and cost-effective in recovering the tested viruses. Moreover, the MO method was successfully applied to detect various types of viruses (PMMoV, AiV, norovirus of genotype II [NoV II], enterovirus [EV], influenza A virus [matrix gene] [IAV], and SARS-CoV-2) in raw wastewater. Thus, the developed MO method could offer a simple, low-cost, and efficient tool to concentrate viruses in wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vu Duc Canh
- Department of Urban Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan.
| | - Tran Thi Viet Nga
- Faculty of Environmental Engineering, Hanoi University of Civil Engineering, 55 Giai Phong Road, Hai Ba Trung, Hanoi, Viet Nam
| | - Nguyen Thuy Lien
- Faculty of Environmental Engineering, Hanoi University of Civil Engineering, 55 Giai Phong Road, Hai Ba Trung, Hanoi, Viet Nam
| | - Hiroyuki Katayama
- Department of Urban Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan.
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10
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Zhao B, Fujita T, Nihei Y, Yu Z, Chen X, Tanaka H, Ihara M. Tracking community infection dynamics of COVID-19 by monitoring SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater, counting positive reactions by qPCR. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 904:166420. [PMID: 37611711 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology has proved useful for monitoring the COVID-19 infection dynamics in communities. However, in regions of low prevalence, low concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater make this difficult. Here, we used real-time reverse-transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) to monitor SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater from October 2020 to December 2022 during the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth waves of the COVID-19 outbreak in Japan. Viral RNA was below the limit of detection in all samples during the third and fourth waves. However, by counting the number of positive replicates in qPCR of each sample, we found that the positive ratio to all replicates in wastewater was significantly correlated with the number of clinically confirmed cases by the date of symptom onset during the third, fourth, and fifth waves. Time-step analysis indicated that, for 2 days either side of symptom onset, COVID-19 patients excreted in their feces large amounts of virus that wastewater surveillance could detect. We also demonstrated that the viral genome copy number in wastewater, as estimated from the positive ratio of SARSA-CoV-2 RNA, was correlated with the number of clinically confirmed cases. The positive count method is thus useful for tracing COVID-19 dynamics in regions of low prevalence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lakes, Ministry of Education, College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, PR China; Research Center for Environmental Quality Management, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, 1-2 Yumihama, Otsu, Shiga 520-0811, Japan
| | - Tomonori Fujita
- Research Center for Environmental Quality Management, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, 1-2 Yumihama, Otsu, Shiga 520-0811, Japan
| | - Yoshiaki Nihei
- Research Center for Environmental Quality Management, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, 1-2 Yumihama, Otsu, Shiga 520-0811, Japan; Water Agency Inc., 3-25 Higashi-Goken-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-0813, Japan
| | - Zaizhi Yu
- Research Center for Environmental Quality Management, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, 1-2 Yumihama, Otsu, Shiga 520-0811, Japan
| | - Xiaohan Chen
- Research Center for Environmental Quality Management, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, 1-2 Yumihama, Otsu, Shiga 520-0811, Japan
| | - Hiroaki Tanaka
- Research Center for Environmental Quality Management, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, 1-2 Yumihama, Otsu, Shiga 520-0811, Japan
| | - Masaru Ihara
- Research Center for Environmental Quality Management, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, 1-2 Yumihama, Otsu, Shiga 520-0811, Japan; Faculty of Agriculture and Marine Science, Kochi University, 200 Monobe-Otsu, Nankoku city, Kochi 783-8502, Japan.
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11
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Breadner PR, Dhiyebi HA, Fattahi A, Srikanthan N, Hayat S, Aucoin MG, Boegel SJ, Bragg LM, Craig PM, Xie Y, Giesy JP, Servos MR. A comparative analysis of the partitioning behaviour of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in liquid and solid fractions of wastewater. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 895:165095. [PMID: 37355124 PMCID: PMC10287177 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165095] [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: 04/09/2023] [Revised: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 06/26/2023]
Abstract
As fragments of SARS-CoV-2 RNA can be quantified and measured temporally in wastewater, surveillance of concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater has become a vital resource for tracking the spread of COVID-19 in and among communities. However, the absence of standardized methods has affected the interpretation of data for public health efforts. In particular, analyzing either the liquid or solid fraction has implications for the interpretation of how viral RNA is quantified. Characterizing how SARS-CoV-2 or its RNA fragments partition in wastewater is a central part of understanding fate and behaviour in wastewater. In this study, partitioning of SARS-CoV-2 was investigated by use of centrifugation with varied durations of spin and centrifugal force, polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitation followed by centrifugation, and ultrafiltration of wastewater. Partitioning of the endogenous pepper mild mottled virus (PMMoV), used to normalize the SARS-CoV-2 signal for fecal load in trend analysis, was also examined. Additionally, two surrogates for coronavirus, human coronavirus 229E and murine hepatitis virus, were analyzed as process controls. Even though SARS-CoV-2 has an affinity for solids, the total RNA copies of SARS-CoV-2 per wastewater sample, after centrifugation (12,000 g, 1.5 h, no brake), were partitioned evenly between the liquid and solid fractions. Centrifugation at greater speeds for longer durations resulted in a shift in partitioning for all viruses toward the solid fraction except for PMMoV, which remained mostly in the liquid fraction. The surrogates more closely reflected the partitioning of SARS-CoV-2 under high centrifugation speed and duration while PMMoV did not. Interestingly, ultrafiltration devices were inconsistent in estimating RNA copies in wastewater, which can influence the interpretation of partitioning. Developing a better understanding of the fate of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater and creating a foundation of best practices is the key to supporting the current pandemic response and preparing for future potential infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick R Breadner
- Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave W, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Hadi A Dhiyebi
- Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave W, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Azar Fattahi
- Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave W, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Nivetha Srikanthan
- Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave W, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Samina Hayat
- Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave W, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Marc G Aucoin
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave W, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Scott J Boegel
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave W, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Leslie M Bragg
- Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave W, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Paul M Craig
- Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave W, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Yuwei Xie
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide Environmental Assessment and Pollution Control, Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Nanjing 210042, China; Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, 44 Campus Dr, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B3, Canada
| | - John P Giesy
- Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, 44 Campus Dr, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B3, Canada; Department of Environmental Science, Baylor University, One Bear Place, Waco, TX 76798, USA
| | - Mark R Servos
- Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave W, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada.
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12
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Hussain M, Muhammad K, Khan M, Din AU. A Novel CRYBB2 Silent Variant in Autosomal Dominant Congenital Cataracts (ADCC) in Pakistani families. Pak J Med Sci 2023; 39:1399-1405. [PMID: 37680813 PMCID: PMC10480720 DOI: 10.12669/pjms.39.5.7061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Revised: 10/30/2022] [Accepted: 06/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective Congenital Cataract is a type of ophthalmic genetic disorder that appears at birth or in early childhood. Among 30 genes, CRYBB2 is one of the most common and a water-soluble protein of lens's that code for the βB2-crystallin. This study aimed to investigate the novel silent mutation in CRYBB2 of exon six in the Pakistani families of Autosomal Dominant Congenital Cataracts (ADCC). Methods It is a family-based study that presents three to five-generations of two Pakistani families. Data and blood samples from the families were collected from January to August 2019 from LRBT (Layton Rahmatullah Benevolent Trust) Hospital, Mansehra, Pakistan. We only included patients >15 years old. Before enrollment in the current study, each patient obtained a thorough optical examination. Samples were moved to the molecular lab using the collection and storage method. The phenol-chloroform technique was used to extract the DNA. The technique of Sanger sequencing was used to find any potential mutation in some of the selected families. Statistical and bioinformatics analysis were carried out. Results By using bioinformatics tools, the novel silent mutation was identified. Heterozygous silent mutation of CRYBB2 of exon 6 (c. 495G>A) was detected by the alignment of sequences. Computational prediction program did not predict the silent mutation. Conclusion This study investigated a novel important sequence variant in the beta-crystalline protein that causes autosomal dominant congenital cataract (ADCC) in Pakistani families. Thus, our study enlarges the CRYBB2 mutation spectrum and associated phenotypes to help clinical diagnosis of human genetic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Hussain
- Maryam Hussain, M.Phil. Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Hazara University Mansehra, 21120, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
| | - Khushi Muhammad
- Khushi Muhammad, PhD. Associate Professor, Department of Life Science, Imperial College London, Sir Alex Fleming Building South, Kensington Campus London, SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Muhammad Khan
- Muhammad Khan, PhD. Assistant Professor, Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Hazara University Mansehra, 21120, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
| | - Aziz Ud Din
- Aziz Ud Din, PhD. Assistant Professor, Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Hazara University Mansehra, 21120, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
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13
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Canh VD, Torii S, Singhopon T, Katayama H. Inactivation of coxsackievirus B5 by free chlorine under conditions relevant to drinking water treatment. JOURNAL OF WATER AND HEALTH 2023; 21:1318-1324. [PMID: 37756198 PMCID: wh_2023_178 DOI: 10.2166/wh.2023.178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
Chlorine disinfection is commonly applied to inactivate pathogenic viruses in drinking water treatment plants. However, the role of water quality in chlorine disinfection of viruses has not been investigated thoughtfully. In this study, we investigated the inactivation efficiency of coxsackievirus B5 (CVB5) by free chlorine using actual water samples collected from four full-scale drinking water treatment plants in Japan under strict turbidity management (less than 0.14 NTU) over a 12-month period. It was found that chlorine disinfection of CVB5 might not be affected by water quality. Japanese turbidity management might play an indirect role in controlling the efficiency of chlorine disinfection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vu Duc Canh
- Department of Urban Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan E-mail:
| | - Shotaro Torii
- Department of Urban Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan; Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC), École Polytechnique F ́ed ́erale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Tippawan Singhopon
- Department of Urban Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Katayama
- Department of Urban Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan; Research Center for Water Environment Technology, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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14
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Zhao L, Geng Q, Corchis-Scott R, McKay RM, Norton J, Xagoraraki I. Targeting a free viral fraction enhances the early alert potential of wastewater surveillance for SARS-CoV-2: a methods comparison spanning the transition between delta and omicron variants in a large urban center. Front Public Health 2023; 11:1140441. [PMID: 37546328 PMCID: PMC10400354 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1140441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Wastewater surveillance has proven to be a valuable approach to monitoring the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Recognizing the benefits of wastewater surveillance as a tool to support public health in tracking SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory pathogens, numerous wastewater virus sampling and concentration methods have been tested for appropriate applications as well as their significance for actionability by public health practices. Methods Here, we present a 34-week long wastewater surveillance study that covers nearly 4 million residents of the Detroit (MI, United States) metropolitan area. Three primary concentration methods were compared with respect to recovery of SARS-CoV-2 from wastewater: Virus Adsorption-Elution (VIRADEL), polyethylene glycol precipitation (PEG), and polysulfone (PES) filtration. Wastewater viral concentrations were normalized using various parameters (flow rate, population, total suspended solids) to account for variations in flow. Three analytical approaches were implemented to compare wastewater viral concentrations across the three primary concentration methods to COVID-19 clinical data for both normalized and non-normalized data: Pearson and Spearman correlations, Dynamic Time Warping (DTW), and Time Lagged Cross Correlation (TLCC) and peak synchrony. Results It was found that VIRADEL, which captures free and suspended virus from supernatant wastewater, was a leading indicator of COVID-19 cases within the region, whereas PEG and PES filtration, which target particle-associated virus, each lagged behind the early alert potential of VIRADEL. PEG and PES methods may potentially capture previously shed and accumulated SARS-CoV-2 resuspended from sediments in the interceptors. Discussion These results indicate that the VIRADEL method can be used to enhance the early-warning potential of wastewater surveillance applications although drawbacks include the need to process large volumes of wastewater to concentrate sufficiently free and suspended virus for detection. While lagging the VIRADEL method for early-alert potential, both PEG and PES filtration can be used for routine COVID-19 wastewater monitoring since they allow a large number of samples to be processed concurrently while being more cost-effective and with rapid turn-around yielding results same day as collection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang Zhao
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
| | - Qiudi Geng
- Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada
| | - Ryland Corchis-Scott
- Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada
| | - Robert Michael McKay
- Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada
- Great Lakes Center for Fresh Waters and Human Health, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, United States
| | - John Norton
- Great Lakes Water Authority, Detroit, MI, United States
| | - Irene Xagoraraki
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
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15
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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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16
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Gentry Z, Zhao L, Faust RA, David RE, Norton J, Xagoraraki I. Wastewater surveillance beyond COVID-19: a ranking system for communicable disease testing in the tri-county Detroit area, Michigan, USA. Front Public Health 2023; 11:1178515. [PMID: 37333521 PMCID: PMC10272568 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1178515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Throughout the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, wastewater surveillance has been utilized to monitor the disease in the United States through routine national, statewide, and regional monitoring projects. A significant canon of evidence was produced showing that wastewater surveillance is a credible and effective tool for disease monitoring. Hence, the application of wastewater surveillance can extend beyond monitoring SARS-CoV-2 to encompass a diverse range of emerging diseases. This article proposed a ranking system for prioritizing reportable communicable diseases (CDs) in the Tri-County Detroit Area (TCDA), Michigan, for future wastewater surveillance applications at the Great Lakes Water Authority's Water Reclamation Plant (GLWA's WRP). Methods The comprehensive CD wastewater surveillance ranking system (CDWSRank) was developed based on 6 binary and 6 quantitative parameters. The final ranking scores of CDs were computed by summing the multiplication products of weighting factors for each parameter, and then were sorted based on decreasing priority. Disease incidence data from 2014 to 2021 were collected for the TCDA. Disease incidence trends in the TCDA were endowed with higher weights, prioritizing the TCDA over the state of Michigan. Results Disparities in incidences of CDs were identified between the TCDA and state of Michigan, indicating epidemiological differences. Among 96 ranked CDs, some top ranked CDs did not present relatively high incidences but were prioritized, suggesting that such CDs require significant attention by wastewater surveillance practitioners, despite their relatively low incidences in the geographic area of interest. Appropriate wastewater sample concentration methods are summarized for the application of wastewater surveillance as per viral, bacterial, parasitic, and fungal pathogens. Discussion The CDWSRank system is one of the first of its kind to provide an empirical approach to prioritize CDs for wastewater surveillance, specifically in geographies served by centralized wastewater collection in the area of interest. The CDWSRank system provides a methodological tool and critical information that can help public health officials and policymakers allocate resources. It can be used to prioritize disease surveillance efforts and ensure that public health interventions are targeted at the most potentially urgent threats. The CDWSRank system can be easily adopted to geographical locations beyond the TCDA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary Gentry
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
| | - Liang Zhao
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
| | | | - Randy E. David
- Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, United States
| | - John Norton
- Great Lakes Water Authority, Detroit, MI, United States
| | - Irene Xagoraraki
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
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17
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Iwamoto R, Yamaguchi K, Katayama K, Ando H, Setsukinai KI, Kobayashi H, Okabe S, Imoto S, Kitajima M. Identification of SARS-CoV-2 variants in wastewater using targeted amplicon sequencing during a low COVID-19 prevalence period in Japan. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 887:163706. [PMID: 37105480 PMCID: PMC10129341 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Revised: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology is expected to be able to identify SARS-CoV-2 variants at an early stage via next-generation sequencing. In the present study, we developed a highly sensitive amplicon sequencing method targeting the spike gene of SARS-CoV-2, which allows for sequencing viral genomes from wastewater containing a low amount of virus. Primers were designed to amplify a relatively long region (599 bp) around the receptor-binding domain in the SARS-CoV-2 spike gene, which could distinguish initial major variants of concern. To validate the methodology, we retrospectively analyzed wastewater samples collected from a septic tank installed in a COVID-19 quarantine facility between October and December 2020. The relative abundance of D614G mutant in SARS-CoV-2 genomes in the facility wastewater increased from 47.5 % to 83.1 % during the study period. The N501Y mutant, which is the characteristic mutation of the Alpha-like strain, was detected from wastewater collected on December 24, 2020, which agreed with the fact that a patient infected with the Alpha-like strain was quarantined in the facility on this date. We then analyzed archived municipal wastewater samples collected between November 2020 and January 2021 that contained low SARS-CoV-2 concentrations ranging from 0.23 to 0.43 copies/qPCR reaction (corresponding to 3.30 to 4.15 log10 copies/L). The targeted amplicon sequencing revealed that the Alpha-like variant with D614G and N501Y mutations was present in municipal wastewater collected on December 4, 2020 and later, suggesting that the variant had already spread in the community before its first clinical confirmation in Japan on December 25, 2020. These results demonstrate that targeted amplicon sequencing of wastewater samples is a powerful surveillance tool applicable to low COVID-19 prevalence periods and may contribute to the early detection of emerging variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryo Iwamoto
- Shionogi & Co., Ltd., 1-8, Doshomachi 3-Chome, Chuo-ku, Osaka 541-0045, Japan; AdvanSentinel Inc., 1-8, Doshomachi 3-Chome, Chuo-ku, Osaka 541-0045, Japan
| | - Kiyoshi Yamaguchi
- Division of Clinical Genome Research, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8639, Japan
| | - Kotoe Katayama
- Human Genome Center, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8639, Japan
| | - Hiroki Ando
- Division of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, North 13 West 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8628, Japan
| | - Ken-Ichi Setsukinai
- Shionogi & Co., Ltd., 1-8, Doshomachi 3-Chome, Chuo-ku, Osaka 541-0045, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Kobayashi
- Shionogi & Co., Ltd., 1-8, Doshomachi 3-Chome, Chuo-ku, Osaka 541-0045, Japan
| | - Satoshi Okabe
- Division of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, North 13 West 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8628, Japan
| | - Seiya Imoto
- Human Genome Center, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8639, Japan
| | - Masaaki Kitajima
- Division of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, North 13 West 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8628, Japan.
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18
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Angga MS, Malla B, Raya S, Kitajima M, Haramoto E. Optimization and performance evaluation of an automated filtration method for the recovery of SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses in wastewater. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 882:163487. [PMID: 37068668 PMCID: PMC10105377 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2023] [Revised: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 04/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
A rapid virus concentration method is needed to get high throughput. Reliable results of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) detection in wastewater are necessary for applications in wastewater-based epidemiology. In this study, an automated filtration method using a concentrating pipette (CP Select; Innovaprep) was applied to detect SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater samples with several modifications to increase its sensitivity and throughput. The performance of the CP Select method was compared to other concentration methods (polyethylene glycol precipitation and direct capture using silica column) to evaluate its applicability to SARS-CoV-2 detection in wastewater. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was successfully detected in six of eight wastewater samples using the CP Select method, whereas other methods could detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in all wastewater samples. Enteric viruses, such as noroviruses of genogroups I (NoVs-GI) and II (NoVs-GII) and enteroviruses, were tested, resulting in 100 % NoVs-GII detection using all concentration methods. As for NoVs-GI and enteroviruses, all methods gave comparable number of detected samples in wastewater samples. This study showed that the optimized CP Select method was less sensitive in SARS-CoV-2 detection in wastewater than other methods, whereas all methods were applicable to detect or recover other viruses in wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Made Sandhyana Angga
- Department of Engineering, University of Yamanashi, 4-3-11 Takeda, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-8511, Japan
| | - Bikash Malla
- Interdisciplinary Center for River Basin Environment, University of Yamanashi, 4-3-11 Takeda, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-8511, Japan
| | - Sunayana Raya
- Department of Engineering, University of Yamanashi, 4-3-11 Takeda, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-8511, Japan
| | - Masaaki Kitajima
- Division of Environmental Engineering, Hokkaido University, North 13 West 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8628, Japan.
| | - Eiji Haramoto
- Interdisciplinary Center for River Basin Environment, University of Yamanashi, 4-3-11 Takeda, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-8511, Japan.
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19
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Hata A, Meuchi Y, Liu M, Torii S, Katayama H. Surfactant Treatment for Efficient Gene Detection of Enteric Viruses and Indicators in Surface Water Concentrated by Ultrafiltration. FOOD AND ENVIRONMENTAL VIROLOGY 2023; 15:8-20. [PMID: 36592278 DOI: 10.1007/s12560-022-09543-y] [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: 12/19/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The hollow fiber ultrafiltration (HFUF)-based microbial concentration method is widely applied for monitoring pathogenic viruses and microbial indicators in environmental water samples. However, the HFUF-based method can co-concentrate substances that interfere with downstream molecular processes-nucleic acid extraction, reverse transcription (RT), and PCR. These inhibitory substances are assumed to be hydrophobic and, therefore, expected to be excluded by a simple surfactant treatment before the silica membrane-based RNA extraction process. In this study, the efficacy and limitations of the sodium deoxycholate (SD) treatment were assessed by quantifying a process control and indigenous viruses using 42 surface water samples concentrated with HFUF. With some exceptions, which tended to be seen in samples with high turbidity (> 4.0 NTU), virus recovery by the ultrafiltration method was sufficiently high (> 10%). RNA extraction-RT-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) efficiency of the process control was insufficient (10%) for 30 of the 42 HFUF concentrates without any pretreatments, but it was markedly improved for 21 of the 30 inhibitory concentrates by the SD treatment. Detection rates of indigenous viruses were also improved and no substantial loss of viral RNA was observed. The SD treatment was particularly effective in mitigating RT-qPCR inhibition, although it was not effective in improving RNA extraction efficiency. The methodology is simple and easily applied. These findings indicate that SD treatment can be a good alternative to sample dilution, which is widely applied to mitigate the effect of RT-qPCR inhibition, and can be compatible with other countermeasures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akihiko Hata
- Department of Environmental and Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Toyama Prefectural University, 5180 Kurokawa, Imizu, Toyama, 939-0398, Japan.
| | - Yuno Meuchi
- Department of Environmental and Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Toyama Prefectural University, 5180 Kurokawa, Imizu, Toyama, 939-0398, Japan
| | - Miaomiao Liu
- Department of Urban Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8656, Japan
| | - Shotaro Torii
- Department of Urban Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8656, Japan
- School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC), École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Hiroyuki Katayama
- Department of Urban Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8656, Japan
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20
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McMinn BR, Korajkic A, Pemberton AC, Kelleher J, Ahmed W, Villegas EN, Oshima K. Assessment of two volumetrically different concentration approaches to improve sensitivities for SARS-CoV-2 detection during wastewater monitoring. J Virol Methods 2023; 311:114645. [PMID: 36332716 PMCID: PMC9624105 DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2022.114645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Wastewater monitoring for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus responsible for the global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, has highlighted the need for methodologies capable of assessing viral prevalence during periods of low population infection. To address this need, two volumetrically different, methodologically similar concentration approaches were compared for their abilities to detect viral nucleic acid and infectious SARS-CoV-2 signal from primary influent samples. For Method 1, 2 L of SARS-CoV-2 seeded wastewater was evaluated using a dead-end hollow fiber ultrafilter (D-HFUF) for primary concentration, followed by the CP Select™ for secondary concentration. For Method 2, 100 mL of SARS-CoV-2 seeded wastewater was evaluated using the CP Select™ procedure. Following D-HFUF concentration (Method 1), significantly lower levels of infectious SARS-CoV-2 were lost (P value range: 0.0398-0.0027) compared to viral gene copy (GC) levels detected by the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) N1 and N2 reverse-transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) assays. Subsamples at different steps in the concentration process were also taken to better characterize the losses of SARS-CoV-2 during the concentration process. During the centrifugation step (prior to CP Select™ concentration), significantly higher losses (P value range: 0.0003 to <0.0001) occurred for SARS-CoV-2 GC levels compared to infectious virus for Method 1, while between the methods, significantly higher infectious viral losses were observed for Method 2 (P = 0.0002). When analyzing overall recovery of endogenous SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater samples, application of Method 1 improved assay sensitivities (P = <0.0001) compared with Method 2; this was especially evident during periods of lower COVID-19 case rates within the sewershed. This study describes a method which can successfully concentrate infectious SARS-CoV-2 and viral RNA from wastewater. Moreover, we demonstrated that large volume wastewater concentration provides additional sensitivity needed to improve SARS-CoV-2 detection, especially during low levels of community disease prevalence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian R. McMinn
- Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency, 26 West Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268 United States,Corresponding author
| | - Asja Korajkic
- Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency, 26 West Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268 United States
| | - Adin C. Pemberton
- Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency, 26 West Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268 United States
| | - Julie Kelleher
- Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency, 26 West Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268 United States
| | - Warish Ahmed
- CSIRO Land and Water, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Eric N. Villegas
- Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency, 26 West Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268 United States
| | - Kevin Oshima
- Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency, 26 West Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268 United States
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21
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Wang R, Alamin M, Tsuji S, Hara-Yamamura H, Hata A, Zhao B, Ihara M, Honda R. Removal performance of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater treatment by membrane bioreactor, anaerobic-anoxic-oxic, and conventional activated sludge processes. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 851:158310. [PMID: 36030862 PMCID: PMC9411102 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Revised: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The potential risk of SARS-CoV-2 in treated effluent from a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) is concerned since SARS-CoV-2 is contained in wastewater during the COVID-19 outbreak. However, the removal of SARS-CoV-2 in WWTP has not been well investigated. The objectives of this study were (i) to clarify the removal performance of SARS-CoV-2 during wastewater treatment, (ii) to compare the removal performance of different secondary treatment processes, and (iii) to evaluate applicability of pepper mild mottle of virus (PMMoV) as a performance indicator for the reduction of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater treatment. Influent wastewater, secondary-treatment effluent (before chlorination), and final effluent (after chlorination) samples were collected from a WWTP from May 28 to September 24, 2020, during the COVID-19 outbreak in Japan. The target WWTP had three parallel treatment systems employing conventional activated sludge (CAS), anaerobic-anoxic -oxic (A2O), and membrane bioreactor (MBR) processes. SARS-CoV-2 in both the liquid and solid fractions of the influent wastewater was concentrated and quantified using RT-qPCR. SARS-CoV-2 in treated effluent was concentrated from 10 L samples to achieve a detection limit as low as 10 copies/L. The log reduction value (LRV) of SARS-CoV-2 was 2.7 ± 0.86 log10 in CAS, 1.6 ± 0.50 log10 in A2O, and 3.6 ± 0.62 log10 in MBR. The lowest LRV observed during the sampling period was 2.8 log10 in MBR, 1.2 log10 in CAS, and 1.0 log10 in A2O process, indicating that the MBR had the most stable reduction performance. PMMoV was found to be a good indicator virus to evaluate reduction performance of SARS-CoV-2 independent of the process configuration because the LRV of PMMoV was significantly lower than that of SARS-CoV-2 in the CAS, A2O and MBR processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rongxuan Wang
- Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Md Alamin
- Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Shohei Tsuji
- Faculty of Geosciences and Civil Engineering, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Hiroe Hara-Yamamura
- Faculty of Geosciences and Civil Engineering, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Akihiko Hata
- Department of Environmental and Civil Engineering, Toyama Prefectural University, Imizu, Japan
| | - Bo Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development of Shallow Lakes of Ministry of Education, College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing, PR China; Research Center for Environmental Quality Management, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Otsu, Japan
| | - Masaru Ihara
- Research Center for Environmental Quality Management, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Otsu, Japan; Faculty of Agriculture and Marine Science, Kochi University, Nankoku, Japan
| | - Ryo Honda
- Faculty of Geosciences and Civil Engineering, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan; Research Center for Environmental Quality Management, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Otsu, Japan.
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22
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Iwamoto R, Yamaguchi K, Arakawa C, Ando H, Haramoto E, Setsukinai KI, Katayama K, Yamagishi T, Sorano S, Murakami M, Kyuwa S, Kobayashi H, Okabe S, Imoto S, Kitajima M. The detectability and removal efficiency of SARS-CoV-2 in a large-scale septic tank of a COVID-19 quarantine facility in Japan. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 849:157869. [PMID: 35944642 PMCID: PMC9356757 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Revised: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/02/2022] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is known to be present in sewage, and wastewater-based epidemiology has attracted much attention. However, the physical partitioning of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater and the removal efficiency of treatment systems require further investigation. This study aimed to investigate the detectability and physical partitioning of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater and assess its removal in a large-scale septic tank employing anaerobic, anoxic, and oxic processes in a sequential batch reactor, which was installed in a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) quarantine facility. The amount of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater was determined with polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitation followed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), and the association of SARS-CoV-2 with wastewater solids was evaluated by the effect of filtration prior to PEG precipitation (pre-filtration). The amount of SARS-CoV-2 RNA detected from pre-filtered samples was substantially lower than that of samples without pre-filtration. These results suggest that most SARS-CoV-2 particles in wastewater are associated with the suspended solids excluded by pre-filtration. The removal efficiency of SARS-CoV-2 in the septic tank was evaluated based on the SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations in untreated and treated wastewater, which was determined by the detection method optimized in this study. Escherichia coli and pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) were also quantified to validate the wastewater treatment system's performance. The mean log10 reduction values of SARS-CoV-2, E. coli, and PMMoV were 2.47 (range, 2.25-2.68), 2.81 (range, 2.45-3.18), and 0.66 (range, 0.61-0.70), respectively, demonstrating that SARS-CoV-2 removal by the wastewater treatment system was comparable to or better than the removal of fecal indicators. These results suggest that SARS-CoV-2 can be readily removed by the septic tank. This is the first study to determine the removal efficiency of SARS-CoV-2 in a facility-level sequencing batch activated sludge system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryo Iwamoto
- Shionogi & Co., Ltd., 1-8 Doshomachi 3-Chome, Chuo-ku, Osaka, Osaka 541-0045, Japan; AdvanSentinel Inc., 1-8 Doshomachi 3-Chome, Chuo-ku, Osaka, Osaka 541-0045, Japan
| | - Kiyoshi Yamaguchi
- Division of Clinical Genome Research, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8639, Japan
| | - Chisato Arakawa
- Division of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, North 13 West 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8628, Japan
| | - Hiroki Ando
- Division of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, North 13 West 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8628, Japan
| | - Eiji Haramoto
- Interdisciplinary Center for River Basin Environment, Graduate Faculty of Interdisciplinary Research, University of Yamanashi, 4-3-11 Takeda, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-8511, Japan
| | - Ken-Ichi Setsukinai
- Shionogi & Co., Ltd., 1-8 Doshomachi 3-Chome, Chuo-ku, Osaka, Osaka 541-0045, Japan
| | - Kotoe Katayama
- Human Genome Center, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8639, Japan
| | - Takuya Yamagishi
- Antimicrobial Resistance Research Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan
| | - Sumire Sorano
- Department of Disease Control, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Disease, The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Keppel St., London WC1E 7HT, UK; School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nagasaki University, 1-14 Bunkyomachi, Nagasaki, Nagasaki 852-8521, Japan
| | - Michio Murakami
- Center for Infectious Disease Education and Research, Osaka University, 2-8 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Shigeru Kyuwa
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Kobayashi
- Shionogi & Co., Ltd., 1-8 Doshomachi 3-Chome, Chuo-ku, Osaka, Osaka 541-0045, Japan
| | - Satoshi Okabe
- Division of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, North 13 West 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8628, Japan
| | - Seiya Imoto
- Human Genome Center, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8639, Japan
| | - Masaaki Kitajima
- Division of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, North 13 West 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8628, Japan.
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23
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Angga MS, Malla B, Raya S, Kitano A, Xie X, Saitoh H, Ohnishi N, Haramoto E. Development of a magnetic nanoparticle-based method for concentrating SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 848:157613. [PMID: 35901898 PMCID: PMC9310541 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Revised: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Several virus concentration methods have been developed to increase the detection sensitivity of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in wastewater, as part of applying wastewater-based epidemiology. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitation method, a method widely used for concentrating viruses in wastewater, has some limitations, such as long processing time. In this study, Pegcision, a PEG-based method using magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), was applied to detect SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater, with several modifications to increase its sensitivity and throughput. An enveloped virus surrogate, Pseudomonas phage φ6, and a non-enveloped virus surrogate, coliphage MS2, were seeded into wastewater samples and quantified using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction to assess the recovery performance of the Pegcision. Neither increasing MNP concentration nor reducing the reaction time to 10 min affected the recovery, while adding polyacrylic acid as a polyanion improved the detection sensitivity. The performance of the Pegcision was further compared to that of the PEG precipitation method based on the detection of SARS-CoV-2 and surrogate viruses, including indigenous pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV), in wastewater samples (n = 27). The Pegcision showed recovery of 14.1 ± 6.3 % and 1.4 ± 1.0 % for φ6 and MS2, respectively, while the PEG precipitation method showed recovery of 20.4 ± 20.2 % and 18.4 ± 21.9 % (n = 27 each). Additionally, comparable PMMoV concentrations were observed between the Pegcision (7.9 ± 0.3 log copies/L) and PEG precipitation methods (8.0 ± 0.2 log copies/L) (P > 0.05) (n = 27). SARS-CoV-2 RNA was successfully detected in 11 (41 %) each of 27 wastewater samples using the Pegcision and PEG precipitation methods. The Pegcision showed comparable performance with the PEG precipitation method for SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentration, suggesting its applicability as a virus concentration method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Made Sandhyana Angga
- Department of Engineering, University of Yamanashi, 4-3-11 Takeda, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-8511, Japan
| | - Bikash Malla
- Interdisciplinary Center for River Basin Environment, University of Yamanashi, 4-3-11 Takeda, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-8511, Japan
| | - Sunayana Raya
- Department of Engineering, University of Yamanashi, 4-3-11 Takeda, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-8511, Japan
| | - Ayame Kitano
- Yokohama R&D Center, JNC Corporation, 5-1 Okawa, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 236-8605, Japan.
| | - Xiaomao Xie
- Yokohama R&D Center, JNC Corporation, 5-1 Okawa, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 236-8605, Japan.
| | - Hiroshi Saitoh
- Yokohama R&D Center, JNC Corporation, 5-1 Okawa, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 236-8605, Japan.
| | - Noriyuki Ohnishi
- Corporate Research and Development Division, JNC Corporation, 5-1 Goikaigan, Ichihara, Chiba 290-8551, Japan.
| | - Eiji Haramoto
- Interdisciplinary Center for River Basin Environment, University of Yamanashi, 4-3-11 Takeda, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-8511, Japan.
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24
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Yu L, Tian Z, Joshi DR, Yuan L, Tuladhar R, Zhang Y, Yang M. Detection of SARS-CoV-2 and Other Viruses in Wastewater: Optimization and Automation of an Aluminum Hydroxide Adsorption-Precipitation Method for Virus Concentration. ACS ES&T WATER 2022; 2:2175-2184. [PMID: 37552732 PMCID: PMC9115887 DOI: 10.1021/acsestwater.2c00079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Revised: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to provide a low-cost technique for virus detection in wastewater by improving an aluminum hydroxide adsorption-precipitation method. The releasing efficiency of viruses trapped by the aluminum hydroxide precipitates was improved by adding ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt (EDTA-2Na) to dissolve the precipitates at a Na2EDTA·2H2O:AlCl3 molar ratio of 1.8-3.6. The recovery rates of the improved method for seven viruses, including SARS-CoV-2-abEN pseudovirus and six animal viruses, were 5.9-22.3% in tap water and 4.9-35.1% in wastewater. Rotavirus A (9.0-4.5 × 103 copies/mL), porcine circovirus type 2 (5.8-6.4 × 105 copies/mL), and porcine parvovirus (5.6-2.7 × 104 copies/mL) were detected in China's pig farm wastewater, while rotavirus A (2.0 × 103 copies/mL) was detected in hospital wastewater. SARS-CoV-2 was detected in hospital wastewater (8.4 × 102 to 1.4 × 104 copies/mL), sewage (6.4 × 10 to 2.3 × 103 copies/mL), and river water (6.6 × 10 to 9.3 × 10 copies/mL) in Nepal. The method was automized, with a rate of recovery of 4.8 ± 1.4% at a virus concentration of 102 copies/mL. Thus, the established method could be used for wastewater-based epidemiology with sufficient sensitivity in coping with the COVID-19 epidemic and other virus epidemics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lina Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Aquatic
Chemistry, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
- Sino-Danish College, University of
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190,
China
- University of Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Zhe Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Aquatic
Chemistry, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Dev Raj Joshi
- Central Department of Microbiology,
Tribhuvan University, GPO 44613 Kirtipur, Kathmandu,
Nepal
| | - Lin Yuan
- Beijing Sino-science Gene Technology
Company, Ltd., Beijing 102629, China
| | - Reshma Tuladhar
- Central Department of Microbiology,
Tribhuvan University, GPO 44613 Kirtipur, Kathmandu,
Nepal
| | - Yu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Aquatic
Chemistry, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
- Sino-Danish College, University of
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190,
China
- University of Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Min Yang
- Sino-Danish College, University of
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190,
China
- University of Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology,
Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
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25
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Zhan Q, Babler KM, Sharkey ME, Amirali A, Beaver CC, Boone MM, Comerford S, Cooper D, Cortizas EM, Currall BB, Foox J, Grills GS, Kobetz E, Kumar N, Laine J, Lamar WE, Mantero AM, Mason CE, Reding BD, Robertson M, Roca MA, Ryon K, Schürer SC, Shukla BS, Solle NS, Stevenson M, Tallon Jr JJ, Thomas C, Thomas T, Vidović D, Williams SL, Yin X, Solo-Gabriele HM. Relationships between SARS-CoV-2 in Wastewater and COVID-19 Clinical Cases and Hospitalizations, with and without Normalization against Indicators of Human Waste. ACS ES&T WATER 2022; 2:1992-2003. [PMID: 36398131 PMCID: PMC9664448 DOI: 10.1021/acsestwater.2c00045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) in wastewater has been used to track community infections of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), providing critical information for public health interventions. Since levels in wastewater are dependent upon human inputs, we hypothesize that tracking infections can be improved by normalizing wastewater concentrations against indicators of human waste [Pepper Mild Mottle Virus (PMMoV), β-2 Microglobulin (B2M), and fecal coliform]. In this study, we analyzed SARS-CoV-2 and indicators of human waste in wastewater from two sewersheds of different scales: a University campus and a wastewater treatment plant. Wastewater data were combined with complementary COVID-19 case tracking to evaluate the efficiency of wastewater surveillance for forecasting new COVID-19 cases and, for the larger scale, hospitalizations. Results show that the normalization of SARS-CoV-2 levels by PMMoV and B2M resulted in improved correlations with COVID-19 cases for campus data using volcano second generation (V2G)-qPCR chemistry (r s = 0.69 without normalization, r s = 0.73 with normalization). Mixed results were obtained for normalization by PMMoV for samples collected at the community scale. Overall benefits from normalizing with measures of human waste depend upon qPCR chemistry and improves with smaller sewershed scale. We recommend further studies that evaluate the efficacy of additional normalization targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingyu Zhan
- Department
of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida 33146, United States
| | - Kristina M. Babler
- Department
of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida 33146, United States
| | - Mark E. Sharkey
- Department
of Medicine, University of Miami Miller
School of Medicine, Miami, Florida 33136, United States
| | - Ayaaz Amirali
- Department
of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida 33146, United States
| | - Cynthia C. Beaver
- Sylvester
Comprehensive Cancer Center, University
of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida 33136, United States
| | - Melinda M. Boone
- Sylvester
Comprehensive Cancer Center, University
of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida 33136, United States
| | - Samuel Comerford
- Department
of Medicine, University of Miami Miller
School of Medicine, Miami, Florida 33136, United States
| | - Daniel Cooper
- DataGrade
Solutions, LLC, Miami, Florida 33173, United
States
| | - Elena M. Cortizas
- Sylvester
Comprehensive Cancer Center, University
of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida 33136, United States
| | - Benjamin B. Currall
- Sylvester
Comprehensive Cancer Center, University
of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida 33136, United States
| | - Jonathan Foox
- Department
of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell
Medical College, New York
City, New York 10021, United States
| | - George S. Grills
- Sylvester
Comprehensive Cancer Center, University
of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida 33136, United States
| | - Erin Kobetz
- Department
of Medicine, University of Miami Miller
School of Medicine, Miami, Florida 33136, United States
- Sylvester
Comprehensive Cancer Center, University
of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida 33136, United States
| | - Naresh Kumar
- Department
of Public Health Sciences, University of
Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida 33136, United States
| | - Jennifer Laine
- Environmental
Health and Safety, University of Miami, Miami, Florida 33146, United States
| | - Walter E. Lamar
- Facilities
Safety & Compliance, University of Miami
Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida 33136, United States
| | - Alejandro M.A. Mantero
- Department
of Public Health Sciences, University of
Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida 33136, United States
| | - Christopher E. Mason
- Department
of Physiology and Biophysics and the WorldQuant Initiative for Quantitative
Prediction, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York City, New York 10021, United States
| | - Brian D. Reding
- Environmental
Health and Safety, University of Miami, Miami, Florida 33146, United States
| | - Maria Robertson
- Department
of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida 33146, United States
| | - Matthew A. Roca
- Department
of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida 33146, United States
| | - Krista Ryon
- Department
of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell
Medical College, New York
City, New York 10021, United States
| | - Stephan C. Schürer
- Sylvester
Comprehensive Cancer Center, University
of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida 33136, United States
- Department
of Molecular & Cellular Pharmacology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicines, Miami, Florida 33136, United States
- Institute
for Data Science & Computing, University
of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida 33146, United
States
| | - Bhavarth S. Shukla
- Department
of Medicine, University of Miami Miller
School of Medicine, Miami, Florida 33136, United States
| | - Natasha Schaefer Solle
- Department
of Medicine, University of Miami Miller
School of Medicine, Miami, Florida 33136, United States
- Sylvester
Comprehensive Cancer Center, University
of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida 33136, United States
| | - Mario Stevenson
- Department
of Medicine, University of Miami Miller
School of Medicine, Miami, Florida 33136, United States
| | - John J. Tallon Jr
- Facilities
and Operations, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida 33146, United States
| | - Collette Thomas
- Department
of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida 33146, United States
| | - Tori Thomas
- Department
of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida 33146, United States
| | - Dušica Vidović
- Department
of Molecular & Cellular Pharmacology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicines, Miami, Florida 33136, United States
| | - Sion L. Williams
- Sylvester
Comprehensive Cancer Center, University
of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida 33136, United States
| | - Xue Yin
- Department
of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida 33146, United States
| | - Helena M. Solo-Gabriele
- Department
of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida 33146, United States
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26
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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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27
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Ando H, Iwamoto R, Kobayashi H, Okabe S, Kitajima M. The Efficient and Practical virus Identification System with ENhanced Sensitivity for Solids (EPISENS-S): A rapid and cost-effective SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection method for routine wastewater surveillance. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 843:157101. [PMID: 35952875 PMCID: PMC9357991 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Revised: 06/18/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 04/14/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology has attracted attention as a COVID-19 surveillance tool. Here, we developed a practical method for detecting SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater (the EPISENS-S method), which employs direct RNA extraction from wastewater pellets formed via low-speed centrifugation. The subsequent multiplex one-step RT-preamplification reaction with forward and reverse primers for SARS-CoV-2 and a reverse primer only for pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) allowed for qPCR quantification of the targets with different abundances in wastewater from the RT-preamplification product. The detection sensitivity of the method was evaluated using wastewater samples seeded with heat-inactivated SARS-CoV-2 in concentrations of 2.11 × 103 to 2.11 × 106 copies/L. The results demonstrated that the sensitivity of the EPISENS-S method was two orders of magnitude higher than that of the conventional method (PEG precipitation, followed by regular RT-qPCR; PEG-QVR-qPCR). A total of 37 untreated wastewater samples collected from two wastewater treatment plants in Sapporo, Japan when 1.6 to 18 new daily reported cases per 100,000 people were reported in the city (March 4 to July 8, 2021), were examined using the EPISENS-S method to confirm its applicability to municipal wastewater. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was quantified in 92 % (34/37) of the samples via the EPISENS-S method, whereas none of the samples (0/37) was quantifiable via the PEG-QVR-qPCR method. The PMMoV concentrations measured by the EPISENS-S method ranged from 2.60 × 106 to 1.90 × 108 copies/L, and the SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations normalized by PMMoV ranged from 5.71 × 10-6 to 9.51 × 10-4 . The long-term trend of normalized SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentration in wastewater was consistent with that of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the city. These results demonstrate that the EPISENS-S method is highly sensitive and suitable for routine COVID-19 wastewater surveillance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroki Ando
- Division of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, North 13 West 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8628, Japan
| | - Ryo Iwamoto
- Shionogi & Co. Ltd., 1-8 Doshomachi 3-Chome, Chuo-ku, Osaka, Osaka 541-0045, Japan; AdvanSentinel Inc., 1-8 Doshomachi 3-Chome, Chuo-ku, Osaka, Osaka 541-0045, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Kobayashi
- Shionogi & Co. Ltd., 1-8 Doshomachi 3-Chome, Chuo-ku, Osaka, Osaka 541-0045, Japan
| | - Satoshi Okabe
- Division of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, North 13 West 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8628, Japan
| | - Masaaki Kitajima
- Division of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, North 13 West 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8628, Japan.
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28
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Mercier E, D'Aoust PM, Thakali O, Hegazy N, Jia JJ, Zhang Z, Eid W, Plaza-Diaz J, Kabir MP, Fang W, Cowan A, Stephenson SE, Pisharody L, MacKenzie AE, Graber TE, Wan S, Delatolla R. Municipal and neighbourhood level wastewater surveillance and subtyping of an influenza virus outbreak. Sci Rep 2022; 12:15777. [PMID: 36138059 DOI: 10.1101/2022.06.28.22276884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Recurrent influenza epidemics and pandemic potential are significant risks to global health. Public health authorities use clinical surveillance to locate and monitor influenza and influenza-like cases and outbreaks to mitigate hospitalizations and deaths. Currently, global integration of clinical surveillance is the only reliable method for reporting influenza types and subtypes to warn of emergent pandemic strains. The utility of wastewater surveillance (WWS) during the COVID-19 pandemic as a less resource intensive replacement or complement for clinical surveillance has been predicated on analyzing viral fragments in wastewater. We show here that influenza virus targets are stable in wastewater and partitions favorably to the solids fraction. By quantifying, typing, and subtyping the virus in municipal wastewater and primary sludge during a community outbreak, we forecasted a citywide flu outbreak with a 17-day lead time and provided population-level viral subtyping in near real-time to show the feasibility of influenza virus WWS at the municipal and neighbourhood levels in near real time using minimal resources and infrastructure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth Mercier
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Patrick M D'Aoust
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Ocean Thakali
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Nada Hegazy
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Jian-Jun Jia
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Zhihao Zhang
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Walaa Eid
- Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, K1H 8L1, Canada
| | - Julio Plaza-Diaz
- Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, K1H 8L1, Canada
| | - Md Pervez Kabir
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Wanting Fang
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Aaron Cowan
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Sean E Stephenson
- Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, K1H 8L1, Canada
| | - Lakshmi Pisharody
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Alex E MacKenzie
- Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, K1H 8L1, Canada
| | - Tyson E Graber
- Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, K1H 8L1, Canada
| | - Shen Wan
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Robert Delatolla
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, K1N 6N5, Canada.
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29
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Mercier E, D'Aoust PM, Thakali O, Hegazy N, Jia JJ, Zhang Z, Eid W, Plaza-Diaz J, Kabir MP, Fang W, Cowan A, Stephenson SE, Pisharody L, MacKenzie AE, Graber TE, Wan S, Delatolla R. Municipal and neighbourhood level wastewater surveillance and subtyping of an influenza virus outbreak. Sci Rep 2022; 12:15777. [PMID: 36138059 PMCID: PMC9493155 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-20076-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Recurrent influenza epidemics and pandemic potential are significant risks to global health. Public health authorities use clinical surveillance to locate and monitor influenza and influenza-like cases and outbreaks to mitigate hospitalizations and deaths. Currently, global integration of clinical surveillance is the only reliable method for reporting influenza types and subtypes to warn of emergent pandemic strains. The utility of wastewater surveillance (WWS) during the COVID-19 pandemic as a less resource intensive replacement or complement for clinical surveillance has been predicated on analyzing viral fragments in wastewater. We show here that influenza virus targets are stable in wastewater and partitions favorably to the solids fraction. By quantifying, typing, and subtyping the virus in municipal wastewater and primary sludge during a community outbreak, we forecasted a citywide flu outbreak with a 17-day lead time and provided population-level viral subtyping in near real-time to show the feasibility of influenza virus WWS at the municipal and neighbourhood levels in near real time using minimal resources and infrastructure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth Mercier
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Patrick M D'Aoust
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Ocean Thakali
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Nada Hegazy
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Jian-Jun Jia
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Zhihao Zhang
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Walaa Eid
- Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, K1H 8L1, Canada
| | - Julio Plaza-Diaz
- Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, K1H 8L1, Canada
| | - Md Pervez Kabir
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Wanting Fang
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Aaron Cowan
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Sean E Stephenson
- Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, K1H 8L1, Canada
| | - Lakshmi Pisharody
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Alex E MacKenzie
- Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, K1H 8L1, Canada
| | - Tyson E Graber
- Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, K1H 8L1, Canada
| | - Shen Wan
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Robert Delatolla
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, K1N 6N5, Canada.
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30
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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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31
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Canh VD, Liu M, Sangsanont J, Katayama H. Capsid integrity detection of pathogenic viruses in waters: Recent progress and potential future applications. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 827:154258. [PMID: 35248642 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2022] [Revised: 02/26/2022] [Accepted: 02/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Waterborne diseases caused by pathogenic human viruses are a major public health concern. To control the potential risk of viral infection through contaminated waters, a rapid, reliable tool to assess the infectivity of pathogenic viruses is required. Recently, an advanced approach (i.e., capsid integrity (RT-)qPCR) was developed to discriminate intact viruses (potentially infectious) from inactivated viruses. In this approach, samples were pretreated with capsid integrity reagents (e.g., monoazide dyes or metal compounds) before (RT -)qPCR. These reagents can only penetrate inactivated viruses with compromised capsids to bind to viral genomes and prevent their amplification, but they cannot enter viruses with intact capsids. Therefore, only viral genomes of intact viruses were amplified or detected by (RT-)qPCR after capsid integrity treatment. In this study, we reviewed recent progress in the development and application of capsid integrity (RT-)qPCR to assess the potential infectivity of viruses (including non-enveloped and enveloped viruses with different genome structures [RNA and DNA]) in water. The efficiency of capsid integrity (RT-)qPCR has been shown to depend on various factors, such as conditions of integrity reagent treatment, types of viruses, environmental matrices, and the capsid structure of viruses after disinfection treatments (e.g., UV, heat, and chlorine). For the application of capsid integrity (RT-)qPCR in real-world samples, the use of suitable virus concentration methods and process controls is important to control the efficiency of capsid integrity (RT-)qPCR. In addition, potential future applications of capsid integrity (RT-)qPCR for determining the mechanism of disinfection treatment on viral structure (e.g., capsid or genome) and a combination of capsid integrity treatment and next-generation sequencing (NGS) (capsid integrity NGS) for monitoring the community of intact pathogenic viruses in water are also discussed. This review provides essential information on the application of capsid integrity (RT-)qPCR as an efficient tool for monitoring the presence of pathogenic viruses with intact capsids in water.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vu Duc Canh
- Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan.
| | - Miaomiao Liu
- Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
| | - Jatuwat Sangsanont
- Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand; Water Science and Technology for Sustainable Environmental Research Group, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - Hiroyuki Katayama
- Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan.
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32
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Castro-Gutierrez V, Hassard F, Vu M, Leitao R, Burczynska B, Wildeboer D, Stanton I, Rahimzadeh S, Baio G, Garelick H, Hofman J, Kasprzyk-Hordern B, Kwiatkowska R, Majeed A, Priest S, Grimsley J, Lundy L, Singer AC, Di Cesare M. Monitoring occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 in school populations: A wastewater-based approach. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0270168. [PMID: 35714109 PMCID: PMC9205509 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0270168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/03/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Clinical testing of children in schools is challenging, with economic implications limiting its frequent use as a monitoring tool of the risks assumed by children and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, a wastewater-based epidemiology approach has been used to monitor 16 schools (10 primary, 5 secondary and 1 post-16 and further education) in England. A total of 296 samples over 9 weeks have been analysed for N1 and E genes using qPCR methods. Of the samples returned, 47.3% were positive for one or both genes with a detection frequency in line with the respective local community. WBE offers a low cost, non-invasive approach for supplementing clinical testing and can provide longitudinal insights that are impractical with traditional clinical testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor Castro-Gutierrez
- Cranfield University, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom
- Environmental Pollution Research Center (CICA), University of Costa Rica, Montes de Oca, Costa Rica
| | | | - Milan Vu
- Department of Natural Science, School of Science and Technology, Middlesex University, London, United Kingdom
| | - Rodrigo Leitao
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Beata Burczynska
- Department of Natural Science, School of Science and Technology, Middlesex University, London, United Kingdom
| | - Dirk Wildeboer
- Department of Natural Science, School of Science and Technology, Middlesex University, London, United Kingdom
| | - Isobel Stanton
- UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford, United Kingdom
| | - Shadi Rahimzadeh
- Department of Natural Science, School of Science and Technology, Middlesex University, London, United Kingdom
| | - Gianluca Baio
- Department of Statistical Science, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Hemda Garelick
- Department of Natural Science, School of Science and Technology, Middlesex University, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jan Hofman
- Water Innovation & Research Centre, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
| | - Barbara Kasprzyk-Hordern
- Water Innovation & Research Centre, Department of Chemistry, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
| | - Rachel Kwiatkowska
- School of Population Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
- Field Services, National Infection Service, Public Health England, London, United Kingdom
| | - Azeem Majeed
- Department of Primary Care & Public Health, Imperial College Faculty of Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sally Priest
- Department of Natural Science, School of Science and Technology, Middlesex University, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jasmine Grimsley
- Joint Biosecurity Centre, Department for Health and Social Care, London, United Kingdom
| | - Lian Lundy
- Department of Natural Science, School of Science and Technology, Middlesex University, London, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew C. Singer
- UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford, United Kingdom
| | - Mariachiara Di Cesare
- Institute of Public Health and Wellbeing, University of Essex, Colchester, United Kingdom
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33
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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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34
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Tanimoto Y, Ito E, Miyamoto S, Mori A, Nomoto R, Nakanishi N, Oka N, Morimoto T, Iwamoto T. SARS-CoV-2 RNA in Wastewater Was Highly Correlated With the Number of COVID-19 Cases During the Fourth and Fifth Pandemic Wave in Kobe City, Japan. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:892447. [PMID: 35756040 PMCID: PMC9223763 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.892447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the cause of the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and associated respiratory infections, has been detected in the feces of patients. Therefore, determining SARS-CoV-2 RNA levels in sewage may help to predict the number of infected people within the area. In this study, we quantified SARS-CoV-2 RNA copy number using reverse transcription quantitative real-time PCR with primers and probes targeting the N gene, which allows the detection of both wild-type and variant strain of SARS-CoV-2 in sewage samples from two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Kobe City, Japan, during the fourth and fifth pandemic waves of COVID-19 between February 2021 and October 2021. The wastewater samples were concentrated via centrifugation, yielding a pelleted solid fraction and a supernatant, which was subjected to polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitation. The SARS-CoV-2 RNA was significantly and frequently detected in the solid fraction than in the PEG-precipitated fraction. In addition, the copy number in the solid fraction was highly correlated with the number of COVID-19 cases in the WWTP basin (WWTP-A: r = 0.8205, p < 0.001; WWTP-B: r = 0.8482, p < 0.001). The limit of capturing COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people was 0.75 cases in WWTP-A and 1.20 cases in WWTP-B, respectively. Quantitative studies of RNA in sewage can be useful for administrative purposes related to public health, including issuing warnings and implementing preventive measures within sewage basins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshihiko Tanimoto
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Kobe Institute of Health, Kobe City, Japan
| | - Erika Ito
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Kobe Institute of Health, Kobe City, Japan
| | - Sonoko Miyamoto
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Kobe Institute of Health, Kobe City, Japan
| | - Ai Mori
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Kobe Institute of Health, Kobe City, Japan
| | - Ryohei Nomoto
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Kobe Institute of Health, Kobe City, Japan
| | - Noriko Nakanishi
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Kobe Institute of Health, Kobe City, Japan
| | - Naohiro Oka
- Planning Division, Sewage Works Department, Public Construction Projects Bureau, Kobe City, Japan
| | - Takao Morimoto
- Planning Division, Sewage Works Department, Public Construction Projects Bureau, Kobe City, Japan
| | - Tomotada Iwamoto
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Kobe Institute of Health, Kobe City, Japan
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Zdenkova K, Bartackova J, Cermakova E, Demnerova K, Dostalkova A, Janda V, Jarkovsky J, Lopez Marin MA, Novakova Z, Rumlova M, Ambrozova JR, Skodakova K, Swierczkova I, Sykora P, Vejmelkova D, Wanner J, Bartacek J. Monitoring COVID-19 spread in Prague local neighborhoods based on the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater collected throughout the sewer network. WATER RESEARCH 2022. [PMID: 35358873 DOI: 10.1101/2021.07.28.21261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Many reports have documented that the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the influents of municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) correlates with the actual epidemic situation in a given city. However, few data have been reported thus far on measurements upstream of WWTPs, i.e. throughout the sewer network. In this study, the monitoring of the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in Prague wastewater was carried out at selected locations of the Prague sewer network from August 2020 through May 2021. Various locations such as residential areas of various sizes, hospitals, city center areas, student dormitories, transportation hubs (airport, bus terminal), and commercial areas were monitored together with four of the main Prague sewers. The presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA was determined by reverse transcription - multiplex quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-mqPCR) after the precipitation of nucleic acids with PEG 8,000 and RNA isolation with TRIzol™ Reagent. The number of copies of the gene encoding SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N1) per liter of wastewater was compared with the number of officially registered COVID-19 cases in Prague. Although the data obtained by sampling wastewater from the major Prague sewers were more consistent than those obtained from the small sewers, the correlation between wastewater-based and clinical-testing data was also good for the residential areas with more than 7,000 registered inhabitants. It was shown that monitoring SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater sampled from small sewers could identify isolated occurrences of COVID-19-positive cases in local neighborhoods. This can be very valuable while tracking COVID-19 hotspots within large cities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamila Zdenkova
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Czechia.
| | - Jana Bartackova
- Department of Water Technology and Environmental Engineering, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Czechia
| | - Eliska Cermakova
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Czechia
| | - Katerina Demnerova
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Czechia
| | - Alzbeta Dostalkova
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Czechia
| | - Vaclav Janda
- Department of Water Technology and Environmental Engineering, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Czechia
| | - Jiri Jarkovsky
- Institute of Health Information and Statistics of the Czech Republic, Czechia
| | - Marco Antonio Lopez Marin
- Department of Water Technology and Environmental Engineering, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Czechia
| | | | - Michaela Rumlova
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Czechia
| | - Jana Rihova Ambrozova
- Department of Water Technology and Environmental Engineering, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Czechia
| | - Klara Skodakova
- Department of Water Technology and Environmental Engineering, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Czechia
| | | | - Petr Sykora
- Prazske vodovody a kanalizace, a.s., Czechia
| | - Dana Vejmelkova
- Department of Water Technology and Environmental Engineering, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Czechia
| | - Jiri Wanner
- Department of Water Technology and Environmental Engineering, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Czechia
| | - Jan Bartacek
- Department of Water Technology and Environmental Engineering, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Czechia
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Alamin M, Tsuji S, Hata A, Hara-Yamamura H, Honda R. Selection of surrogate viruses for process control in detection of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 823:153737. [PMID: 35149069 PMCID: PMC8824713 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153737] [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: 12/30/2021] [Revised: 02/03/2022] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Since SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater is often present at low concentration or under detection limit, ensuring the reliability of detection processes using appropriate process controls is essential. The objective of this study was to evaluate applicability and limitations of candidate surrogate viruses as process controls under combinations of different virus concentration and RNA extraction methods. Detection efficiency of SARS-CoV-2 spiked in wastewater was compared with those of candidate surrogate viruses of bacteriophage ϕ6, pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV), F-specific coliphage (F-phage), and murine norovirus (MNV). After inactivated SARS-CoV-2 and ϕ6 were spiked in two different wastewaters, the viruses in solid and liquid fractions of wastewater were concentrated by centrifuge and polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitation, respectively. Viral RNA was extracted by using QIAamp Viral RNA Mini Kit and 3 other commercially available extraction kits, then quantified by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR using CDCN1 assay. Regardless of extraction kits, SARS-CoV-2 was consistently detected with good efficiency from both liquid (11-200%) and solid fractions (7.1-93%). Among the candidate process controls, PMMoV was widely detected at good efficiencies from both liquid and solid fractions regardless of selection of RNA extraction kits. F-phage and MNV also showed good detection efficiencies in most combinations of wastewater fractions and RNA extraction kits. An enveloped virus ɸ6 was found often undetected or to have very low detection efficiency (0.1-4.2%) even when SARS-CoV-2 spiked in wastewater was detected with good efficiency. Consequently, PMMoV is widely applicable as process control for detection of SARS-CoV-2 either in liquid fractions concentrated by PEG precipitation, or in solid fractions concentrated by centrifuge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Alamin
- Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Kanazawa University, Japan
| | - Shohei Tsuji
- School of Environmental Design, Kanazawa University, Japan
| | - Akihiko Hata
- Faculty of Engineering, Toyama Prefectural University, Japan
| | | | - Ryo Honda
- Faculty of Geosciences and Civil Engineering, Kanazawa University, Japan.
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Zdenkova K, Bartackova J, Cermakova E, Demnerova K, Dostalkova A, Janda V, Jarkovsky J, Lopez Marin MA, Novakova Z, Rumlova M, Ambrozova JR, Skodakova K, Swierczkova I, Sykora P, Vejmelkova D, Wanner J, Bartacek J. Monitoring COVID-19 spread in Prague local neighborhoods based on the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater collected throughout the sewer network. WATER RESEARCH 2022; 216:118343. [PMID: 35358873 PMCID: PMC8936391 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.118343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Many reports have documented that the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the influents of municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) correlates with the actual epidemic situation in a given city. However, few data have been reported thus far on measurements upstream of WWTPs, i.e. throughout the sewer network. In this study, the monitoring of the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in Prague wastewater was carried out at selected locations of the Prague sewer network from August 2020 through May 2021. Various locations such as residential areas of various sizes, hospitals, city center areas, student dormitories, transportation hubs (airport, bus terminal), and commercial areas were monitored together with four of the main Prague sewers. The presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA was determined by reverse transcription - multiplex quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-mqPCR) after the precipitation of nucleic acids with PEG 8,000 and RNA isolation with TRIzol™ Reagent. The number of copies of the gene encoding SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N1) per liter of wastewater was compared with the number of officially registered COVID-19 cases in Prague. Although the data obtained by sampling wastewater from the major Prague sewers were more consistent than those obtained from the small sewers, the correlation between wastewater-based and clinical-testing data was also good for the residential areas with more than 7,000 registered inhabitants. It was shown that monitoring SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater sampled from small sewers could identify isolated occurrences of COVID-19-positive cases in local neighborhoods. This can be very valuable while tracking COVID-19 hotspots within large cities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamila Zdenkova
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Czechia.
| | - Jana Bartackova
- Department of Water Technology and Environmental Engineering, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Czechia
| | - Eliska Cermakova
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Czechia
| | - Katerina Demnerova
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Czechia
| | - Alzbeta Dostalkova
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Czechia
| | - Vaclav Janda
- Department of Water Technology and Environmental Engineering, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Czechia
| | - Jiri Jarkovsky
- Institute of Health Information and Statistics of the Czech Republic, Czechia
| | - Marco Antonio Lopez Marin
- Department of Water Technology and Environmental Engineering, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Czechia
| | | | - Michaela Rumlova
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Czechia
| | - Jana Rihova Ambrozova
- Department of Water Technology and Environmental Engineering, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Czechia
| | - Klara Skodakova
- Department of Water Technology and Environmental Engineering, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Czechia
| | | | - Petr Sykora
- Prazske vodovody a kanalizace, a.s., Czechia
| | - Dana Vejmelkova
- Department of Water Technology and Environmental Engineering, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Czechia
| | - Jiri Wanner
- Department of Water Technology and Environmental Engineering, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Czechia
| | - Jan Bartacek
- Department of Water Technology and Environmental Engineering, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Czechia
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Zamhuri SA, Soon CF, Nordin AN, Ab Rahim R, Sultana N, Khan MA, Lim GP, Tee KS. A review on the contamination of SARS-CoV-2 in water bodies: Transmission route, virus recovery and recent biosensor detection techniques. SENSING AND BIO-SENSING RESEARCH 2022; 36:100482. [PMID: 35251937 PMCID: PMC8889793 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbsr.2022.100482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Revised: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The discovery of SARS-CoV-2 virus in the water bodies has been reported, and the risk of virus transmission to human via the water route due to poor wastewater management cannot be disregarded. The main source of the virus in water bodies is the sewage network systems which connects to the surface water. Wastewater-based epidemiology has been applied as an early surveillance tool to sense SARS-CoV-2 virus in the sewage network. This review discussed possible transmission routes of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the challenges of the existing method in detecting the virus in wastewater. One significant challenge for the detection of the virus is that the high virus loading is diluted by the sheer volume of the wastewater. Hence, virus preconcentration from water samples prior to the application of virus assay is essential to accurately detect traceable virus loading. The preparation time, materials and conditions, virus type, recovery percentage, and various virus recovery techniques are comprehensively discussed in this review. The practicability of molecular methods such as Polymer-Chain-Reaction (PCR) for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater will be revealed. The conventional virus detection techniques have several shortcomings and the potential of biosensors as an alternative is also considered. Biosensing techniques have also been proposed as an alternative to PCR and have reported detection limits of 10 pg/μl. This review serves to guide the reader on the future designs and development of highly sensitive, robust and, cost effective SARS-CoV-2 lab-on-a-chip biosensors for use in complex wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siti Adibah Zamhuri
- Microelectronics and Nanotechnology-Shamsuddin Research Centre, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400, Parit Raja, Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia
| | - Chin Fhong Soon
- Microelectronics and Nanotechnology-Shamsuddin Research Centre, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400, Parit Raja, Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia
- Faculty of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400, Parit Raja, Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia
| | - Anis Nurashikin Nordin
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Kulliyah of Engineering, International University of Islam Malaysia, 53100, Jalan Gombak, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Rosminazuin Ab Rahim
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Kulliyah of Engineering, International University of Islam Malaysia, 53100, Jalan Gombak, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | | | - Muhammad Arif Khan
- Microelectronics and Nanotechnology-Shamsuddin Research Centre, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400, Parit Raja, Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia
| | - Gim Pao Lim
- Microelectronics and Nanotechnology-Shamsuddin Research Centre, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400, Parit Raja, Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia
| | - Kian Sek Tee
- Faculty of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400, Parit Raja, Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia
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39
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Alhama J, Maestre JP, Martín MÁ, Michán C. Monitoring COVID-19 through SARS-CoV-2 quantification in wastewater: progress, challenges and prospects. Microb Biotechnol 2022; 15:1719-1728. [PMID: 34905659 PMCID: PMC9151337 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.13989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Revised: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Wastewater-Based Epidemiology (WBE) is widely used to monitor the progression of the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic at local levels. In this review, we address the different approaches to the steps needed for this surveillance: sampling wastewaters (WWs), concentrating the virus from the samples and quantifying them by qPCR, focusing on the main limitations of the methodologies used. Factors that can influence SARS-CoV-2 monitoring in WWs include: (i) physical parameters as temperature that can hamper the detection in warm seasons and tropical regions, (ii) sampling methodologies and timetables, being composite samples and Moore swabs the less variable and more sensitive approaches, (iii) virus concentration methodologies that need to be feasible and practicable in simpler laboratories and (iv) detection methodologies that should tend to use faster and cost-effective procedures. The efficiency of WW treatments and the use of WWs for SARS-CoV-2 variants detection are also addressed. Furthermore, we discuss the need for the development of common standardized protocols, although these must be versatile enough to comprise variations among target communities. WBE screening of risk populations will allow for the prediction of future outbreaks, thus alerting authorities to implement early action measurements.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Alhama
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyUniversidad de CórdobaCampus de Excelencia Internacional Agroalimentario CeiA3, Edificio Severo OchoaCórdoba14071Spain
| | - Juan P. Maestre
- Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental EngineeringThe University of Texas at Austin301 E. Dean Keeton St., Stop C1786AustinTX78712USA
| | - M. Ángeles Martín
- Department of Inorganic Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringArea of Chemical EngineeringUniversidad de CórdobaInstitute of Fine Chemistry and Nanochemistry (IUNAN)Campus de Excelencia Internacional Agroalimentario CeiA3, Edificio Marie CurieCórdoba14071Spain
| | - Carmen Michán
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyUniversidad de CórdobaCampus de Excelencia Internacional Agroalimentario CeiA3, Edificio Severo OchoaCórdoba14071Spain
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Jiang SC, Bischel HN, Goel R, Rosso D, Sherchan S, Whiteson KL, Yan T, Solo-Gabriele HM. Integrating Virus Monitoring Strategies for Safe Non-potable Water Reuse. WATER 2022; 14:1187. [PMID: 37622131 PMCID: PMC10448804 DOI: 10.3390/w14081187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater reclamation and reuse have the potential to supplement water supplies, offering resiliency in times of drought and helping meet increased water demands associated with population growth. Non-potable water reuse represents the largest potential reuse market. Yet economic constraints for new water reuse infrastructure and safety concerns due to microbial water quality, and especially viral pathogen exposure, limit widespread implementation of water reuse. Cost-effective, real-time methods to measure or indicate viral quality of recycled water would do much to instill greater confidence in the practice. This manuscript discusses advancements in monitoring and modeling of viral health risks in the context of water reuse. First, we describe the current wastewater reclamation processes and treatment technologies with an emphasis on virus removal. Second, we review technologies for the measurement of viruses, both culture- and molecular-based, along with their advantages and disadvantages. We introduce promising viral surrogates and specific pathogenic viruses that can serve as indicators of viral risk for water reuse. We suggest metagenomic analyses for viral screening and flow cytometry for quantification of virus-like particles as new approaches to complement more traditional methods. Third, we describe modeling to assess health risks through quantitative microbial risk assessments (QMRAs), the most common strategy to couple data on virus concentrations with human exposure scenarios. We then explore the potential of artificial neural networks (ANNs) to incorporate suites of data from wastewater treatment processes, water quality parameters, and viral surrogates. We recommend ANNs as a means to utilize existing water quality data, alongside new complementary measures of viral quality, to achieve cost-effective strategies to assess risks associated with infectious human viruses in recycled water. Given the review, we conclude that technologies are ready for identifying and implementing viral surrogates for health risk reduction in the next decade. Incorporating modeling with monitoring data would likely result in more robust assessment of water reuse risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunny C Jiang
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
- Water-Energy Nexus Center, 844G Engineering Tower, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-2175
| | - Heather N Bischel
- Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of California, Davis CA 95616
| | - Ramesh Goel
- Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112
| | - Diego Rosso
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
- Water-Energy Nexus Center, 844G Engineering Tower, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-2175
| | - Samendra Sherchan
- Department of Environmental Health sciences, Tulane university, New Orleans, LA 70112
| | - Katrine L Whiteson
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Tao Yan
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Water Resources Research Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa, HI 96822, USA
| | - Helena M Solo-Gabriele
- Department of Chemical, Environmental, and Materials Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, 33146, USA
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Amereh F, Jahangiri-Rad M, Mohseni-Bandpei A, Mohebbi SR, Asadzadeh-Aghdaei H, Dabiri H, Eslami A, Roostaei K, Aali R, Hamian P, Rafiee M. Association of SARS-CoV-2 presence in sewage with public adherence to precautionary measures and reported COVID-19 prevalence in Tehran. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 812:152597. [PMID: 34954185 PMCID: PMC8697476 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152597] [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: 09/17/2021] [Revised: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Compared to the growing body of literature on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) detection and quantification in sewage, there are limited studies reporting on correlations between the viral loads in sewage and the prevalence of infected patients. The present work is a part of the regular monitoring effort for SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater influents from seven wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Tehran, Iran, starting from late September 2020 until early April 2021. These facilities cover ~64% of the metropolis serving >5000,000 M individuals. The study set out to track the trends in the prevalence of COVID-19 in the community using wastewater based epidemiology (WBE) and to investigate whether these measurements correlate with officially reported infections in the population. Composite sewage samples collected over 16 h were enriched by polyethylene glycol precipitation and the corresponding threshold cycle (Ct) profiles for CDC 'N' and 'ORF1ab' assays were derived through real time RT-qPCR. Monte Carlo simulation model was employed to provide estimates of the disease prevalence in the study area. RNA from SARS-CoV-2 was detectable in 100% ('N' assay) and 81% ('ORF1ab' assay) of totally 91 sewage samples, with viral loads ranging from 40 to 45,000 gene copies/L. The outbreak of COVID-19 positively correlated (R2 = 0.80) with the measured viral load in sewage samples. Furthermore, sewage SARS-CoV-2 RNA loads preceded infections in the population by 1 to 2 days, which were in line with public adherence with and support for government instructions to contain the pandemic. Given the transient presence of human host-restricted infections such as SARS-CoV-2, these results provide evidence for assessment of the effectiveness of coordinated efforts that specifically address public health responses based on wastewater-based disease surveillance against not only COVID-19 but also for future infectious outbreaks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatemeh Amereh
- Environmental and Occupational Hazards Control Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahsa Jahangiri-Rad
- Water Purification Research Center, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Anoushiravan Mohseni-Bandpei
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Air Quality and Climate Change Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Seyed Reza Mohebbi
- Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hamid Asadzadeh-Aghdaei
- Basic and Molecular Epidemiology of Gastrointestinal Disorders Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hossein Dabiri
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran
| | - Akbar Eslami
- Environmental and Occupational Hazards Control Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Kasra Roostaei
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Rahim Aali
- Research Center for Environmental Pollutants, Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran
| | - Parisa Hamian
- Department Geographic Information Systems, Tehran Sewerage Company, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Rafiee
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Air Quality and Climate Change Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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Liu AW, Villar-Briones A, Luscombe NM, Plessy C. Automated phenol-chloroform extraction of high molecular weight genomic DNA for use in long-read single-molecule sequencing. F1000Res 2022; 11:240. [PMID: 35350547 PMCID: PMC8931447 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.109251.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Automation has increasingly become more commonplace in the research laboratory workspace. The introduction of articulated robotic arms allows the researcher more flexibility in the tasks a single piece of automated machinery can perform. We set out to incorporate automation in processing of genomic DNA organic extractions to increase throughput and limit researchers to the exposure of organic solvents. Methods: In order to automate the genome sequencing pipeline in our laboratory, we programmed a dual-arm anthropomorphic robot, the Robotic Biology Institute's Maholo LabDroid, to perform organic solvent-based genomic DNA extraction from cell lysates. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that automation of phenol-chloroform extraction has been reported. Results: We achieved routine extraction of high molecular weight genomic DNA (>100 kb) from diverse biological samples including algae cultured in sea water, bacteria, whole insects, and human cell lines. The results of pulse-field electrophoresis size analysis and the N50 sequencing metrics of reads obtained from Nanopore MinION runs verified the presence of intact DNA suitable for direct sequencing. Conclusions: We present the workflow that can be used to program similar robots and discuss the problems and solutions we encountered in developing the workflow. The protocol can be adapted to analogous methods such as RNA extraction, and there is ongoing work to incorporate further post-extraction steps such as library construction. This work shows the potential for automated robotic workflows to free molecular biological researchers from manual interventions in routine experimental work. A time-lapse movie of the entire automated run is included in this report.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew W. Liu
- Genomics and Regulatory Systems Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Onna-son, Okinawa, 904-0495, Japan
| | - Alejandro Villar-Briones
- Instrument Analysis Section, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Onna-son, Okinawa, 904-0495, Japan
| | - Nicholas M. Luscombe
- Genomics and Regulatory Systems Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Onna-son, Okinawa, 904-0495, Japan
| | - Charles Plessy
- Genomics and Regulatory Systems Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Onna-son, Okinawa, 904-0495, Japan
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43
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Sangsanont J, Rattanakul S, Kongprajug A, Chyerochana N, Sresung M, Sriporatana N, Wanlapakorn N, Poovorawan Y, Mongkolsuk S, Sirikanchana K. SARS-CoV-2 RNA surveillance in large to small centralized wastewater treatment plants preceding the third COVID-19 resurgence in Bangkok, Thailand. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 809:151169. [PMID: 34699826 PMCID: PMC8540006 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2021] [Revised: 10/17/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 RNA has been a successful indicator of COVID-19 outbreaks in populations prior to clinical testing. However, this has been mostly conducted in high-income countries, which means there is a dearth of performance investigations in low- and middle-income countries with different socio-economic settings. This study evaluated the applicability of SARS-CoV-2 RNA monitoring in wastewater (n = 132) to inform COVID-19 infection in the city of Bangkok, Thailand using CDC N1 and N2 RT-qPCR assays. Wastewater influents (n = 112) and effluents (n = 20) were collected from 19 centralized wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) comprising four large, four medium, and 11 small WWTPs during seven sampling events from January to April 2021 prior to the third COVID-19 resurgence that was officially declared in April 2021. The CDC N1 assay showed higher detection rates and mostly lower Ct values than the CDC N2. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was first detected at the first event when new reported cases were low. Increased positive detection rates preceded an increase in the number of newly reported cases and increased over time with the reported infection incidence. Wastewater surveillance (both positive rates and viral loads) showed strongest correlation with daily new COVID-19 cases at 22-24 days lag (Spearman's Rho = 0.85-1.00). Large WWTPs (serving 432,000-580,000 of the population) exhibited similar trends of viral loads and new cases to those from all 19 WWTPs, emphasizing that routine monitoring of the four large WWTPs could provide sufficient information for the city-scale dynamics. Higher sampling frequency at fewer sites, i.e., at the four representative WWTPs, is therefore suggested especially during the subsiding period of the outbreak to indicate the prevalence of COVID-19 infection, acting as an early warning of COVID-19 resurgence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jatuwat Sangsanont
- Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand; Water Science and Technology for Sustainable Environmental Research Group, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - Surapong Rattanakul
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok 10140, Thailand
| | - Akechai Kongprajug
- Research Laboratory of Biotechnology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Bangkok 10210, Thailand
| | - Natcha Chyerochana
- Research Laboratory of Biotechnology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Bangkok 10210, Thailand
| | - Montakarn Sresung
- Research Laboratory of Biotechnology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Bangkok 10210, Thailand
| | - Nonnarit Sriporatana
- Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - Nasamon Wanlapakorn
- Center of Excellence in Clinical Virology, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
| | - Yong Poovorawan
- Center of Excellence in Clinical Virology, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
| | - Skorn Mongkolsuk
- Research Laboratory of Biotechnology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Bangkok 10210, Thailand; Center of Excellence on Environmental Health and Toxicology (EHT), Ministry of Education, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
| | - Kwanrawee Sirikanchana
- Research Laboratory of Biotechnology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Bangkok 10210, Thailand; Center of Excellence on Environmental Health and Toxicology (EHT), Ministry of Education, Bangkok 10400, Thailand.
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44
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Torii S, Oishi W, Zhu Y, Thakali O, Malla B, Yu Z, Zhao B, Arakawa C, Kitajima M, Hata A, Ihara M, Kyuwa S, Sano D, Haramoto E, Katayama H. Comparison of five polyethylene glycol precipitation procedures for the RT-qPCR based recovery of murine hepatitis virus, bacteriophage phi6, and pepper mild mottle virus as a surrogate for SARS-CoV-2 from wastewater. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 807:150722. [PMID: 34610400 PMCID: PMC8487407 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2021] [Revised: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitation is one of the conventional methods for virus concentration. This technique has been used to detect severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA in wastewater. The procedures and seeded surrogate viruses were different among implementers; thus, the reported whole process recovery efficiencies considerably varied among studies. The present study compared five PEG precipitation procedures, with different operational parameters, for the RT-qPCR-based whole process recovery efficiency of murine hepatitis virus (MHV), bacteriophage phi6, and pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV), and molecular process recovery efficiency of murine norovirus using 34 raw wastewater samples collected in Japan. The five procedures yielded significantly different whole process recovery efficiency of MHV (0.070%-2.6%) and phi6 (0.071%-0.51%). The observed concentration of indigenous PMMoV ranged from 8.9 to 9.7 log (8.2 × 108 to 5.6 × 109) copies/L. Interestingly, PEG precipitation with 2-h incubation outperformed that with overnight incubation partially due to the difference in molecular process recovery efficiency. The recovery load of MHV exhibited a positive correlation (r = 0.70) with that of PMMoV, suggesting that PMMoV is the potential indicator of the recovery efficiency of SARS-CoV-2. In addition, we reviewed 13 published studies and found considerable variability between different studies in the whole process recovery efficiency of enveloped viruses by PEG precipitation. This was due to the differences in operational parameters and surrogate viruses as well as the differences in wastewater quality and bias in the measurement of the seeded load of surrogate viruses, resulting from the use of different analytes and RNA extraction methods. Overall, the operational parameters (e.g., incubation time and pretreatment) should be optimized for PEG precipitation. Co-quantification of PMMoV may allow for the normalization of SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentration by correcting for the differences in whole process recovery efficiency and fecal load among samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shotaro Torii
- Department of Urban Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan.
| | - Wakana Oishi
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Aoba 6-6-06, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579, Japan
| | - Yifan Zhu
- Department of Frontier Sciences for Advanced Environment, Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Tohoku University, Aoba 6-6-06, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579, Japan
| | - Ocean Thakali
- Department of Engineering, Integrated Graduate School of Medicine, Engineering, and Agricultural Sciences, University of Yamanashi, 4-3-11 Takeda, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-8511, Japan
| | - Bikash Malla
- Interdisciplinary Center for River Basin Environment, Graduate Faculty of Interdisciplinary Research, University of Yamanashi, 4-3-11 Takeda, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-8511, Japan
| | - Zaizhi Yu
- Research Center for Environmental Quality Management, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, 1-2 Yumihama, Otsu, Shiga 520-0811, Japan
| | - Bo Zhao
- Research Center for Environmental Quality Management, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, 1-2 Yumihama, Otsu, Shiga 520-0811, Japan
| | - Chisato Arakawa
- Division of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, North 13 West 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8628, Japan
| | - Masaaki Kitajima
- Division of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, North 13 West 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8628, Japan
| | - Akihiko Hata
- Faculty of Engineering, Toyama Prefectural University, Imizu, Toyama 939-0398, Japan
| | - Masaru Ihara
- Research Center for Environmental Quality Management, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, 1-2 Yumihama, Otsu, Shiga 520-0811, Japan; Faculty of Agriculture and Marine Science, Kochi University, Monobe-Otsu 200, Nankoku, Kochi 783-8502 Japan
| | - Shigeru Kyuwa
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
| | - Daisuke Sano
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Aoba 6-6-06, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579, Japan; Department of Frontier Sciences for Advanced Environment, Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Tohoku University, Aoba 6-6-06, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579, Japan
| | - Eiji Haramoto
- Interdisciplinary Center for River Basin Environment, Graduate Faculty of Interdisciplinary Research, University of Yamanashi, 4-3-11 Takeda, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-8511, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Katayama
- Department of Urban Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan.
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45
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Ahmed W, Simpson SL, Bertsch PM, Bibby K, Bivins A, Blackall LL, Bofill-Mas S, Bosch A, Brandão J, Choi PM, Ciesielski M, Donner E, D'Souza N, Farnleitner AH, Gerrity D, Gonzalez R, Griffith JF, Gyawali P, Haas CN, Hamilton KA, Hapuarachchi HC, Harwood VJ, Haque R, Jackson G, Khan SJ, Khan W, Kitajima M, Korajkic A, La Rosa G, Layton BA, Lipp E, McLellan SL, McMinn B, Medema G, Metcalfe S, Meijer WG, Mueller JF, Murphy H, Naughton CC, Noble RT, Payyappat S, Petterson S, Pitkänen T, Rajal VB, Reyneke B, Roman FA, Rose JB, Rusiñol M, Sadowsky MJ, Sala-Comorera L, Setoh YX, Sherchan SP, Sirikanchana K, Smith W, Steele JA, Sabburg R, Symonds EM, Thai P, Thomas KV, Tynan J, Toze S, Thompson J, Whiteley AS, Wong JCC, Sano D, Wuertz S, Xagoraraki I, Zhang Q, Zimmer-Faust AG, Shanks OC. Minimizing errors in RT-PCR detection and quantification of SARS-CoV-2 RNA for wastewater surveillance. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022. [PMID: 34818780 DOI: 10.20944/preprints202104.0481.v1] [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] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater surveillance for pathogens using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is an effective and resource-efficient tool for gathering community-level public health information, including the incidence of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). Surveillance of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) in wastewater can potentially provide an early warning signal of COVID-19 infections in a community. The capacity of the world's environmental microbiology and virology laboratories for SARS-CoV-2 RNA characterization in wastewater is increasing rapidly. However, there are no standardized protocols or harmonized quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) procedures for SARS-CoV-2 wastewater surveillance. This paper is a technical review of factors that can cause false-positive and false-negative errors in the surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater, culminating in recommended strategies that can be implemented to identify and mitigate some of these errors. Recommendations include stringent QA/QC measures, representative sampling approaches, effective virus concentration and efficient RNA extraction, PCR inhibition assessment, inclusion of sample processing controls, and considerations for RT-PCR assay selection and data interpretation. Clear data interpretation guidelines (e.g., determination of positive and negative samples) are critical, particularly when the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater is low. Corrective and confirmatory actions must be in place for inconclusive results or results diverging from current trends (e.g., initial onset or reemergence of COVID-19 in a community). It is also prudent to perform interlaboratory comparisons to ensure results' reliability and interpretability for prospective and retrospective analyses. The strategies that are recommended in this review aim to improve SARS-CoV-2 characterization and detection for wastewater surveillance applications. A silver lining of the COVID-19 pandemic is that the efficacy of wastewater surveillance continues to be demonstrated during this global crisis. In the future, wastewater should also play an important role in the surveillance of a range of other communicable diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Warish Ahmed
- CSIRO Land and Water, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, QLD 4102, Australia.
| | | | - Paul M Bertsch
- CSIRO Land and Water, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Kyle Bibby
- Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering & Earth Science, University of Notre Dame, 156 Fitzpatrick Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
| | - Aaron Bivins
- Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering & Earth Science, University of Notre Dame, 156 Fitzpatrick Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
| | - Linda L Blackall
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Sílvia Bofill-Mas
- Laboratory of Virus Contaminants of Water and Food, Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Albert Bosch
- Enteric Virus Laboratory, Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, Avda. Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - João Brandão
- Department of Environmental Health, National Institute of Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Phil M Choi
- Water Unit, Health Protection Branch, Prevention Division, Queensland Health, QLD, Australia; The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, QLD, Australia
| | - Mark Ciesielski
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Institute of Marine Sciences, Morehead City, NC, United States
| | - Erica Donner
- Future Industries Institute, University of South Australia, University Boulevard, Mawson Lakes, SA 5095, Australia
| | - Nishita D'Souza
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, E. Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Andreas H Farnleitner
- Institute of Chemical, Environmental & Bioscience Engineering, Research Group Environmental Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostic, 166/5/3, Technische Universität Wien, Vienna, Austria; Research Division Water Quality and Health, Department Pharmacology, Physiology and Microbiology, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Dr. Karl-Dorrek-Straβe 30, 3500 Krems an der Donau, Austria
| | - Daniel Gerrity
- Southern Nevada Water Authority, P.O. Box 99954, Las Vegas, NV 89193, USA
| | - Raul Gonzalez
- Hampton Roads Sanitation District, 1434 Air Rail Avenue, Virginia Beach, VA 23455, USA
| | - John F Griffith
- Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, USA
| | - Pradip Gyawali
- Institute of Environmental Science and Research Ltd (ESR), Porirua 5240, New Zealand
| | | | - Kerry A Hamilton
- School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment and The Biodesign Institute Center for Environmental Health Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | | | - Valerie J Harwood
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Rehnuma Haque
- Environmental Interventions Unit, Icddr,b, 68 Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Sarani, Mohakhali, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
| | - Greg Jackson
- Water Unit, Health Protection Branch, Prevention Division, Queensland Health, QLD, Australia
| | - Stuart J Khan
- Water Research Centre, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of New South Wales, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Wesaal Khan
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Stellenbosch 7602, South Africa
| | - Masaaki Kitajima
- Division of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, North 13 West 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8628, Japan
| | - Asja Korajkic
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, 26W Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA
| | - Giuseppina La Rosa
- Department of Environment and Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Blythe A Layton
- Department of Research & Innovation, Clean Water Services, Hillsboro, OR, USA
| | - Erin Lipp
- Environmental Health Sciences Department, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Sandra L McLellan
- School of Freshwater Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Brian McMinn
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, 26W Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA
| | - Gertjan Medema
- KWR Water Research Institute, Groningenhaven 7, 3433 PE Nieuwegein, the Netherlands
| | - Suzanne Metcalfe
- CSIRO Land and Water, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Wim G Meijer
- UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Jochen F Mueller
- The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, QLD, Australia
| | - Heather Murphy
- Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Coleen C Naughton
- University of California Merced, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 5200 N. Lake Rd., Merced, CA 95343, USA
| | - Rachel T Noble
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Institute of Marine Sciences, Morehead City, NC, United States
| | - Sudhi Payyappat
- Sydney Water, 1 Smith Street, Parramatta, NSW 2150, Australia
| | - Susan Petterson
- Water and Health Pty Ltd., 13 Lord St, North Sydney, NSW 2060, Australia; School of Medicine, Griffith University, Parklands Drive, Gold Coast, Australia
| | - Tarja Pitkänen
- Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Expert Microbiology Unit, P.O. Box 95, FI-70701 Kuopio, Finland; University of Helsinki, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, P.O. Box 66, FI-00014, Finland
| | - Veronica B Rajal
- Facultad de Ingeniería and Instituto de Investigaciones para la Industria Química (INIQUI) - CONICET and Universidad Nacional de Salta, Av. Bolivia 5150, Salta, Argentina
| | - Brandon Reyneke
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Stellenbosch 7602, South Africa
| | - Fernando A Roman
- University of California Merced, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 5200 N. Lake Rd., Merced, CA 95343, USA
| | - Joan B Rose
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, E. Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Marta Rusiñol
- Institute of Environmental Assessment & Water Research (IDAEA), CSIC, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Michael J Sadowsky
- Biotechnology Institute and Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
| | - Laura Sala-Comorera
- UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Yin Xiang Setoh
- Environmental Health Institute, National Environment Agency, Singapore
| | - Samendra P Sherchan
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Tulane University, 1440 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Kwanrawee Sirikanchana
- Research Laboratory of Biotechnology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, 54 Kampangpetch 6 Road, Laksi, Bangkok 10210, Thailand
| | - Wendy Smith
- CSIRO Land and Water, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Joshua A Steele
- Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, USA
| | - Rosalie Sabburg
- CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Bioscience Precinct, St Lucia, QLD 4067, Australia
| | - Erin M Symonds
- College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, FL, USA
| | - Phong Thai
- The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, QLD, Australia
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, QLD, Australia
| | - Josh Tynan
- The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, QLD, Australia
| | - Simon Toze
- CSIRO Land and Water, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Janelle Thompson
- Asian School of the Environment, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore; Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE) Singapore 637551
| | | | | | - Daisuke Sano
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Aoba 6-6-06, Aramaki, Aoba-Ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8597, Japan
| | - Stefan Wuertz
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE) Singapore 637551; School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798
| | - Irene Xagoraraki
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Qian Zhang
- Biotechnology Institute and Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
| | | | - Orin C Shanks
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, 26W Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA
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46
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Ahmed W, Simpson SL, Bertsch PM, Bibby K, Bivins A, Blackall LL, Bofill-Mas S, Bosch A, Brandão J, Choi PM, Ciesielski M, Donner E, D'Souza N, Farnleitner AH, Gerrity D, Gonzalez R, Griffith JF, Gyawali P, Haas CN, Hamilton KA, Hapuarachchi HC, Harwood VJ, Haque R, Jackson G, Khan SJ, Khan W, Kitajima M, Korajkic A, La Rosa G, Layton BA, Lipp E, McLellan SL, McMinn B, Medema G, Metcalfe S, Meijer WG, Mueller JF, Murphy H, Naughton CC, Noble RT, Payyappat S, Petterson S, Pitkänen T, Rajal VB, Reyneke B, Roman FA, Rose JB, Rusiñol M, Sadowsky MJ, Sala-Comorera L, Setoh YX, Sherchan SP, Sirikanchana K, Smith W, Steele JA, Sabburg R, Symonds EM, Thai P, Thomas KV, Tynan J, Toze S, Thompson J, Whiteley AS, Wong JCC, Sano D, Wuertz S, Xagoraraki I, Zhang Q, Zimmer-Faust AG, Shanks OC. Minimizing errors in RT-PCR detection and quantification of SARS-CoV-2 RNA for wastewater surveillance. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 805:149877. [PMID: 34818780 PMCID: PMC8386095 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 61.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater surveillance for pathogens using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is an effective and resource-efficient tool for gathering community-level public health information, including the incidence of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). Surveillance of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) in wastewater can potentially provide an early warning signal of COVID-19 infections in a community. The capacity of the world's environmental microbiology and virology laboratories for SARS-CoV-2 RNA characterization in wastewater is increasing rapidly. However, there are no standardized protocols or harmonized quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) procedures for SARS-CoV-2 wastewater surveillance. This paper is a technical review of factors that can cause false-positive and false-negative errors in the surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater, culminating in recommended strategies that can be implemented to identify and mitigate some of these errors. Recommendations include stringent QA/QC measures, representative sampling approaches, effective virus concentration and efficient RNA extraction, PCR inhibition assessment, inclusion of sample processing controls, and considerations for RT-PCR assay selection and data interpretation. Clear data interpretation guidelines (e.g., determination of positive and negative samples) are critical, particularly when the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater is low. Corrective and confirmatory actions must be in place for inconclusive results or results diverging from current trends (e.g., initial onset or reemergence of COVID-19 in a community). It is also prudent to perform interlaboratory comparisons to ensure results' reliability and interpretability for prospective and retrospective analyses. The strategies that are recommended in this review aim to improve SARS-CoV-2 characterization and detection for wastewater surveillance applications. A silver lining of the COVID-19 pandemic is that the efficacy of wastewater surveillance continues to be demonstrated during this global crisis. In the future, wastewater should also play an important role in the surveillance of a range of other communicable diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Warish Ahmed
- CSIRO Land and Water, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, QLD 4102, Australia.
| | | | - Paul M Bertsch
- CSIRO Land and Water, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Kyle Bibby
- Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering & Earth Science, University of Notre Dame, 156 Fitzpatrick Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
| | - Aaron Bivins
- Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering & Earth Science, University of Notre Dame, 156 Fitzpatrick Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
| | - Linda L Blackall
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Sílvia Bofill-Mas
- Laboratory of Virus Contaminants of Water and Food, Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Albert Bosch
- Enteric Virus Laboratory, Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, Avda. Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - João Brandão
- Department of Environmental Health, National Institute of Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Phil M Choi
- Water Unit, Health Protection Branch, Prevention Division, Queensland Health, QLD, Australia; The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, QLD, Australia
| | - Mark Ciesielski
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Institute of Marine Sciences, Morehead City, NC, United States
| | - Erica Donner
- Future Industries Institute, University of South Australia, University Boulevard, Mawson Lakes, SA 5095, Australia
| | - Nishita D'Souza
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, E. Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Andreas H Farnleitner
- Institute of Chemical, Environmental & Bioscience Engineering, Research Group Environmental Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostic, 166/5/3, Technische Universität Wien, Vienna, Austria; Research Division Water Quality and Health, Department Pharmacology, Physiology and Microbiology, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Dr. Karl-Dorrek-Straβe 30, 3500 Krems an der Donau, Austria
| | - Daniel Gerrity
- Southern Nevada Water Authority, P.O. Box 99954, Las Vegas, NV 89193, USA
| | - Raul Gonzalez
- Hampton Roads Sanitation District, 1434 Air Rail Avenue, Virginia Beach, VA 23455, USA
| | - John F Griffith
- Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, USA
| | - Pradip Gyawali
- Institute of Environmental Science and Research Ltd (ESR), Porirua 5240, New Zealand
| | | | - Kerry A Hamilton
- School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment and The Biodesign Institute Center for Environmental Health Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | | | - Valerie J Harwood
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Rehnuma Haque
- Environmental Interventions Unit, Icddr,b, 68 Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Sarani, Mohakhali, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
| | - Greg Jackson
- Water Unit, Health Protection Branch, Prevention Division, Queensland Health, QLD, Australia
| | - Stuart J Khan
- Water Research Centre, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of New South Wales, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Wesaal Khan
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Stellenbosch 7602, South Africa
| | - Masaaki Kitajima
- Division of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, North 13 West 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8628, Japan
| | - Asja Korajkic
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, 26W Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA
| | - Giuseppina La Rosa
- Department of Environment and Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Blythe A Layton
- Department of Research & Innovation, Clean Water Services, Hillsboro, OR, USA
| | - Erin Lipp
- Environmental Health Sciences Department, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Sandra L McLellan
- School of Freshwater Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Brian McMinn
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, 26W Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA
| | - Gertjan Medema
- KWR Water Research Institute, Groningenhaven 7, 3433 PE Nieuwegein, the Netherlands
| | - Suzanne Metcalfe
- CSIRO Land and Water, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Wim G Meijer
- UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Jochen F Mueller
- The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, QLD, Australia
| | - Heather Murphy
- Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Coleen C Naughton
- University of California Merced, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 5200 N. Lake Rd., Merced, CA 95343, USA
| | - Rachel T Noble
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Institute of Marine Sciences, Morehead City, NC, United States
| | - Sudhi Payyappat
- Sydney Water, 1 Smith Street, Parramatta, NSW 2150, Australia
| | - Susan Petterson
- Water and Health Pty Ltd., 13 Lord St, North Sydney, NSW 2060, Australia; School of Medicine, Griffith University, Parklands Drive, Gold Coast, Australia
| | - Tarja Pitkänen
- Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Expert Microbiology Unit, P.O. Box 95, FI-70701 Kuopio, Finland; University of Helsinki, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, P.O. Box 66, FI-00014, Finland
| | - Veronica B Rajal
- Facultad de Ingeniería and Instituto de Investigaciones para la Industria Química (INIQUI) - CONICET and Universidad Nacional de Salta, Av. Bolivia 5150, Salta, Argentina
| | - Brandon Reyneke
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Stellenbosch 7602, South Africa
| | - Fernando A Roman
- University of California Merced, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 5200 N. Lake Rd., Merced, CA 95343, USA
| | - Joan B Rose
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, E. Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Marta Rusiñol
- Institute of Environmental Assessment & Water Research (IDAEA), CSIC, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Michael J Sadowsky
- Biotechnology Institute and Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
| | - Laura Sala-Comorera
- UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Yin Xiang Setoh
- Environmental Health Institute, National Environment Agency, Singapore
| | - Samendra P Sherchan
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Tulane University, 1440 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Kwanrawee Sirikanchana
- Research Laboratory of Biotechnology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, 54 Kampangpetch 6 Road, Laksi, Bangkok 10210, Thailand
| | - Wendy Smith
- CSIRO Land and Water, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Joshua A Steele
- Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, USA
| | - Rosalie Sabburg
- CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Bioscience Precinct, St Lucia, QLD 4067, Australia
| | - Erin M Symonds
- College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, FL, USA
| | - Phong Thai
- The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, QLD, Australia
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, QLD, Australia
| | - Josh Tynan
- The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, QLD, Australia
| | - Simon Toze
- CSIRO Land and Water, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Janelle Thompson
- Asian School of the Environment, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore; Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE) Singapore 637551
| | | | | | - Daisuke Sano
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Aoba 6-6-06, Aramaki, Aoba-Ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8597, Japan
| | - Stefan Wuertz
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE) Singapore 637551; School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798
| | - Irene Xagoraraki
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Qian Zhang
- Biotechnology Institute and Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
| | | | - Orin C Shanks
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, 26W Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA
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47
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Castro-Gutierrez V, Hassard F, Vu M, Leitao R, Burczynska B, Wildeboer D, Stanton I, Rahimzadeh S, Baio G, Garelick H, Hofman J, Kasprzyk-Hordern B, Kwiatkowska R, Majeed A, Priest S, Grimsley J, Lundy L, Singer AC, Di Cesare M. Monitoring occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 in school populations: A wastewater-based approach. PLoS One 2022. [PMID: 35714109 DOI: 10.1101/2021.03.25.21254231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Clinical testing of children in schools is challenging, with economic implications limiting its frequent use as a monitoring tool of the risks assumed by children and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, a wastewater-based epidemiology approach has been used to monitor 16 schools (10 primary, 5 secondary and 1 post-16 and further education) in England. A total of 296 samples over 9 weeks have been analysed for N1 and E genes using qPCR methods. Of the samples returned, 47.3% were positive for one or both genes with a detection frequency in line with the respective local community. WBE offers a low cost, non-invasive approach for supplementing clinical testing and can provide longitudinal insights that are impractical with traditional clinical testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor Castro-Gutierrez
- Cranfield University, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom
- Environmental Pollution Research Center (CICA), University of Costa Rica, Montes de Oca, Costa Rica
| | | | - Milan Vu
- Department of Natural Science, School of Science and Technology, Middlesex University, London, United Kingdom
| | - Rodrigo Leitao
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Beata Burczynska
- Department of Natural Science, School of Science and Technology, Middlesex University, London, United Kingdom
| | - Dirk Wildeboer
- Department of Natural Science, School of Science and Technology, Middlesex University, London, United Kingdom
| | - Isobel Stanton
- UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford, United Kingdom
| | - Shadi Rahimzadeh
- Department of Natural Science, School of Science and Technology, Middlesex University, London, United Kingdom
| | - Gianluca Baio
- Department of Statistical Science, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Hemda Garelick
- Department of Natural Science, School of Science and Technology, Middlesex University, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jan Hofman
- Water Innovation & Research Centre, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
| | - Barbara Kasprzyk-Hordern
- Water Innovation & Research Centre, Department of Chemistry, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
| | - Rachel Kwiatkowska
- School of Population Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
- Field Services, National Infection Service, Public Health England, London, United Kingdom
| | - Azeem Majeed
- Department of Primary Care & Public Health, Imperial College Faculty of Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sally Priest
- Department of Natural Science, School of Science and Technology, Middlesex University, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jasmine Grimsley
- Joint Biosecurity Centre, Department for Health and Social Care, London, United Kingdom
| | - Lian Lundy
- Department of Natural Science, School of Science and Technology, Middlesex University, London, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew C Singer
- UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford, United Kingdom
| | - Mariachiara Di Cesare
- Institute of Public Health and Wellbeing, University of Essex, Colchester, United Kingdom
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48
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Robotto A, Lembo D, Quaglino P, Brizio E, Polato D, Civra A, Cusato J, Di Perri G. Wastewater-based SARS-CoV-2 environmental monitoring for Piedmont, Italy. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 203:111901. [PMID: 34419466 PMCID: PMC8603036 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.111901] [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: 05/30/2021] [Revised: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 08/15/2021] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The experience gained over the last hundred years clearly indicates that two groups of viruses represent the main risk for the development of highly transmissible epidemics and pandemics in the human species: influenza viruses and coronaviruses (CoV). Although the search for viruses with pandemic potential in the environment may have an important predictive and monitoring role, it is still based on empirical methodologies, mostly resulting from the clinic and not fully validated for environmental matrices. As far as the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, currently underway, is concerned, environmental monitoring activities aiming at checking the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater can be extremely useful to predict and check the diffusion of the disease. For this reason, the present study aims at evaluating the SARS-CoV-2 diffusion by means of a wastewater-based environmental monitoring developed in Piedmont, N-W Italy, during the second and third pandemic waves. Wastewater sampling strategies, sampling points sample pre-treatments and analytical methods, data processing and standardization, have been developed and discussed to give representative and reliable results. The following outcomes has been highlighted by the present study: i) a strong correlation between SARS-CoV-2 concentration in untreated wastewater and epidemic evolution in the considered areas can be observed as well as a predictive potential that could provide decision-makers with indications to implement effective policies, to mitigate the effects of the ongoing pandemic and to prepare response plans for future pandemics that could certainly arise in the decades to come; ii) moreover, the data at disposal from our monitoring campaign (almost 500 samples analysed in 11 months) confirm that SARS-CoV-2 concentrations in wastewater are strongly variable and site-specific across the region: the highest SARS-CoV-2 concentration values have been found in sewer networks serving the most populated areas of the region; iii) normalization of viral concentrations in wastewater through Pepper Mild Mottle Virus (a specific faecal marker) has been carried out and commented; iv) the study highlights the potential of wastewater treatment plants to degrade the genetic material referable to SARS-CoV-2 as well. In conclusion, the preliminary data reported in the present paper, although they need to be complemented by further studies considering also other geographical regions, are very promising.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angelo Robotto
- Environmental Protection Agency of Piedmont (Arpa Piemonte), Via Pio VII 9, 10135, Torino, Italy
| | - David Lembo
- Università degli Studi di Torino, Dept. of Clinical and Biological Sciences, Regione Gonzole 10, 10043, Torino, Orbassano, Italy
| | - Paola Quaglino
- Environmental Protection Agency of Piedmont (Arpa Piemonte), Via Pio VII 9, 10135, Torino, Italy
| | - Enrico Brizio
- Environmental Protection Agency of Piedmont (Arpa Piemonte), Via Pio VII 9, 10135, Torino, Italy.
| | - Denis Polato
- Environmental Protection Agency of Piedmont (Arpa Piemonte), Via Pio VII 9, 10135, Torino, Italy
| | - Andrea Civra
- Università degli Studi di Torino, Dept. of Clinical and Biological Sciences, Regione Gonzole 10, 10043, Torino, Orbassano, Italy
| | - Jessica Cusato
- Laboratory of Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacogenetics, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Torino, Amedeo di Savoia Hospital, Torino, Italy
| | - Giovanni Di Perri
- Infectious Diseases Unit, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Torino, Amedeo di Savoia Hospital, Torino, Italy
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49
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O'Brien M, Rundell ZC, Nemec MD, Langan LM, Back JA, Lugo JN. A comparison of four commercially available RNA extraction kits for wastewater surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in a college population. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 801:149595. [PMID: 34418621 PMCID: PMC8359497 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Revised: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/07/2021] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Localized wastewater surveillance has allowed for public health officials to gain a broader understanding of SARS-CoV-2 viral prevalence in the community allowing public health officials time to prepare for impending outbreaks. Given variable levels of virus in the population through public health interventions, proper concentration and extraction of viral RNA is a key step in ensuring accurate detections. With many commercial RNA extraction kits and methodologies available, the performance of 4 different kits were evaluated for SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection in wastewater, specifically focusing on their applicability to lower population densities such as those at university campus dorms. Raw wastewater samples were collected at 4 sites on a college campus over a 24 hour period as a composite sample. Included in these sites was an isolation site that housed students that tested positive for Covid-19 via nasopharyngeal swabs. These samples were analyzed using the following kits: Qiagen All Prep PowerViral DNA/RNA kit, New England BioLabs Monarch RNA MiniPrep Kit, and Zymo Quick RNA-Viral Kit, and the Zymo Quick-RNA Fecal/Soil Microbe MicroPrep Kit. All four sites were processed according to the manufacturer's guidelines. Extractions were then quantified with RT-qPCR one-step reactions using an N2 primer and a linearized plasmid standard. While the Zymo Quick-RNA Fecal/Soil Microbe MicroPrep Kit (also known as the Zymo Environ Water RNA Kit) only recovered approximately 73% (±38%) SARS-CoV-2 RNA compared to the Zymo Quick-RNA Viral kit, it was the most time efficient kit to yield comparable results. This extraction kit had a cumulative processing time of approximately 5 h compared, while the other three kits had processing times between approximately 9 and 9.5 h. Based on the current research, the most effective kits for smaller population densities are pellet based and include a homogenization, inhibitor removal, and RNA preservation step.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan O'Brien
- Molecular Biosciences Center, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798, USA
| | - Zachary C Rundell
- Center for Reservoir and Aquatic Systems, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798, USA
| | - Michelle D Nemec
- Molecular Biosciences Center, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798, USA
| | - Laura M Langan
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798, USA
| | - Jeffrey A Back
- Center for Reservoir and Aquatic Systems, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798, USA
| | - Joaquin N Lugo
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798, USA.
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50
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Mainardi PH, Bidoia ED. Challenges and emerging perspectives of an international SARS-CoV-2 epidemiological surveillance in wastewater. AN ACAD BRAS CIENC 2021; 93:e20210163. [PMID: 34878048 DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765202120210163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2020] [Accepted: 01/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 is a new type of coronavirus capable to infect humans and cause the severe acute respiratory syndrome COVID-19, a disease that has been causing huge impacts across the Earth. COVID-19 patients, including mild, pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic cases, were often seen to contain infectious fragments of SARS-CoV-2 in feces and urine samples. Therefore, studies to detect the new coronavirus in wastewater, which collect and concentrate human excreta, have been extremely useful as a viral tracking tool in communities. This type of monitoring, in addition to serve as a non-invasive early warning of COVID-19 outbreaks, would provide better predictions about the SARS-CoV-2 spread and strongly contribute to maintenance the global health. Although current methods to detect viruses in wastewater, based on molecular RT-PCR and RT-qPCR techniques, were considered as reliable and provided accurate qualitative and quantitative results, they have been facing considerable challenges concerning the SARS-CoV-2 surveillance. In this review, the methods used to detect the SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater and the challenges to implement an international viral monitoring network were described. The article also addressed the emerging perspectives associated with the SARS-CoV-2 epidemiological surveillance in this environment and the importance of a worldwide collaboration to generate and disseminate the detection results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro H Mainardi
- Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho /UNESP, Instituto de Biociências, Departamento de Biologia Geral e Aplicada, Av. 24A, 1515, Bela Vista, 13506900 Rio Claro, SP, Brazil
| | - Ederio D Bidoia
- Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho /UNESP, Instituto de Biociências, Departamento de Biologia Geral e Aplicada, Av. 24A, 1515, Bela Vista, 13506900 Rio Claro, SP, Brazil
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