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Denpetkul T, Pumkaew M, Sittipunsakda O, Srathongneam T, Mongkolsuk S, Sirikanchana K. Risk-based critical concentrations of enteric pathogens for recreational water criteria and recommended minimum sample volumes for routine water monitoring. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 950:175234. [PMID: 39102962 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.175234] [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: 05/15/2024] [Revised: 07/30/2024] [Accepted: 08/01/2024] [Indexed: 08/07/2024]
Abstract
Concerns are rising about the contamination of recreational waters from human and animal waste, along with associated risks to public health. However, existing guidelines for managing pathogens in these environments have not yet fully integrated risk-based pathogen-specific criteria, which, along with recent advancements in indicators and markers, are essential to improve the protection of public health. This study aimed to establish risk-based critical concentration benchmarks for significant enteric pathogens, i.e., norovirus, rotavirus, adenovirus, Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia lamblia, Campylobacter jejuni, Salmonella spp., and Escherichia coli O157:H7. Applying a 0.036 risk benchmark to both marine and freshwater environments, the study identified the lowest critical concentrations for children, who are the most susceptible group. Norovirus, C. jejuni, and Cryptosporidium presented lowest median critical concentrations for virus, bacteria, and protozoa, respectively: 0.74 GC, 1.73 CFU, and 0.39 viable oocysts per 100 mL in freshwater for children. These values were then used to determine minimum sample volumes corresponding to different recovery rates for culture method, digital polymerase chain reaction and quantitative PCR methods. The results indicate that for children, norovirus required the largest sample volumes of freshwater and marine water (52.08 to 178.57 L, based on the 5th percentile with a 10 % recovery rate), reflecting its low critical concentration and high potential for causing illness. In contrast, adenovirus and rotavirus required significantly smaller volumes (approximately 0.24 to 1.33 L). C. jejuni and Cryptosporidium, which required the highest sampling volumes for bacteria and protozoa, needed 1.72 to 11.09 L and 4.17 to 25.51 L, respectively. Additionally, the presented risk-based framework could provide a model for establishing pathogen thresholds, potentially guiding the creation of extensive risk-based criteria for various pathogens in recreational waters, thus aiding public health authorities in decision-making, strengthening pathogen monitoring, and improving water quality testing accuracy for enhanced health protection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thammanitchpol Denpetkul
- Department of Social and Environmental Medicine, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
| | - Monchai Pumkaew
- Environmental Engineering and Disaster Management Program, School of Multidisciplinary, Mahidol University, Kanchanaburi Campus, Kanchanaburi 71150, Thailand
| | - Oranoot Sittipunsakda
- Department of Social and Environmental Medicine, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
| | - Thitima Srathongneam
- Research Laboratory of Biotechnology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Bangkok 10210, Thailand
| | - Skorn Mongkolsuk
- Research Laboratory of Biotechnology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Bangkok 10210, Thailand; Center of Excellence on Environmental Health and Toxicology (EHT), OPS, MHESI, Bangkok 10400, 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.
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2
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Yang Y, Tan J, Wang F, Sun W, Shi H, Cheng Z, Xie Y, Zhou X. Preconcentration and detection of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater: A comprehensive review. Biosens Bioelectron 2024; 263:116617. [PMID: 39094290 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2024.116617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2024] [Revised: 07/17/2024] [Accepted: 07/29/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronaviruses 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) affected the health of human beings and the global economy. The patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection had viral RNA or live infectious viruses in feces. Thus, the possible transmission of SARS-CoV-2 through wastewater received great attentions. Moreover, SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater can serve as an early indicator of the infection within communities. We summarized the preconcentration and detection technology of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater aiming at the complex matrices of wastewater and low virus concentration and compared their performance characteristics. We described the emerging tests that would be possible to realize the rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 in fields and encourage academics to advance their technologies beyond conception. We concluded with a brief discussion on the outlook for integrating preconcentration and the detection of SARS-CoV-2 with emerging technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yihan Yang
- School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Jisui Tan
- School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Fan Wang
- School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Weiming Sun
- School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Hanchang Shi
- School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Zhao Cheng
- School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Yangcun Xie
- Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning, Beijing, 100043, China.
| | - Xiaohong Zhou
- School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
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3
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Zafeiriadou A, Nano K, Thomaidis NS, Markou A. Evaluation of PCR-enhancing approaches to reduce inhibition in wastewater samples and enhance viral load measurements. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 955:176768. [PMID: 39393702 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.176768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2024] [Revised: 10/02/2024] [Accepted: 10/04/2024] [Indexed: 10/13/2024]
Abstract
Molecular-based assays are the most commonly used methods for the detection and quantification of viruses in wastewater. The variety of inhibitory substances present in the complex matrix of wastewater hinders downstream analysis and often leads to false negative results and underestimation of viral load. The development of robust and inhibitor-tolerant detection methods is necessary in the context of wastewater-based epidemiology, a valuable tool that has gained further importance since the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic. Various strategies are used to mitigate inhibition in the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with the most prevalent of all: the dilution of the sample and the inhibitor removal kits. In this study, we first indicated the presence of inhibitors in wastewater samples and the evaluation of eight different PCR enhancing strategies were further performed using reverse-transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) protocol. False negative results were eliminated through four approaches evaluated, a 10-fold dilution of the extracted sample, addition of T4 gene 32 protein (gp32), addition of Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA), and using an inhibitor removal kit. Among the methods that removed inhibition, the most significant for the removal of inhibition was the addition of gp32 (at a final concentration 0.2 μg/μl). This optimized protocol was further applied to wastewater samples tested for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and a direct comparison study was further performed with reverse-transcription droplet digital PCR (RT-ddPCR). The detection frequency of both methods was 100 % and the obtained viral concentrations were higher by RT-ddPCR; the optimized RT-qPCR assay showed a good correlation (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient: 0,713, p-value <0,007) with RT-ddPCR. This is the first study to directly compare common strategies for eliminating inhibition in wastewater and demonstrates the importance of developing robust assays to accurately assess the recovery rates and viral loads of the targets tested, in a simple, cost-effective and high-throughput manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasia Zafeiriadou
- Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Zografou, 15771 Athens, Greece
| | - Konstantina Nano
- Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Zografou, 15771 Athens, Greece
| | - Nikolaos S Thomaidis
- Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Zografou, 15771 Athens, Greece
| | - Athina Markou
- Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Zografou, 15771 Athens, Greece.
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4
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Feller JD, Colton L. Comparison of commercially available DNA and RNA extraction kits for wildlife feces collected from the environment. Biotechniques 2024:1-10. [PMID: 39268902 DOI: 10.1080/07366205.2024.2397284] [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: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 08/22/2024] [Indexed: 09/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Wildlife fecal samples were collected across two Air Force installations to evaluate the effectiveness of commercially available DNA and RNA extraction kits. Four DNA kits, two DNA/RNA kits and one RNA only kit were used. Sample extracts were evaluated on nucleic acid concentration, TapeStation DNA or RNA Integrity Number values and presence of PCR inhibitors. For the DNA kits, PFP produced higher concentrations compared with PLM and RPM, while MWFM gave higher DNA Integrity Number values when compared with RPM. No PCR inhibition was detected. For the RNA kits, RPM gave higher concentrations compared with MWTV and no differences were seen in RNA Integrity Number values. PCR inhibition was observed in all RNA samples, with MWTV exhibiting higher inhibition compared with RPM.
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Affiliation(s)
- James D Feller
- The Ohio State University, Department of Evolution, Ecology, & Organismal Biology, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
- United States Forest Service, Region 4, Natural Resources, Logan, UT 84321, USA
| | - Leah Colton
- United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433, USA
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Hamilton AN, Maes F, Reyes GYC, Almeida G, Li D, Uyttendaele M, Gibson KE. Machine Learning and Imputation to Characterize Human Norovirus Genotype Susceptibility to Sodium Hypochlorite. FOOD AND ENVIRONMENTAL VIROLOGY 2024:10.1007/s12560-024-09613-3. [PMID: 39259473 DOI: 10.1007/s12560-024-09613-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2024] [Accepted: 08/26/2024] [Indexed: 09/13/2024]
Abstract
Human norovirus (HuNoV) is the leading cause of foodborne illness in the developed world and a major contributor to gastroenteritis globally. Its low infectious dose and environmental persistence necessitate effective disinfection protocols. Sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) bleach is a widely used disinfectant for controlling HuNoV transmission via contaminated fomites. This study aimed to evaluate the susceptibility of HuNoV genotypes (n = 11) from genogroups I, II, and IV to NaOCl in suspension. HuNoV was incubated for 1 and 5 min in diethyl pyrocarbonate (DEPC) treated water containing 50 ppm, 100 ppm, or 150 ppm NaOCl, buffered to maintain a pH between 7.0 and 7.5. Neutralization was achieved by a tenfold dilution into 100% fetal bovine serum. RNase pre-treatment followed by RT-qPCR was used to distinguish between infectious and non-infectious HuNoV. Statistical methods, including imputation, machine learning, and generalized linear models, were applied to process and analyze the data. Results showed that NaOCl reduced viral loads across all genotypes, though efficacy varied. Genotypes GI.1, GII.4 New Orleans, and GII.4 Sydney were the least susceptible, while GII.6 and GII.13 were the most susceptible. All NaOCl concentrations above 0 ppm were statistically indistinguishable, and exposure duration did not significantly affect HuNoV reduction, suggesting rapid inactivation at effective concentrations. For instance, some genotypes were completely inactivated within 1 min, rendering extended exposure unnecessary, while other genotypes maintained the initial concentration at both 1 and 5 min, indicating a need for longer contact times. These findings underscore the critical role of HuNoV genotype selection in testing disinfection protocols and optimizing NaOCl concentrations. Understanding HuNoV susceptibility to NaOCl bleach informs better disinfection strategies, aiding public health and food safety authorities in reducing HuNoV transmission and outbreaks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allyson N Hamilton
- Department of Food Science, Center for Food Safety, University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, 1371 West Altheimer Dr, Fayetteville, AR, 72704, USA
| | - Flor Maes
- Department of Food Science, Center for Food Safety, University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, 1371 West Altheimer Dr, Fayetteville, AR, 72704, USA
- Food Microbiology and Food Preservation Research Unit, Department of Food Technology, Safety and Health, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
- BESTMIX® Software, Vlaanderen, Maldegem, Belgium
| | - Génesis Yosbeth Chávez Reyes
- Department of Food Science, Center for Food Safety, University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, 1371 West Altheimer Dr, Fayetteville, AR, 72704, USA
- Steuben Foods Inc., Bozeman, Montana, United States
| | - Giselle Almeida
- Department of Food Science, Center for Food Safety, University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, 1371 West Altheimer Dr, Fayetteville, AR, 72704, USA
- Arkansas Children's Hospital, Little Rock, Arkansas, United States
| | - Dan Li
- Department of Food Science & Technology, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore, 117542, Singapore
| | - Mieke Uyttendaele
- Food Microbiology and Food Preservation Research Unit, Department of Food Technology, Safety and Health, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Kristen E Gibson
- Department of Food Science, Center for Food Safety, University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, 1371 West Altheimer Dr, Fayetteville, AR, 72704, USA.
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6
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Schmitz BW, Polanco JA, Chen H, Manaktala A, Gu X, Goh SG, Gin KYH. Virus surrogates throughout a full-scale advanced water reuse system. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 256:121556. [PMID: 38604066 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121556] [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: 01/19/2024] [Revised: 03/25/2024] [Accepted: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
Water reuse as an alternative water supply is increasing throughout the world due to water stress and scarcity; however, there are no standard practices for monitoring virus pathogens in such systems. This study aimed to identify suitable surrogates for virus fate, transport, and removal throughout a water reuse scheme. Various microbial targets (11 viruses, two phage, and three bacteria) were monitored using molecular and culture methods across all treatment stages in a wastewater reclamation facility and advanced water treatment facility. Criteria were established for identifying suitable surrogates, which included reliable detection, observable fate and transport, calculable log-reduction values (LRVs), correlations with other targets, and various morphological types. In total, five viruses (PMMoV, AiV, GII NoV, AdV, FRNA GII) met these stringent criteria and were suggested as potential virus surrogates. These surrogates enabled successful comparison of assigned versus actual LRVs throughout a water reuse scheme. Results suggest that virus pathogens are effectively removed throughout water reuse treatment and the suggested surrogates can be utilized for monitoring treatment performance and ensuring public health safety. This study provides a framework that water utilities across the world can reference for establishing virus monitoring practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bradley W Schmitz
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Singapore, Block E1A, #07-03, No. 1 Engineering Drive 2 117576, Singapore; Current affiliation: Loudoun Water, 44865 Loudoun Water Way, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA.
| | - Julio A Polanco
- Orange County Water District (OCWD), Department of Research and Development, 18700 Ward St., Fountain Valley, CA 92708, USA
| | - Hongjie Chen
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Singapore, Block E1A, #07-03, No. 1 Engineering Drive 2 117576, Singapore
| | - Avnika Manaktala
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Singapore, Block E1A, #07-03, No. 1 Engineering Drive 2 117576, Singapore
| | - Xiaoqiong Gu
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Singapore, Block E1A, #07-03, No. 1 Engineering Drive 2 117576, Singapore
| | - Shin Giek Goh
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Singapore, Block E1A, #07-03, No. 1 Engineering Drive 2 117576, Singapore
| | - Karina Yew-Hoong Gin
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Singapore, Block E1A, #07-03, No. 1 Engineering Drive 2 117576, Singapore
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7
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Zafeiriadou A, Kaltsis L, Thomaidis NS, Markou A. Simultaneous detection of influenza A, B and respiratory syncytial virus in wastewater samples by one-step multiplex RT-ddPCR assay. Hum Genomics 2024; 18:48. [PMID: 38769549 PMCID: PMC11103825 DOI: 10.1186/s40246-024-00614-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2023] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND After the occurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic, detection of other disseminated respiratory viruses using highly sensitive molecular methods was declared essential for monitoring the spread of health-threatening viruses in communities. The development of multiplex molecular assays are essential for the simultaneous detection of such viruses even at low concentrations. In the present study, a highly sensitive and specific multiplex one-step droplet digital PCR (RT-ddPCR) assay was developed for the simultaneous detection and absolute quantification of influenza A (IAV), influenza B (IBV), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and beta-2-microglobulin transcript as an endogenous internal control (IC B2M). RESULTS The assay was first evaluated for analytical sensitivity and specificity, linearity, reproducibility, and recovery rates with excellent performance characteristics and then applied to 37 wastewater samples previously evaluated with commercially available and in-house quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) assays. IAV was detected in 16/37 (43%), IBV in 19/37 (51%), and RSV in 10/37 (27%) of the wastewater samples. Direct comparison of the developed assay with real-time RT-qPCR assays showed statistically significant high agreement in the detection of IAV (kappa Cohen's correlation coefficient: 0.834, p = 0.001) and RSV (kappa: 0.773, p = 0.001) viruses between the two assays, while the results for the detection of IBV (kappa: 0.355, p = 0.27) showed good agreement without statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS Overall, the developed one-step multiplex ddPCR assay is cost-effective, highly sensitive and specific, and can simultaneously detect three common respiratory viruses in the complex matrix of wastewater samples even at low concentrations. Due to its high sensitivity and resistance to PCR inhibitors, the developed assay could be further used as an early warning system for wastewater monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasia Zafeiriadou
- Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15771, ZografouAthens, Greece
| | - Lazaros Kaltsis
- Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15771, ZografouAthens, Greece
| | - Nikolaos S Thomaidis
- Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15771, ZografouAthens, Greece
| | - Athina Markou
- Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15771, ZografouAthens, Greece.
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8
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Chandran S, Gibson KE. Improving the Detection and Understanding of Infectious Human Norovirus in Food and Water Matrices: A Review of Methods and Emerging Models. Viruses 2024; 16:776. [PMID: 38793656 PMCID: PMC11125872 DOI: 10.3390/v16050776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2024] [Revised: 05/02/2024] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Human norovirus (HuNoV) is a leading global cause of viral gastroenteritis, contributing to numerous outbreaks and illnesses annually. However, conventional cell culture systems cannot support the cultivation of infectious HuNoV, making its detection and study in food and water matrices particularly challenging. Recent advancements in HuNoV research, including the emergence of models such as human intestinal enteroids (HIEs) and zebrafish larvae/embryo, have significantly enhanced our understanding of HuNoV pathogenesis. This review provides an overview of current methods employed for HuNoV detection in food and water, along with their associated limitations. Furthermore, it explores the potential applications of the HIE and zebrafish larvae/embryo models in detecting infectious HuNoV within food and water matrices. Finally, this review also highlights the need for further optimization and exploration of these models and detection methods to improve our understanding of HuNoV and its presence in different matrices, ultimately contributing to improved intervention strategies and public health outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kristen E. Gibson
- Department of Food Science, Center for Food Safety, University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, Fayetteville, AR 72704, USA;
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9
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Philo SE, Zhou NA, Lillis LM, Raghava V, Abraham D, Kumar V, Kumar N, Rigby J, Harrison JC, Fagnant-Sperati CS, Kossik AL, Ong AQW, Swanstrom R, Burnor E, Demeke B, Beck NK, Shirai JH, Libby SJ, Boyle DS, Feasey N, Kang G, Meschke JS. Development, confirmation, and application of a seeded Escherichia coli process control organism to validate Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi environmental surveillance methods. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0301624. [PMID: 38713678 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S. Typhi) is the causative agent of Typhoid fever. Blood culture is the gold standard for clinical diagnosis, but this is often difficult to employ in resource limited settings. Environmental surveillance of waste-impacted waters is a promising supplement to clinical surveillance, however validating methods is challenging in regions where S. Typhi concentrations are low. To evaluate existing S. Typhi environmental surveillance methods, a novel process control organism (PCO) was created as a biosafe surrogate. Using a previous described qPCR assay, a modified PCR amplicon for the staG gene was cloned into E. coli. We developed a target region that was recognized by the Typhoid primers in addition to a non-coding internal probe sequence. A multiplex qPCR reaction was developed that differentiates between the typhoid and control targets, with no cross-reactivity or inhibition of the two probes. The PCO was shown to mimic S. Typhi in lab-based experiments with concentration methods using primary wastewater: filter cartridge, recirculating Moore swabs, membrane filtration, and differential centrifugation. Across all methods, the PCO seeded at 10 CFU/mL and 100 CFU/mL was detected in 100% of replicates. The PCO is detected at similar quantification cycle (Cq) values across all methods at 10 CFU/mL (Average = 32.4, STDEV = 1.62). The PCO was also seeded into wastewater at collection sites in Vellore (India) and Blantyre (Malawi) where S. Typhi is endemic. All methods tested in both countries were positive for the seeded PCO. The PCO is an effective way to validate performance of environmental surveillance methods targeting S. Typhi in surface water.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E Philo
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Nicolette A Zhou
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | | | | | | | - Vinoth Kumar
- Christian Medical College Vellore, Vellore, India
| | - Nirmal Kumar
- Christian Medical College Vellore, Vellore, India
| | - Jonathan Rigby
- Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Programme, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Joanna Ciol Harrison
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Christine S Fagnant-Sperati
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Alexandra L Kossik
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Angelo Q W Ong
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Rachael Swanstrom
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Elisabeth Burnor
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Bethel Demeke
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Nicola K Beck
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Jeffry H Shirai
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Stephen J Libby
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | | | - Nicholas Feasey
- Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Programme, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | | | - John Scott Meschke
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
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10
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Philo SE, De León KB, Noble RT, Zhou NA, Alghafri R, Bar-Or I, Darling A, D'Souza N, Hachimi O, Kaya D, Kim S, Gaardbo Kuhn K, Layton BA, Mansfeldt C, Oceguera B, Radniecki TS, Ram JL, Saunders LP, Shrestha A, Stadler LB, Steele JA, Stevenson BS, Vogel JR, Bibby K, Boehm AB, Halden RU, Delgado Vela J. Wastewater surveillance for bacterial targets: current challenges and future goals. Appl Environ Microbiol 2024; 90:e0142823. [PMID: 38099657 PMCID: PMC10807411 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01428-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) expanded rapidly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the public health emergency has ended, researchers and practitioners are looking to shift the focus of existing wastewater surveillance programs to other targets, including bacteria. Bacterial targets may pose some unique challenges for WBE applications. To explore the current state of the field, the National Science Foundation-funded Research Coordination Network (RCN) on Wastewater Based Epidemiology for SARS-CoV-2 and Emerging Public Health Threats held a workshop in April 2023 to discuss the challenges and needs for wastewater bacterial surveillance. The targets and methods used in existing programs were diverse, with twelve different targets and nine different methods listed. Discussions during the workshop highlighted the challenges in adapting existing programs and identified research gaps in four key areas: choosing new targets, relating bacterial wastewater data to human disease incidence and prevalence, developing methods, and normalizing results. To help with these challenges and research gaps, the authors identified steps the larger community can take to improve bacteria wastewater surveillance. This includes developing data reporting standards and method optimization and validation for bacterial programs. Additionally, more work is needed to understand shedding patterns for potential bacterial targets to better relate wastewater data to human infections. Wastewater surveillance for bacteria can help provide insight into the underlying prevalence in communities, but much work is needed to establish these methods.IMPORTANCEWastewater surveillance was a useful tool to elucidate the burden and spread of SARS-CoV-2 during the pandemic. Public health officials and researchers are interested in expanding these surveillance programs to include bacterial targets, but many questions remain. The NSF-funded Research Coordination Network for Wastewater Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 and Emerging Public Health Threats held a workshop to identify barriers and research gaps to implementing bacterial wastewater surveillance programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E. Philo
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
| | - Kara B. De León
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Rachel T. Noble
- Department of Earth, Marine, and Environmental Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Institute of Marine Sciences, Morehead City, North Carolina, USA
| | - Nicolette A. Zhou
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Rashed Alghafri
- International Center for Forensic Sciences, Dubai Police, Dubai, UAE
| | - Itay Bar-Or
- Israel Ministry of Health, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Amanda Darling
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
| | - Nishita D'Souza
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Oumaima Hachimi
- School of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
| | - Devrim Kaya
- School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Sooyeol Kim
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Katrin Gaardbo Kuhn
- Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
| | | | - Cresten Mansfeldt
- Environmental Engineering Program, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Bethany Oceguera
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
| | - Tyler S. Radniecki
- School of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
| | - Jeffrey L. Ram
- Department of Physiology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan, USA
| | | | - Abhilasha Shrestha
- Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Division, University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Lauren B. Stadler
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Joshua A. Steele
- Department of Microbiology, Southern California Coastal Research Project, Costa Mesa, California, USA
| | | | - Jason R. Vogel
- School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Kyle Bibby
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
| | - Alexandria B. Boehm
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Rolf U. Halden
- School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Jeseth Delgado Vela
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Howard University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
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11
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Alex-Sanders N, Woodhall N, Farkas K, Scott G, Jones DL, Walker DI. Development and validation of a duplex RT-qPCR assay for norovirus quantification in wastewater samples. J Virol Methods 2023; 321:114804. [PMID: 37643662 DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2023.114804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Revised: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
Norovirus (NoV) is a highly contagious enteric virus that causes widespread outbreaks and a substantial number of deaths across communities. As clinical surveillance is often insufficient, wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) may provide novel pathways of tracking outbreaks. To utilise WBE, it is important to use accurate and sensitive methods for viral quantification. In this study, we developed a one-step duplex RT-qPCR assay to simultaneously test the two main human pathogenic NoV genogroups, GI and GII, in wastewater samples. The assay had low limits of detection (LOD), namely 0.52 genome copies (gc)/µl for NoVGI and 1.37 gc/µl for NoVGII. No significant concentration-dependent interactions were noted for both NoVGI and for NoVGII when the two targets were mixed at different concentrations in the samples. When tested on wastewater-derived RNA eluents, no significant difference between duplex and singleplex concentrations were found for either target. Low levels of inhibition (up to 32 %) were noted due to organic matter present in the wastewater extracts. From these results we argue that the duplex RT-qPCR assay developed enables the sensitive detection of both NoVGI and NoVGII in wastewater-derived RNA eluents, in a time and cost-effective way and may be used for surveillance to monitor public and environmental health.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nick Woodhall
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, UK
| | - Kata Farkas
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, UK
| | - George Scott
- Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Weymouth, Dorset, UK
| | - Davey L Jones
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, UK; Food Futures Institute, Murdoch University, 90 South Street, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia
| | - David I Walker
- Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Weymouth, Dorset, UK
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12
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Wang J, Wang Y, Lai J, Li J, Yu K. Improvement and application of qPCR assay revealed new insight on early warning of Phaeocystis globosa bloom. WATER RESEARCH 2023; 229:119439. [PMID: 36473412 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.119439] [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: 08/01/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Phaeocystis globosa bloom develops from its early solitary cells, providing clues for early warning of its bloom and timely responding to possible consequences. However, the early prediction requires quantification of the solitary cells for a thorough understanding of bloom formation. Therefore, we developed an accurate, sensitive, and specific qPCR assay for this need. Results show that the accuracy of qPCR was significantly enhanced by ameliorating DNA barcode design, improving genomic DNA extraction, and introducing a strategy of internal amplification control (IAC). This approach reached a quantification limit of 1 cell/reaction, making low-abundance cells (101-103 cells/L) detection possible, and we also observed a plunge in the abundance of the solitary cells before the bloom outbreak in two winters in 2019 and 2020 for the first time, which is quite unique from laboratory results showing an increase instead. The plunge in solitary-cell abundance might be associated with the attachment of solitary cells to solid matrices to form non-solitary attached aggregate, the precursor of colonies, which gains supports from other studies and needs more investigations in the future. Therefore, as the plunge in solitary-cell abundance is a sign of colony formation, it can be used as an early warning indicator to P. globosa bloom.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiale Wang
- School of Marine Science, Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reef in the South China Sea and Coral Reef Research Center of China, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Yinghui Wang
- School of Marine Science, Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reef in the South China Sea and Coral Reef Research Center of China, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China.
| | - Junxiang Lai
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, Guangxi Beibu Gulf Marine Research Center and Guangxi Academy of Sciences, Nanning 530007, China.
| | - Jie Li
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, Guangxi Beibu Gulf Marine Research Center and Guangxi Academy of Sciences, Nanning 530007, China
| | - Kefu Yu
- School of Marine Science, Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reef in the South China Sea and Coral Reef Research Center of China, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
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13
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Galani A, Markou A, Dimitrakopoulos L, Kontou A, Kostakis M, Kapes V, Diamantopoulos MA, Adamopoulos PG, Avgeris M, Lianidou E, Scorilas A, Paraskevis D, Tsiodras S, Dimopoulos MA, Thomaidis N. Delta SARS-CoV-2 variant is entirely substituted by the omicron variant during the fifth COVID-19 wave in Attica region. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 856:159062. [PMID: 36181801 PMCID: PMC9519360 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Revised: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater analysis is the most attractive alternative way for the quantification and variant profiling of SARS-CoV-2. Infection dynamics can be monitored by RT-qPCR assays while NGS can provide evidence for the presence of existing or new emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants. Herein, apart from the infection dynamic in Attica since June 1st, 2021, the monitoring of 9 mutations of the omicron and 4 mutations of the delta SARS-CoV-2 variants, utilizing both novel Nested-Seq and RT-PCR, is reported and the substitution of the delta variant (B.1.617.2) by the omicron variant (B.1.1.529) in Attica, Greece within approximately one month is highlighted. The key difference between the two methodologies is discovery power. RT-PCR can only detect known sequences cost-effectively, while NGS is a hypothesis-free approach that does not require prior knowledge to detect novel genes. Overall, the potential of wastewater genomic surveillance for the early discovery and monitoring of variants important for disease management at the community level is underlined. This is the first study, reporting the SARS-CoV-2 infection dynamic for an extended time period and the first attempt to monitor two of the most severe variants with two different methodologies in Greece.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aikaterini Galani
- Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, University Campus, Zografou, 15771 Athens, Greece
| | - Athina Markou
- Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, University Campus, Zografou, 15771 Athens, Greece
| | - Lampros Dimitrakopoulos
- Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, University Campus, Zografou, 15771 Athens, Greece
| | - Aikaterini Kontou
- Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, University Campus, Zografou, 15771 Athens, Greece
| | - Marios Kostakis
- Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, University Campus, Zografou, 15771 Athens, Greece
| | - Vasileios Kapes
- Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, University Campus, Zografou, 15771 Athens, Greece
| | - Marios A Diamantopoulos
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Panagiotis G Adamopoulos
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Margaritis Avgeris
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece; Laboratory of Clinical Biochemistry - Molecular Diagnostics, Second Department of Pediatrics, "P. & A. Kyriakou" Children's Hospital, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Evi Lianidou
- Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, University Campus, Zografou, 15771 Athens, Greece
| | - Andreas Scorilas
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Dimitrios Paraskevis
- Department of Hygiene Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
| | - Sotirios Tsiodras
- Fourth Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University General Hospital Attikon, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
| | | | - Nikolaos Thomaidis
- Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, University Campus, Zografou, 15771 Athens, Greece.
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14
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Fonseca MS, Machado BAS, Rolo CDA, Hodel KVS, Almeida EDS, de Andrade JB. Evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 concentrations in wastewater and river water samples. CASE STUDIES IN CHEMICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING 2022; 6:100214. [PMID: 37520921 PMCID: PMC9055419 DOI: 10.1016/j.cscee.2022.100214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Revised: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
There are only a few established methods to determine the concentration of encapsulated viruses, such as SARS-CoV-2, in water matrices, limiting the application of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE)-an important tool for public health research. The present study compared four methods that are commonly used to concentrate non-encapsulated enteric viruses for determining SARS-CoV-2 concentration in wastewater and wastewater-enriched river water samples. The four methods tested were electronegative membrane with Mg+2 addition, aluminum hydroxide-based precipitation, polyethylene glycol (PEG) 8000 precipitation, and ultrafiltration (with porosity of 10 and 50 kDa). Prior to the concentration step, filtration or centrifugation was performed to remove suspended particles from the samples (pretreatment). To evaluate the recovery efficiency (%), samples of SARS-CoV-2 from nasopharyngeal swabs obtained from RT-qPCR-positive patients were used as spiked samples. The second part of the analysis involved the quantification of the SARS-CoV-2 copy number in analytes without SARS-CoV-2-spiked samples. Among the tested methods, pretreatment via centrifugation followed by ultrafiltration with a 50-kDa cut-off was found the most efficient method for wastewater samples with spiked samples (54.3 or 113.01% efficiency). For the wastewater-enriched river samples with spiked samples, pretreatment via centrifugation followed by filtration using an electronegative membrane was the most efficient method (110.8% and 95.9% for N1 and N2 markers, respectively). However, ultrafiltration of the raw river water samples using 10 or 50 kDa cut-off filters and PEG 8000 precipitation showed the best concentration efficiency based on copy number, regardless of the pretreatment approach or sample type (values ranging from 3 × 105 to 6.7 × 103). The effectiveness of the concentration method can vary depending on the type of sample and concentration method. We consider that this study will contribute to more widespread use of WBE for the environmental surveillance of SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maísa Santos Fonseca
- SENAI CIMATEC, SENAI Institute of Innovation (ISI) in Health Advanced Systems (CIMATEC ISI SAS), University Center SENAI/CIMATEC, Salvador, 41650-010, Brazil
| | - Bruna Aparecida Souza Machado
- SENAI CIMATEC, SENAI Institute of Innovation (ISI) in Health Advanced Systems (CIMATEC ISI SAS), University Center SENAI/CIMATEC, Salvador, 41650-010, Brazil
- SENAI CIMATEC, Manufacturing and Technology Integrated Campus, University Center SENAI CIMATEC, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Carolina de Araújo Rolo
- SENAI CIMATEC, SENAI Institute of Innovation (ISI) in Health Advanced Systems (CIMATEC ISI SAS), University Center SENAI/CIMATEC, Salvador, 41650-010, Brazil
| | - Katharine Valéria Saraiva Hodel
- SENAI CIMATEC, SENAI Institute of Innovation (ISI) in Health Advanced Systems (CIMATEC ISI SAS), University Center SENAI/CIMATEC, Salvador, 41650-010, Brazil
| | - Edna Dos Santos Almeida
- SENAI CIMATEC, Manufacturing and Technology Integrated Campus, University Center SENAI CIMATEC, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Jailson Bittencourt de Andrade
- SENAI CIMATEC, SENAI Institute of Innovation (ISI) in Health Advanced Systems (CIMATEC ISI SAS), University Center SENAI/CIMATEC, Salvador, 41650-010, Brazil
- SENAI CIMATEC, Manufacturing and Technology Integrated Campus, University Center SENAI CIMATEC, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Energia e Ambiente - INCT E&A, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, 40170-115, Brazil
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15
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Korajkic A, Kelleher J, Shanks OC, Herrmann MP, McMinn BR. Effectiveness of two wastewater disinfection strategies for the removal of fecal indicator bacteria, bacteriophage, and enteric viral pathogens concentrated using dead-end hollow fiber ultrafiltration (D-HFUF). THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 831:154861. [PMID: 35358531 PMCID: PMC9291237 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2022] [Revised: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Primary influent and final effluent samples were collected from wastewater treatment plants using either chlorination or ultraviolet (UV) disinfection biweekly for one year. Paired measurements were determined for fecal indicator bacteria (Escherichia coli and enterococci), cultivated bacteriophages (somatic, F+, and CB-390 coliphage and GB-124 Bacteroides phage), human-associated viral markers (human polyomavirus [HPyV] and crAssphage), enteric pathogens (adenovirus, noroviruses genogroups I and II) as well as total infectious enteric virus. To increase the probability of detecting low concentration targets, both primary (10L) and final effluent wastewater samples (40-100 L) were concentrated using a dead-end hollow-fiber ultrafilter (D-HFUF). Despite seasonal temperature fluctuations, concentration shifts of FIB, bacteriophages, human-associated viruses, and viral pathogens measured in primary influent samples were minimal, while levels of infectious enteric virus were significantly higher in the spring and fall (P range: 0.0003-0.0409). FIB levels measured in primary influents were 1-2 log10 higher than bacteriophage, human-associated viral markers (except crAssphage) and viral pathogens measured. FIB displayed the greatest sensitivity to chlorine disinfection, while crAssphage, adenoviruses and infectious enteric viruses were significantly less sensitive (P ≤ 0.0096). During UV treatment, bacteriophages F+ and GB-124 were the most resistant of the culturable viruses measured (P ≤ 0.001), while crAssphage were the most resistant (P ≤ 0.0124) overall. When UV lamps were inactive, infectious enteric viruses were significantly more resilient to upstream treatment processes than all other targets measured (P ≤ 0.0257). Similar to infectious enteric viruses and adenoviruses; GB-124, F+, and crAssphages displayed the highest resistance to UV irradiation, signaling a potential applicability as pathogen surrogates in these systems. The use of D-HFUF enhanced the ability to estimate removal of viruses through wastewater treatment, with the expectation that future applications of this method will be used to better elucidate viral behavior within these systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asja Korajkic
- Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Laboratory, Cincinnati, OH 45268, United States
| | - Julie Kelleher
- Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Laboratory, Cincinnati, OH 45268, United States
| | - Orin C Shanks
- Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Laboratory, Cincinnati, OH 45268, United States
| | - Michael P Herrmann
- Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Laboratory, Cincinnati, OH 45268, United States
| | - Brian R McMinn
- Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Laboratory, Cincinnati, OH 45268, United States.
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16
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Burch TR, Firnstahl AD, Spencer SK, Larson RA, Borchardt MA. Fate and seasonality of antimicrobial resistance genes during full-scale anaerobic digestion of cattle manure across seven livestock production facilities. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY 2022; 51:352-363. [PMID: 35388483 DOI: 10.1002/jeq2.20350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Anaerobic digestion has been suggested as an intervention to attenuate antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in livestock manure but supporting data have typically been collected at laboratory scale. Few studies have quantified ARG fate during full-scale digestion of livestock manure. We sampled untreated manure and digestate from seven full-scale mesophilic dairy manure digesters to assess ARG fate through each system. Samples were collected biweekly from December through August (i.e., winter, spring, and summer; n = 235 total) and analyzed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction for intI1, erm(B), sul1, tet(A), and tet(W). Concentrations of intI1, sul1, and tet(A) decreased during anaerobic digestion, but their removal was less extensive than expected based on previous laboratory studies. Removal for intI1 during anaerobic digestion equaled 0.28 ± 0.03 log10 units (mean ± SE), equivalent to only 48% removal and notable given intI1's role in horizontal gene transfer and multiple resistance. Furthermore, tet(W) concentrations were unchanged during anaerobic digestion (p > 0.05), and erm(B) concentrations increased by 0.52 ± 0.03 log10 units (3.3-fold), which is important given erythromycin's status as a critically important antibiotic for human medicine. Seasonal log10 changes in intI1, sul1, and tet(A) concentrations were ≥50% of corresponding log10 removals by anaerobic digestion, and variation in ARG and intI1 concentrations among digesters was quantitatively comparable to anaerobic digestion effects. These results suggest that mesophilic anaerobic digestion may be limited as an intervention for ARGs in livestock manure and emphasize the need for multiple farm-level interventions to attenuate antibiotic resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tucker R Burch
- USDA-ARS, Environmentally Integrated Dairy Management Research Unit, 2615 Yellowstone Dr., Marshfield, WI, 54449, USA
- Laboratory for Infectious Disease and the Environment (an interagency laboratory supported by USDA-ARS and USGS), 2615 Yellowstone Dr., Marshfield, WI, 54449, USA
| | - Aaron D Firnstahl
- Laboratory for Infectious Disease and the Environment (an interagency laboratory supported by USDA-ARS and USGS), 2615 Yellowstone Dr., Marshfield, WI, 54449, USA
- USGS, Upper Midwest Water Science Center, 2615 Yellowstone Dr., Marshfield, WI, 54449, USA
| | - Susan K Spencer
- USDA-ARS, Environmentally Integrated Dairy Management Research Unit, 2615 Yellowstone Dr., Marshfield, WI, 54449, USA
- Laboratory for Infectious Disease and the Environment (an interagency laboratory supported by USDA-ARS and USGS), 2615 Yellowstone Dr., Marshfield, WI, 54449, USA
| | - Rebecca A Larson
- Dep. of Biological Systems Engineering, Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison, 232C Agricultural Engineering Building, 460 Henry Mall, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Mark A Borchardt
- USDA-ARS, Environmentally Integrated Dairy Management Research Unit, 2615 Yellowstone Dr., Marshfield, WI, 54449, USA
- Laboratory for Infectious Disease and the Environment (an interagency laboratory supported by USDA-ARS and USGS), 2615 Yellowstone Dr., Marshfield, WI, 54449, USA
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17
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Oh C, Kim K, Araud E, Wang L, Shisler JL, Nguyen TH. A novel approach to concentrate human and animal viruses from wastewater using receptors-conjugated magnetic beads. WATER RESEARCH 2022; 212:118112. [PMID: 35091223 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.118112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2021] [Revised: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Viruses are present at low concentrations in wastewater; therefore, an effective method for concentrating virus particles is necessary for accurate wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE). We designed a novel approach to concentrate human and animal viruses from wastewater using porcine gastric mucin-conjugated magnetic beads (PGM-MBs). We systematically evaluated the performances of the PGM-MBs method (sensitivity, specificity, and robustness to environmental inhibitors) with six viral species, including Tulane virus (a surrogate for human norovirus), rotavirus, adenovirus, porcine coronavirus (transmissible gastroenteritis virus or TGEV), and two human coronaviruses (NL63 and SARS-CoV-2) in influent wastewater and raw sewage samples. We determined the multiplication factor (the ratio of genome concentration of the final solution to that of the initial solution) for the PGM-MBs method, which ranged from 1.3 to 64.0 depending on the viral species. Because the recovery efficiency was significantly higher when calculated with virus titers than it was with genome concentration, the PGM-MBs method could be an appropriate tool for assessing the risk to humans who are inadvertently exposed to wastewater contaminated with infectious viruses. Furthermore, PCR inhibitors were not concentrated by PGM-MBs, suggesting that this tool will be successful for use with environmental samples. In addition, the PGM-MBs method is cost-effective (0.5 USD/sample) and has a fast turnaround time (3 h from virus concentration to genome quantification). Thus, this method can be implemented in high throughput facilities. Because of its strong performance, intrinsic characteristics of targeting the infectious virus, robustness to wastewater, and adaptability to high throughput systems, the PGM-MBs method can be successfully applied to WBE and ultimately provides valuable public health information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chamteut Oh
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States.
| | - Kyukyoung Kim
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States
| | - Elbashir Araud
- Holonyak Micro & Nanotechnology Lab, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
| | - Leyi Wang
- Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States
| | - Joanna L Shisler
- Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States
| | - Thanh H Nguyen
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States; Institute of Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States
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18
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Boogaerts T, Van den Bogaert S, Van Poelvoorde LAE, El Masri D, De Roeck N, Roosens NHC, Lesenfants M, Lahousse L, Van Hoorde K, van Nuijs ALN, Delputte P. Optimization and Application of a Multiplex Digital PCR Assay for the Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern in Belgian Influent Wastewater. Viruses 2022; 14:610. [PMID: 35337017 PMCID: PMC8953730 DOI: 10.3390/v14030610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Revised: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) of SARS-CoV-2 has been used as a complementary indicator to follow up on the trends in the COVID-19 spread in Belgium and in many other countries. To further develop the use of WBE, a multiplex digital polymerase chain reaction (dPCR) assay was optimized, validated and applied for the measurement of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC) in influent wastewater (IWW) samples. Key mutations were targeted in the different VOC strains, including SΔ69/70 deletion, N501Y, SΔ241 and SΔ157. The presented bioanalytical method was able to distinguish between SARS-CoV-2 RNA originating from the wild-type and B.1.1.7, B.1.351 and B.1.617.2 variants. The dPCR assay proved to be sensitive enough to detect low concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in IWW since the limit of detection of the different targets ranged between 0.3 and 2.9 copies/µL. This developed WBE approach was applied to IWW samples originating from different Belgian locations and was able to monitor spatio-temporal changes in the presence of targeted VOC strains in the investigated communities. The present dPCR assay developments were realized to bring added-value to the current national WBE of COVID-19 by also having the spatio-temporal proportions of the VoC in presence in the wastewaters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Boogaerts
- Toxicological Centre, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium;
| | - Siel Van den Bogaert
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium; (D.E.M.); (N.D.R.); (P.D.)
| | - Laura A. E. Van Poelvoorde
- Scientific Directorate of Biological Health Risks, Service Transerversal Activities in Applied Genomics, Sciensano, J. Wytsmanstraat 14, 1050 Brussels, Belgium; (L.A.E.V.P.); (N.H.C.R.)
| | - Diala El Masri
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium; (D.E.M.); (N.D.R.); (P.D.)
| | - Naomi De Roeck
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium; (D.E.M.); (N.D.R.); (P.D.)
| | - Nancy H. C. Roosens
- Scientific Directorate of Biological Health Risks, Service Transerversal Activities in Applied Genomics, Sciensano, J. Wytsmanstraat 14, 1050 Brussels, Belgium; (L.A.E.V.P.); (N.H.C.R.)
| | - Marie Lesenfants
- Scientific Directorate of Epidemiology and Public Health, Service Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases, Sciensano, J. Wytsmanstraat 14, 1050 Brussels, Belgium;
| | - Lies Lahousse
- Department of Bioanalysis, Ghent University, Ottergemsesteenweg 460, 9000 Ghent, Belgium;
| | - Koenraad Van Hoorde
- Scientific Directorate of Infectious Diseases in Humans, Service Foodborne Pathogens, Sciensano, J. Wytsmanstraat 14, 1050 Brussels, Belgium;
| | | | - Peter Delputte
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium; (D.E.M.); (N.D.R.); (P.D.)
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19
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Zhu Y, Oishi W, Maruo C, Bandara S, Lin M, Saito M, Kitajima M, Sano D. COVID-19 case prediction via wastewater surveillance in a low-prevalence urban community: a modeling approach. JOURNAL OF WATER AND HEALTH 2022; 20:459-470. [PMID: 36366998 DOI: 10.2166/wh.2022.183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Estimating and predicting the epidemic size from wastewater surveillance results remains challenging for the practical implementation of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE). In this study, by employing a highly sensitive detection method, we documented the time series of SARS-CoV-2 RNA occurrence in the wastewater influent from an urban community with a 360,000 population in Japan, from August 2020 to February 2021. The detection frequency of the viral RNA increased during the outbreak events of COVID-19 and the highest viral RNA concentration was recorded at the beginning of January 2021, amid the most serious outbreak event during the study period. We found that: (1) direct back-calculation still suffers from great uncertainty dominated by inconsistent detection and the varying gap between the observed wastewater viral load and the estimated patient viral load, and (2) the detection frequency correlated well with reported cases and the prediction of the latter can be carried out via data-driven modeling methods. Our results indicate that wastewater virus occurrence can contribute to epidemic surveillance in ways more than back-calculation, which may spawn future wastewater surveillance implementations.
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Affiliation(s)
- 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 980-8597, Japan E-mail: ; These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Wakana Oishi
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Aoba 6-6-06, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8597, Japan; These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Chikako Maruo
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Aoba 6-6-06, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8597, Japan
| | - Sewwandi Bandara
- Department of Frontier Sciences for Advanced Environment, Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Tohoku University, Aoba 6-6-06, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8597, Japan E-mail:
| | - Mu Lin
- Department of Frontier Sciences for Advanced Environment, Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Tohoku University, Aoba 6-6-06, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8597, Japan E-mail:
| | - Mayuko Saito
- Department of Virology, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University, 2-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8575, Japan
| | - Masaaki Kitajima
- Division of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, North 13 West 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8628, Japan
| | - Daisuke Sano
- Department of Frontier Sciences for Advanced Environment, Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Tohoku University, Aoba 6-6-06, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8597, Japan E-mail: ; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Aoba 6-6-06, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8597, Japan; Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, 457-4 Kamigamo Motoyama, Kita Ward, Kyoto 603-8047, Japan
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20
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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: 136] [Impact Index Per Article: 68.0] [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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21
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Boogaerts T, Jacobs L, De Roeck N, Van den Bogaert S, Aertgeerts B, Lahousse L, van Nuijs ALN, Delputte P. An alternative approach for bioanalytical assay optimization for wastewater-based epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 789:148043. [PMID: 34323818 PMCID: PMC8152210 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Revised: 05/20/2021] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 could play a role in monitoring the spread of the virus in the population and controlling possible outbreaks. However, sensitive sample preparation and detection methods are necessary to detect trace levels of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in influent wastewater (IWW). Unlike predecessors, method optimization of a SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentration and detection procedure was performed with IWW samples with high viral SARS-CoV-2 RNA loads. This is of importance since the SARS-CoV-2 genome in IWW might have already been subject to in-sewer degradation into smaller genome fragments or might be present in a different form (e.g. cell debris, …). Centricon Plus-70 (100 kDa) centrifugal filter devices resulted in the lowest and most reproducible Ct-values for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Lowering the molecular weight cut-off did not improve our limit of detection and quantification (approximately 100 copies/μL for all genes). Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was employed for the amplification of the N1, N2, N3 and E-gene fragments. This is one of the first studies to apply digital polymerase chain reaction (dPCR) for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in IWW. dPCR showed high variability at low concentration levels (100 copies/μL), indicating that variability in bioanalytical methods for wastewater-based epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 might be substantial. dPCR results in IWW were in line with the results found with qPCR. On average, the N2-gene fragment showed high in-sample stability in IWW for 10 days of storage at 4 °C. Between-sample variability was substantial due to the low native concentrations in IWW. Additionally, the E-gene fragment proved to be less stable compared to the N2-gene fragment and showed higher variability. Freezing the IWW samples resulted in a 10-fold decay of loads of the N2- and E-gene fragment in IWW.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Boogaerts
- Toxicological Centre, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium.
| | - Lotte Jacobs
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Naomi De Roeck
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Siel Van den Bogaert
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Bert Aertgeerts
- Academic Centre for General Practice, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 7, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Lies Lahousse
- Department of Bioanalysis, Ghent University, Ottergemsesteenweg 460, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | | | - Peter Delputte
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
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22
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Tang Y, Foppen JW, Bogaard TA. Transport of silica encapsulated DNA microparticles in controlled instantaneous injection open channel experiments. JOURNAL OF CONTAMINANT HYDROLOGY 2021; 242:103880. [PMID: 34450527 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconhyd.2021.103880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Revised: 07/31/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Surface water tracing is a widely used technique to investigate in-stream mass transport including contaminant migration. Recently, a microparticle tracer was developed with unique synthetic DNA encapsulated in an environmentally-friendly silica coating (Si-DNA microparticle). Previous tracing applications of such tracers reported detection and quantification, but a massive loss of tracer mass. However, the transport behavior of these DNA-tagged microparticle tracers has not been rigorously quantified and compared with that of solute tracers. Therefore, we compared the transport behavior of Si-DNA microparticles to the behavior of solute NaCl in 6 different, environmentally representative water types using breakthrough curves (BTCs), obtained from laboratory open channel injection experiments, whereby no Si-DNA microparticle tracer mass was lost. Hereafter, we modelled the BTCs using a 1-D advection-dispersion model with one transient storage zone (OTIS) by calibrating the hydrodynamic dispersion coefficient D and a storage zone exchange rate coefficient. We concluded that the transport behavior of Si-DNA microparticles resembled that of NaCl in surface-water relevant conditions, evidenced by BTCs with a similar range of D; however, the Si-DNA microparticle had a more erratic BTC than its solute counterpart, whereby the scatter increased as a function of water quality complexity. The overall larger confidence interval of DSi-DNA was attributed to the discrete nature of colloidal particles with a certain particle size distribution and possibly minor shear-induced aggregations. This research established a solid methodological foundation for field application of Si-DNA microparticles in surface water tracing, providing insight in transport behavior of equivalent sized and mass particles in rivers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuchen Tang
- Water Resource Section, Department of Civil Engineering and Geoscience, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands.
| | - Jan Willem Foppen
- Water Resource Section, Department of Civil Engineering and Geoscience, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands; IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, Delft, Netherlands.
| | - Thom A Bogaard
- Water Resource Section, Department of Civil Engineering and Geoscience, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands.
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23
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Liu P, Amin N, Miah R, Foster T, Raj S, Corpuz MJB, Rahman M, Willetts J, Moe CL. A method for correcting underestimation of enteric pathogen genome quantities in environmental samples. J Microbiol Methods 2021; 189:106320. [PMID: 34478762 DOI: 10.1016/j.mimet.2021.106320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Revised: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Exposure to enteric pathogens in the environment poses a serious risk for infection and disease. The accurate detection and quantification of enteric pathogens in environmental samples is critical for understanding pathogen transport and fate and developing risk assessment models. In this study, we successfully applied TaqMan real-time PCR assays to quantitatively detect five human-specific pathogens (Shigella/EIEC, Salmonella Typhi, Vibrio cholera, Norovirus, and Giardia) in samples from open drains, canals, floodwater, septic tanks, and anaerobic baffled reactors (ABR) collected in Mirpur, Dhaka, Bangladesh from April to October 2019. Overall, the grab and sediment samples showed low inhibition but the ultrafiltration samples collected from open drain had significantly higher (P = 0.0049) degree of PCR inhibition (median Ct = 31.06) compared to the extraction controls (Ct = 28.54). We developed a two-step method to adjust underestimation of pathogen quantities due to PCR inhibition and non-optimum PCR efficiency. Compared to other sample types, ultrafiltration samples demonstrated a wide range of concentration increase (1.0%-182.5%) by pathogens after adjusting for PCR inhibition and non-optimum efficiencies. These quantitative qPCR assays are successful in quantifying multiple enteric pathogens in environmental samples, and the adjustment method would be useful for correcting underestimates of pathogen quantities due to partial PCR inhibition and non-optimum efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengbo Liu
- Center for Global Safe Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA..
| | - Nuhu Amin
- Infectious Disease Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh..
| | - Rana Miah
- Infectious Disease Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh..
| | - Tim Foster
- Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney, Australia..
| | - Suraja Raj
- Center for Global Safe Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA..
| | - Maria Julia Bianca Corpuz
- Center for Global Safe Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA..
| | - Mahbubur Rahman
- Infectious Disease Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh..
| | - Juliet Willetts
- Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney, Australia..
| | - Christine L Moe
- Center for Global Safe Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA..
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24
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Sapula SA, Whittall JJ, Pandopulos AJ, Gerber C, Venter H. An optimized and robust PEG precipitation method for detection of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 785:147270. [PMID: 33940413 PMCID: PMC8086323 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2021] [Revised: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 04/16/2021] [Indexed: 04/15/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology is currently being utilized to monitor the dissemination of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), on a population scale. The detection of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater is highly influenced by methodologies used for its isolation, concentration and RNA extraction. Although various viral concentration methods are currently employed, including polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitation, adsorption-extraction, ultracentrifugation and ultrafiltration, to our knowledge, none of these methods have been standardized for use with a variety of wastewater matrices and/or different kits for RNA extraction and quantification. To address this, wastewater with different physical characteristics was seeded with gamma-irradiated SARS-CoV-2 and used to test the efficiency of PEG precipitation and adsorption-extraction to concentrate the virus from three physiochemically different wastewater samples, sourced from three distinct wastewater plants. Efficiency of viral concentration and RNA extraction was assessed by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and the recovery yields calculated. As co-purification of inhibitors can be problematic for subsequent detection, two commonly used commercial master mixes were assessed for their sensitivity and efficiency to detect two SARS-CoV-2 target nucleocapsid (N) gene sequences. Recovery rates varied greatly between wastewater matrices and concentration methods, with the highest and most reproducible recovery rates (46.6-56.7%) observed when SARS-CoV-2 was precipitated with PEG and detected by the Luna® Universal master mix. The adsorption-extraction method was less effective (0-21.7%). This study demonstrates that PEG precipitation is the more robust method, which translates well to varying wastewater matrices, producing consistent and reproducible recovery rates. Furthermore, it is compatible with different kits for RNA extraction and quantitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvia A Sapula
- UniSA Clinical and Health Sciences, Health and Biomedical Innovation, University of South Australia, Adelaide 5000, Australia
| | - Jonathan J Whittall
- UniSA Clinical and Health Sciences, Health and Biomedical Innovation, University of South Australia, Adelaide 5000, Australia
| | - Aaron J Pandopulos
- UniSA Clinical and Health Sciences, Health and Biomedical Innovation, University of South Australia, Adelaide 5000, Australia
| | - Cobus Gerber
- UniSA Clinical and Health Sciences, Health and Biomedical Innovation, University of South Australia, Adelaide 5000, Australia
| | - Henrietta Venter
- UniSA Clinical and Health Sciences, Health and Biomedical Innovation, University of South Australia, Adelaide 5000, Australia.
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25
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Mathews S, Rabani R, Rasti M, Viswanathan S. In-house abbreviated qualification of a real-time polymerase chain reaction method and strategies to amplify mycoplasma detection in human mesenchymal stromal cells. Cytotherapy 2021; 23:1036-1044. [PMID: 34446358 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcyt.2021.07.002] [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: 04/08/2021] [Revised: 06/27/2021] [Accepted: 07/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AIMS In this study, the authors performed an in-house abbreviated qualification of a commercially available real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) kit for limit of detection (LOD), matrix interference and ruggedness of mycoplasma detection in a human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC(M)) investigational cell product (NCT02351011). The approach used was similar to an abbreviated qualification the authors previously conducted for endpoint PCR, which was accepted by Canadian regulators for final product release of the same MSC(M) investigational cell product for treatment of osteoarthritis patients (NCT02351011). With patient consent, biobanked MSCs(M) were re-analyzed by real-time PCR for mycoplasma detection to conduct in-house qualification of the kit. METHODS LOD was determined by spiking MSCs(M) with a series of 10-fold dilutions of two commercially available genomic DNA (gDNA) reference standards for Mycoplasma arginini (M. arginini) and Mycoplasma hominis (M. hominis). Matrix interference was tested by using 10-fold dilutions of MSC(M)s down to 4500 cells/mL. Polyadenylic acid (poly[A]) was used to improve DNA recovery in samples with 4500-45 000 MSCs(M)/mL. Real-time PCR tests performed on different days were compared to evaluate ruggedness. RESULTS Real-time PCR analysis showed a conservative LOD of 40 genome copies (GCs)/mL and 240 GCs/mL, which are equivalent to 10 colony-forming units (CFUs)/mL, for M. arginini and M. hominis, respectively. According to a less conservative manufacturer-based criterion for positivity, the kit detected 0.4 GC/mL (0.1 CFU/mL) and 24 GCs/mL (1 CFU/mL) M. arginini and M. hominis, respectively. Real-time PCR with different MSC(M) dilutions did not show matrix interference. However, DNA recovery was compromised at MSC(M) concentrations at or below 45 000 cells/mL. The addition of poly(A) as a DNA carrier improved DNA recovery and allowed an LOD, considered here to be equivalent to 10 CFUs/mL, to be achieved, which was not possible in diluted MSC(M) samples (≤45 000 cells/mL) in the absence of poly(A). Ruggedness was demonstrated with tests (n = 18) performed on different days, with an average overall inter-assay percent coefficient of variation of less than 4 for M. arginini (3.62 [400 GCs/mL], 3.61 [40 GCs/mL]) and less than 3 for M. hominis (2.83 [2400 GCs/mL], 1.95 [240 GCs/mL]). CONCLUSIONS A commercially available real-time PCR mycoplasma detection kit was qualified for evaluating mycoplasma contamination in investigational MSC(M) products and met the criteria used previously (and accepted by Canadian regulators) for in-house qualification of an endpoint PCR mycoplasma detection kit, and the addition of poly(A) addressed the poor recovery of mycoplasma gDNA in samples with low cell numbers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Smitha Mathews
- Osteoarthritis Research Program, Division of Orthopedic Surgery, Schroeder Arthritis Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada
| | - Razieh Rabani
- Osteoarthritis Research Program, Division of Orthopedic Surgery, Schroeder Arthritis Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada
| | - Mozhgan Rasti
- Osteoarthritis Research Program, Division of Orthopedic Surgery, Schroeder Arthritis Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada
| | - Sowmya Viswanathan
- Osteoarthritis Research Program, Division of Orthopedic Surgery, Schroeder Arthritis Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada; Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada; Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada; Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
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26
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Borchardt MA, Boehm AB, Salit M, Spencer SK, Wigginton KR, Noble RT. The Environmental Microbiology Minimum Information (EMMI) Guidelines: qPCR and dPCR Quality and Reporting for Environmental Microbiology. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2021; 55:10210-10223. [PMID: 34286966 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c01767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and digital PCR (dPCR) methods have revolutionized environmental microbiology, yielding quantitative organism-specific data of nucleic acid targets in the environment. Such data are essential for characterizing interactions and processes of microbial communities, assessing microbial contaminants in the environment (water, air, fomites), and developing interventions (water treatment, surface disinfection, air purification) to curb infectious disease transmission. However, our review of recent qPCR and dPCR literature in our field of health-related environmental microbiology showed that many researchers are not reporting necessary and sufficient controls and methods, which would serve to strengthen their study results and conclusions. Here, we describe the application, utility, and interpretation of the suite of controls needed to make high quality qPCR and dPCR measurements of microorganisms in the environment. Our presentation is organized by the discrete steps and operations typical of this measurement process. We propose systematic terminology to minimize ambiguity and aid comparisons among studies. Example schemes for batching and combining controls for efficient work flow are demonstrated. We describe critical reporting elements for enhancing data credibility, and we provide an element checklist in the Supporting Information. Additionally, we present several key principles in metrology as context for laboratories to devise their own quality assurance and quality control reporting framework. Following the EMMI guidelines will improve comparability and reproducibility among qPCR and dPCR studies in environmental microbiology, better inform engineering and public health actions for preventing disease transmission through environmental pathways, and for the most pressing issues in the discipline, focus the weight of evidence in the direction toward solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A Borchardt
- Environmentally Integrated Dairy Management Research Unit, USDA Agricultural Research Service, 2615 Yellowstone Drive, Marshfield, Wisconsin 54449, United States
| | - Alexandria B Boehm
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Marc Salit
- Departments of Pathology and Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
- Joint Initiative for Metrology in Biology, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, United States
| | - Susan K Spencer
- Environmentally Integrated Dairy Management Research Unit, USDA Agricultural Research Service, 2615 Yellowstone Drive, Marshfield, Wisconsin 54449, United States
| | - Krista R Wigginton
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Rachel T Noble
- Insitute for the Environment, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27517, United States
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de Lambert JR, Walsh JF, Scher DP, Firnstahl AD, Borchardt MA. Microbial pathogens and contaminants of emerging concern in groundwater at an urban subsurface stormwater infiltration site. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 775:145738. [PMID: 33631564 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2020] [Revised: 12/29/2020] [Accepted: 02/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Urban stormwater may contain a variety of pollutants, including viruses and other pathogens, and contaminants of emerging concern (pharmaceuticals, artificial sweeteners, and personal care products). In vulnerable geologic settings, the potential exists for these contaminants to reach underlying aquifers and contaminate drinking water wells. Viruses and other pathogens, as well as other contaminants of emerging concern, were measured in stormwater and groundwater at an urban site containing a stormwater cistern and related subsurface infiltration gallery, three shallow lysimeter wells, and a monitoring well. Five of 12 microbial targets were detected more than once across the eight rounds of sampling and at multiple sampling points, with human-specific Bacteroides detected most frequently. The microbial and chemical contaminants present in urban stormwater were much lower in the water table monitoring well than the vadose zone lysimeters. There may be numerous causes for these reductions, but they are most likely related to transit across fine-grained sediments that separate the water table from the vadose zone at this location. Precipitation amount prior to sample collection was significantly associated with microbial load. A significant relation between microbial load and chloride-bromide ratio was also observed. The reduction in number and concentrations of contaminants found in the monitoring well indicates that although geologically sensitive aquifers receiving urban stormwater effluent in the subsurface may be prone to contamination, those with a protective cap of fine-grained sediments are less vulnerable. These results can inform stormwater infiltration guidance relative to drinking water wells, with an emphasis on restricting infiltration near water supply wells finished in geologically sensitive aquifers to reduce public health risks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jane R de Lambert
- Minnesota Department of Health, 625 Robert St. N, St. Paul, MN 55164, United States.
| | - James F Walsh
- Minnesota Department of Health, 625 Robert St. N, St. Paul, MN 55164, United States
| | - Deanna P Scher
- Minnesota Department of Health, 625 Robert St. N, St. Paul, MN 55164, United States
| | - Aaron D Firnstahl
- U.S. Geological Survey Upper Midwest Water Science Center, 2615 Yellowstone Drive, Marshfield, WI 54449, United States
| | - Mark A Borchardt
- U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, Environmentally Integrated Dairy Management Research Unit, 2615 Yellowstone Drive, Marshfield, WI 54449, United States
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Nasser A, Sasi S, Nitzan Y. Coliphages as Indicators for the Microbial Quality of Treated Wastewater Effluents. FOOD AND ENVIRONMENTAL VIROLOGY 2021; 13:170-178. [PMID: 33428162 DOI: 10.1007/s12560-020-09459-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2020] [Accepted: 12/28/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater effluents are a reliable water source for non-potable water reuse including unrestricted crop irrigation in arid regions suffering from water scarcity. This study was performed to develop and optimize a procedure to concentrate coliphages from 100 L of treated effluent. Moreover, the reduction of coliphages by filtration and disinfection by either chlorine or UV was compared with that of fecal coliform (FC). The adsorption efficiency of MS2 and Qβ coliphages by the NanoCeram filter was similar and reached 99.8%. Elution efficiency of MS2 coliphage from the NanoCeram filters by a solution of 1% NaPP and 0.05 M glycine, pH 9.5, was 74 ± 9.5%. The highest reconcentration efficiency of MS2 and Qβ coliphages was obtained with polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitation and reached 76 ± 28% and 90 ± 11%, respectively. In comparison, the reconcentration efficiency of organic flocculation was 0% and 1.3% for Qβ and MS2 coliphages, respectively. The overall recovery efficiency of MS2 coliphages from 100 L tertiary effluent was 57 ± 1.5%. Poor reduction was observed for coliphages compared to FC by filtration and chlorine disinfection although; the reduction of FC, as measured by cultivation, was satisfactory and within the guidelines for unrestricted irrigation. High correlation between the reduction of FC and coliphages was recorded for tertiary effluent disinfected by UV irradiation. Monitoring the microbial quality of tertiary effluent using qPCR for the enumeration of FC was found unsuitable, because DNA levels were unaffected by the treatment processes. The results of this study demonstrated that monitoring the microbial quality of tertiary effluent by FC may not reflect the health risks encountered by the application of these effluents and the addition of coliphages to the monitoring programs may allow for accurate assessment of the health risks introduced by the application of tertiary effluent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abidelfatah Nasser
- Water Quality Research Laboratory, National Public Health Laboratory, Ministry of Health, Tel Aviv, Israel.
| | - Sivan Sasi
- Water Quality Research Laboratory, National Public Health Laboratory, Ministry of Health, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Yeshayahu Nitzan
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
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Borchardt MA, Stokdyk JP, Kieke BA, Muldoon MA, Spencer SK, Firnstahl AD, Bonness DE, Hunt RJ, Burch TR. Sources and Risk Factors for Nitrate and Microbial Contamination of Private Household Wells in the Fractured Dolomite Aquifer of Northeastern Wisconsin. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2021; 129:67004. [PMID: 34160249 PMCID: PMC8221036 DOI: 10.1289/ehp7813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Groundwater quality in the Silurian dolomite aquifer in northeastern Wisconsin, USA, has become contentious as dairy farms and exurban development expand. OBJECTIVES We investigated private household wells in the region, determining the extent, sources, and risk factors of nitrate and microbial contamination. METHODS Total coliforms, Escherichia coli, and nitrate were evaluated by synoptic sampling during groundwater recharge and no-recharge periods. Additional seasonal sampling measured genetic markers of human and bovine fecal-associated microbes and enteric zoonotic pathogens. We constructed multivariable regression models of detection probability (log-binomial) and concentration (gamma) for each contaminant to identify risk factors related to land use, precipitation, hydrogeology, and well construction. RESULTS Total coliforms and nitrate were strongly associated with depth-to-bedrock at well sites and nearby agricultural land use, but not septic systems. Both human wastewater and cattle manure contributed to well contamination. Rotavirus group A, Cryptosporidium, and Salmonella were the most frequently detected pathogens. Wells positive for human fecal markers were associated with depth-to-groundwater and number of septic system drainfield within 229m. Manure-contaminated wells were associated with groundwater recharge and the area size of nearby agricultural land. Wells positive for any fecal-associated microbe, regardless of source, were associated with septic system density and manure storage proximity modified by bedrock depth. Well construction was generally not related to contamination, indicating land use, groundwater recharge, and bedrock depth were the most important risk factors. DISCUSSION These findings may inform policies to minimize contamination of the Silurian dolomite aquifer, a major water supply for the U.S. and Canadian Great Lakes region. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP7813.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A. Borchardt
- Environmentally Integrated Dairy Management Research Unit, U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture–Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), Marshfield, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Joel P. Stokdyk
- Upper Midwest Water Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Marshfield, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Burney A. Kieke
- Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Population Health, Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, Marshfield, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Maureen A. Muldoon
- Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Susan K. Spencer
- Environmentally Integrated Dairy Management Research Unit, U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture–Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), Marshfield, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Aaron D. Firnstahl
- Upper Midwest Water Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Marshfield, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Davina E. Bonness
- Kewaunee County Department of Land and Water Conservation, Luxemburg, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Randall J. Hunt
- Upper Midwest Water Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Middleton, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Tucker R. Burch
- Environmentally Integrated Dairy Management Research Unit, U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture–Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), Marshfield, Wisconsin, USA
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Boogaerts T, Jacobs L, De Roeck N, Van den Bogaert S, Aertgeerts B, Lahousse L, van Nuijs ALN, Delputte P. An alternative approach for bioanalytical assay optimization for wastewater-based epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 789:148043. [PMID: 34323818 DOI: 10.1101/2021.02.12.21251626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Revised: 05/20/2021] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 could play a role in monitoring the spread of the virus in the population and controlling possible outbreaks. However, sensitive sample preparation and detection methods are necessary to detect trace levels of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in influent wastewater (IWW). Unlike predecessors, method optimization of a SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentration and detection procedure was performed with IWW samples with high viral SARS-CoV-2 RNA loads. This is of importance since the SARS-CoV-2 genome in IWW might have already been subject to in-sewer degradation into smaller genome fragments or might be present in a different form (e.g. cell debris, …). Centricon Plus-70 (100 kDa) centrifugal filter devices resulted in the lowest and most reproducible Ct-values for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Lowering the molecular weight cut-off did not improve our limit of detection and quantification (approximately 100 copies/μL for all genes). Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was employed for the amplification of the N1, N2, N3 and E-gene fragments. This is one of the first studies to apply digital polymerase chain reaction (dPCR) for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in IWW. dPCR showed high variability at low concentration levels (100 copies/μL), indicating that variability in bioanalytical methods for wastewater-based epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 might be substantial. dPCR results in IWW were in line with the results found with qPCR. On average, the N2-gene fragment showed high in-sample stability in IWW for 10 days of storage at 4 °C. Between-sample variability was substantial due to the low native concentrations in IWW. Additionally, the E-gene fragment proved to be less stable compared to the N2-gene fragment and showed higher variability. Freezing the IWW samples resulted in a 10-fold decay of loads of the N2- and E-gene fragment in IWW.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Boogaerts
- Toxicological Centre, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium.
| | - Lotte Jacobs
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Naomi De Roeck
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Siel Van den Bogaert
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Bert Aertgeerts
- Academic Centre for General Practice, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 7, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Lies Lahousse
- Department of Bioanalysis, Ghent University, Ottergemsesteenweg 460, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | | | - Peter Delputte
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
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Anand U, Adelodun B, Pivato A, Suresh S, Indari O, Jakhmola S, Jha HC, Jha PK, Tripathi V, Di Maria F. A review of the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater and airborne particulates and its use for virus spreading surveillance. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2021; 196:110929. [PMID: 33640498 PMCID: PMC7906514 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.110929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2020] [Revised: 02/20/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
According to the WHO, on October 16, 2020, the spreading of the SARS-CoV-2, responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, reached 235 countries and territories, and resulting in more than 39 million confirmed cases and 1.09 million deaths globally. Monitoring of the virus outbreak is one of the main activities pursued to limiting the number of infected people and decreasing the number of deaths that have caused high pressure on the health care, social, and economic systems of different countries. Wastewater based epidemiology (WBE), already adopted for the surveillance of life style and health conditions of communities, shows interesting features for the monitoring of the COVID-19 diffusion. Together with wastewater, the analysis of airborne particles has been recently suggested as another useful tool for detecting the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in given areas. The present review reports the status of research currently performed concerning the monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 spreading by WBE and airborne particles. The former have been more investigated, whereas the latter is still at a very early stage, with a limited number of very recent studies. Nevertheless, the main results highlights in both cases necessitate more research activity for better understating and defining the biomarkers and the related sampling and analysis procedures to be used for this important aim.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uttpal Anand
- Department of Life Sciences, National Institute for Biotechnology in the Negev, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, 84105, Israel
| | - Bashir Adelodun
- Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, University of Ilorin, PMB 1515, Ilorin, Nigeria; Department of Agricultural Civil Engineering, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Alberto Pivato
- DICEA - Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Padova, Via Marzolo 9, 35131, Padova, Italy
| | - S Suresh
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal, 462 003, Madhya Pradesh, India
| | - Omkar Indari
- Discipline of Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, 453552, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India
| | - Shweta Jakhmola
- Discipline of Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, 453552, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India
| | - Hem Chandra Jha
- Discipline of Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, 453552, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India
| | - Pawan Kumar Jha
- Centre for Environmental Studies, University of Allahabad, Prayagraj, 211002, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Vijay Tripathi
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Engineering, Jacob Institute of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences, Prayagraj, 211007, Uttar Pradesh, India.
| | - Francesco Di Maria
- LAR(5) Laboratory - Dipartimento di Ingegneria - University of Perugia, via G. Duranti 93, 06125, Perugia, Italy.
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Kongprajug A, Denpetkul T, Chyerochana N, Mongkolsuk S, Sirikanchana K. Human Fecal Pollution Monitoring and Microbial Risk Assessment for Water Reuse Potential in a Coastal Industrial-Residential Mixed-Use Watershed. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:647602. [PMID: 33959110 PMCID: PMC8093506 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.647602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2020] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Rapid economic development has caused industrial expansion into residential communities, leading to higher fecal pollution loads that could be discharged into aquatic environments. However, little is known regarding the potential microbial impact on human health. This study investigated microbial contamination from coastal industrial–residential community areas in nine sampling sites in waterways during three dry events. A general microbial source tracking (MST) marker, GenBac3, was detected in all samples from all three events, indicating continuing fecal pollution in the area, mostly from human sewage contamination. This was shown by the human-specific genetic marker crAssphage (88.9%) and human polyomavirus (HPyVs; 92.6%) detection. Enteric human adenovirus (HAdV40/41) showed three positive results only from residential sites in the first event. No spatial difference was observed for MST markers and traditional fecal indicators (total coliforms and Escherichia coli) in each event. Still, a significantly lower abundance of GenBac3, HPyVs, and total coliforms in the first sampling event was detected. Spearman’s rho analysis indicated a strong correlation among certain pairs of microbial parameters. Multivariate analysis revealed two clusters of samples separated by land use type (industrial vs. residential). According to factor analysis of mixed data, the land use parameter was more associated with physicochemical parameters (i.e., salinity, conductivity, water temperature, and dissolved oxygen). A Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (QMRA) was then conducted to estimate the annual infection risks of HAdV40/41 for non-potable water reuse purposes using predicted concentrations from crAssphage and HPyVs. The highest risks (95th percentiles) were ranked by food crop irrigation, aquaculture, and toilet flushing, at 10–1, 10–2, and 10–3 per person per year (pppy). Required treatment levels to achieve a 10–4 pppy annual infection risk were estimated. QMRA-based water treatment scenarios were suggested, including chlorination for toilet flushing reuse and depth filtration prior to chlorination for aquaculture and food crop irrigation. Microbial monitoring combined with a QMRA could provide better insights into fecal pollution patterns and the associated risks, facilitating effective water quality management and appropriate prior treatments for water reuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akechai Kongprajug
- Research Laboratory of Biotechnology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Thammanitchpol Denpetkul
- Department of Social and Environmental Medicine, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Natcha Chyerochana
- Research Laboratory of Biotechnology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Skorn Mongkolsuk
- Research Laboratory of Biotechnology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Bangkok, Thailand.,Center of Excellence on Environmental Health and Toxicology (EHT), Ministry of Education, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Kwanrawee Sirikanchana
- Research Laboratory of Biotechnology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Bangkok, Thailand.,Center of Excellence on Environmental Health and Toxicology (EHT), Ministry of Education, Bangkok, Thailand
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Wang H, Larson RA, Borchardt M, Spencer S. Effect of mixing duration on biogas production and methanogen distribution in an anaerobic digester. ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY 2021; 42:93-99. [PMID: 31159681 DOI: 10.1080/09593330.2019.1621951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2018] [Accepted: 05/09/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Mixing has been shown to have effect on biogas production in anaerobic digestion systems. To further examine this impact, a study was designed to evaluate nearly continuous mixing (mixing for 15 min followed by no mixing for 15 min, CON), intermediate mixing (mixing for 15 min followed by no mixing for 45 min, INT) and no mixing (unmixed, NO) on biogas production in three 208 L pilot-scale tank reactors. The experiments were conducted in triplicates at a controlled temperature of 37 ± 1°C, with a total solids percentage of 5%, a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 21 days, and an organic loading rate (OLR) of 2 kg VS m-3 d- 1. Digesters with NO mixing had greater solids build up in the bottom quarter of the digester after four weeks' retention time. The methane percentage in biogas produced from digesters with INT and CON mixing were 63% and 62%, respectively, which were 4% and 5% higher than that from digesters with NO mixing (58%). The specific methane yield for digesters with NO, INT and CON mixing was 1.15, 1.15, and 1.49 m3-methane per kg-VS destroyed, however, those differences were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Digesters had the least amount of Methanosarcinales of the methanogens measured under all treatments. However, the Methanosarcinales, Methanosarcinaceae, Methanomicrobiales, and the total amount of methanogens were less in digesters with INT mixing compared to NO and CON mixing treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Wang
- Department of Biological Systems Engineering, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Rebecca A Larson
- Department of Biological Systems Engineering, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Mark Borchardt
- USDA Agricultural Research Service - Institute for Environmentally Integrated Dairy Management, Marshfield, WI, USA
| | - Susan Spencer
- USDA Agricultural Research Service - Institute for Environmentally Integrated Dairy Management, Marshfield, WI, USA
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Thakur AK, Ramanathan AL, Bhattacharya P, Kumar M. Wastewater discharge and surface water contamination pre- and post- COVID 19—global case studies. ENVIRONMENTAL RESILIENCE AND TRANSFORMATION IN TIMES OF COVID-19 2021. [PMCID: PMC8137801 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-323-85512-9.00025-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Global pandemic of SARS-CoV-2 has infected more than 53 million people in more than 190 countries. The major transmission routes of most of the infectious viruses’ including SARS-CoV-2 remain aerosols and droplets. The source of which remains coughing, sneezing, urinary, and intestinal excretions. This book chapter focuses on the latter two sources of water and wastewater contamination with RNA of these contagious viruses. There has been studies regarding the presence of viral RNA of COVID-19 in wastewater in few of the countries like USA, Australia, Netherland, and India. This mainly happens due to the discharge of untreated wastewater from health care facilities and sewage treatment plants. Improper management of the waste has led to the contamination of surface water bodies. Fecal shedding of the virus is common in 50% of the infected individual, and urinal shedding in just around 5%. The former shedding is of the order of 103–105 copies/mL. The wastewater surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater gives the figure of 102–106 copies/L. The surveillance already known to track down many diseases, drugs in past has been a boon to the countries, where clinical testing is at a slow pace. Therefore, wastewater-based epidemiology is needed to have a better understanding of the water and wastewater surveillances, for prior detection of SARS-CoV-2 and other pathogens, sought to occur in future. The chapter deals with the occurrences, transport pathways, persistence, and removal of most of the reported infectious viruses in water and wastewater, with a special emphasize on SARS-CoV-2. Developing a proper framework and methodology containing environment and human health risk assessments will help the researchers and policyholders to look up for the alternative options. Even after a number of researches detecting the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater, there has been a limited knowledge in the potential role of water and wastewater in the transmission of these infectious viruses. A well summarized review would surely help in the assessment of the likely fate of most of these contagious human viruses.
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Rimoldi SG, Stefani F, Gigantiello A, Polesello S, Comandatore F, Mileto D, Maresca M, Longobardi C, Mancon A, Romeri F, Pagani C, Cappelli F, Roscioli C, Moja L, Gismondo MR, Salerno F. Presence and infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 virus in wastewaters and rivers. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020. [PMID: 32693284 DOI: 10.1101/2020.05.01.20086009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
The presence of SARS-CoV-2 in raw wastewaters has been demonstrated in many countries affected by this pandemic. Nevertheless, virus presence and infectivity in treated wastewaters, but also in the receiving water bodies are still poorly investigated. In this study, raw and treated samples from three wastewater treatment plants, and three river samples within the Milano Metropolitan Area, Italy, were surveyed for SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection by means of real time RT-PCR and infectivity test on culture cells. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in raw, but not in treated wastewaters (four and two samples, respectively, sampled in two dates). The isolated virus genome was sequenced, and belonged to the strain most spread in Europe and similar to another found in the same region. RNA presence in raw wastewater samples decreased after eight days, probably following the epidemiological trend estimated for the area. Virus infectivity was always null, indicating the natural decay of viral pathogenicity in time from emission. Samples from receiving rivers (three sites, sampled in the same dates as wastewaters) showed in some cases a positivity to real time RT-PCR, probably due to non-treated, or inefficiently treated discharges, or to the combined sewage overflows. Nevertheless, also for rivers infectivity was null. Risks for public health should be limited, although a precautionary approach to risk assessment is here advocated, giving the preliminary nature of the presented data.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Fabrizio Stefani
- Water Research Institute-National Research Council (IRSA-CNR), Brugherio, MB, Italy.
| | - Anna Gigantiello
- University Hospital "L. Sacco", ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Milan, Italy
| | - Stefano Polesello
- Water Research Institute-National Research Council (IRSA-CNR), Brugherio, MB, Italy
| | | | - Davide Mileto
- University Hospital "L. Sacco", ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Milan, Italy
| | - Mafalda Maresca
- University Hospital "L. Sacco", ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Alessandro Mancon
- University Hospital "L. Sacco", ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Milan, Italy
| | - Francesca Romeri
- University Hospital "L. Sacco", ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Milan, Italy
| | - Cristina Pagani
- University Hospital "L. Sacco", ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Milan, Italy
| | - Francesca Cappelli
- Water Research Institute-National Research Council (IRSA-CNR), Brugherio, MB, Italy; Department of Science and High Technology, University of Insubria, Via Valleggio 11, 22100 Como, Italy
| | - Claudio Roscioli
- Water Research Institute-National Research Council (IRSA-CNR), Brugherio, MB, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Moja
- Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, University of Milan, Italy
| | | | - Franco Salerno
- Water Research Institute-National Research Council (IRSA-CNR), Brugherio, MB, Italy
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36
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Rimoldi SG, Stefani F, Gigantiello A, Polesello S, Comandatore F, Mileto D, Maresca M, Longobardi C, Mancon A, Romeri F, Pagani C, Cappelli F, Roscioli C, Moja L, Gismondo MR, Salerno F. Presence and infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 virus in wastewaters and rivers. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 744:140911. [PMID: 32693284 PMCID: PMC7358170 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 310] [Impact Index Per Article: 77.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2020] [Revised: 07/09/2020] [Accepted: 07/10/2020] [Indexed: 04/13/2023]
Abstract
The presence of SARS-CoV-2 in raw wastewaters has been demonstrated in many countries affected by this pandemic. Nevertheless, virus presence and infectivity in treated wastewaters, but also in the receiving water bodies are still poorly investigated. In this study, raw and treated samples from three wastewater treatment plants, and three river samples within the Milano Metropolitan Area, Italy, were surveyed for SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection by means of real time RT-PCR and infectivity test on culture cells. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in raw, but not in treated wastewaters (four and two samples, respectively, sampled in two dates). The isolated virus genome was sequenced, and belonged to the strain most spread in Europe and similar to another found in the same region. RNA presence in raw wastewater samples decreased after eight days, probably following the epidemiological trend estimated for the area. Virus infectivity was always null, indicating the natural decay of viral pathogenicity in time from emission. Samples from receiving rivers (three sites, sampled in the same dates as wastewaters) showed in some cases a positivity to real time RT-PCR, probably due to non-treated, or inefficiently treated discharges, or to the combined sewage overflows. Nevertheless, also for rivers infectivity was null. Risks for public health should be limited, although a precautionary approach to risk assessment is here advocated, giving the preliminary nature of the presented data.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Fabrizio Stefani
- Water Research Institute-National Research Council (IRSA-CNR), Brugherio, MB, Italy.
| | - Anna Gigantiello
- University Hospital "L. Sacco", ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Milan, Italy
| | - Stefano Polesello
- Water Research Institute-National Research Council (IRSA-CNR), Brugherio, MB, Italy
| | | | - Davide Mileto
- University Hospital "L. Sacco", ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Milan, Italy
| | - Mafalda Maresca
- University Hospital "L. Sacco", ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Alessandro Mancon
- University Hospital "L. Sacco", ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Milan, Italy
| | - Francesca Romeri
- University Hospital "L. Sacco", ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Milan, Italy
| | - Cristina Pagani
- University Hospital "L. Sacco", ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Milan, Italy
| | - Francesca Cappelli
- Water Research Institute-National Research Council (IRSA-CNR), Brugherio, MB, Italy; Department of Science and High Technology, University of Insubria, Via Valleggio 11, 22100 Como, Italy
| | - Claudio Roscioli
- Water Research Institute-National Research Council (IRSA-CNR), Brugherio, MB, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Moja
- Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, University of Milan, Italy
| | | | - Franco Salerno
- Water Research Institute-National Research Council (IRSA-CNR), Brugherio, MB, Italy
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Dead-End Ultrafiltration and DNA-Based Methods for Detection of Cyclospora cayetanensis in Agricultural Water. Appl Environ Microbiol 2020; 86:AEM.01595-20. [PMID: 32948525 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01595-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Cyclospora cayetanensis is a protozoan parasite that causes foodborne and waterborne diarrheal illness outbreaks worldwide. Most of these outbreaks are associated with the consumption of fresh produce. Sensitive and specific methods to detect C. cayetanensis in agricultural water are needed to identify the parasite in agricultural water used to irrigate crops that have been implicated in outbreaks. In this study, a method to detect C. cayetanensis in water by combining dead-end ultrafiltration (DEUF) with sensitive and specific molecular detection was developed and evaluated. Triplicates of 10-liter agricultural water samples were seeded with 200, 100, 25, 12, and 6 C. cayetanensis oocysts. Surface water samples were also collected in the Mid-Atlantic region. All water samples were processed by DEUF and backflushed from the ultrafilters. DNA was extracted from concentrated samples and analyzed by quantitative PCR (qPCR) targeting the C. cayetanensis 18S rRNA gene. All water samples seeded with 12, 25, 100, and 200 oocysts were positive, and all unseeded samples were negative. Samples seeded with 6 oocysts had a detection rate of 66.6% (8/12). The method was also able to detect C. cayetanensis isolates in surface water samples from different locations of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (C&O Canal) in Maryland. This approach could consistently detect C. cayetanensis DNA in 10-liter agricultural water samples contaminated with low levels of oocysts, equivalent to the levels that may be found in naturally incurred environmental water sources. Our data demonstrate the robustness of the method as a useful tool to detect C. cayetanensis from environmental sources.IMPORTANCE Cyclospora cayetanensis is a protozoan parasite that causes foodborne and waterborne outbreaks of diarrheal illness worldwide. These foodborne outbreaks associated with the consumption of fresh produce and agricultural water could play a role in the contamination process. In this study, a method to detect C. cayetanensis in agricultural water by combining a robust filtration system with sensitive and specific molecular detection was developed and validated by the FDA. The results showed that this approach could consistently detect low levels of C. cayetanensis contamination in 10 liters of agricultural water, corresponding to the levels that may be found in naturally occurring environmental water sources. The method was also able to detect C. cayetanensis in surface water samples from a specific location in the Mid-Atlantic region. Our data demonstrate the robustness of the method to detect C. cayetanensis in agricultural water samples, which could be very useful to identify environmental sources of contamination.
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Polo D, Quintela-Baluja M, Corbishley A, Jones DL, Singer AC, Graham DW, Romalde JL. Making waves: Wastewater-based epidemiology for COVID-19 - approaches and challenges for surveillance and prediction. WATER RESEARCH 2020; 186:116404. [PMID: 32942178 PMCID: PMC7480445 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.116404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 210] [Impact Index Per Article: 52.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2020] [Revised: 07/13/2020] [Accepted: 09/06/2020] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
The presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the feces of infected patients and wastewater has drawn attention, not only to the possibility of fecal-oral transmission but also to the use of wastewater as an epidemiological tool. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted problems in evaluating the epidemiological scope of the disease using classical surveillance approaches, due to a lack of diagnostic capacity, and their application to only a small proportion of the population. As in previous pandemics, statistics, particularly the proportion of the population infected, are believed to be widely underestimated. Furthermore, analysis of only clinical samples cannot predict outbreaks in a timely manner or easily capture asymptomatic carriers. Threfore, community-scale surveillance, including wastewater-based epidemiology, can bridge the broader community and the clinic, becoming a valuable indirect epidemiological prediction tool for SARS-CoV-2 and other pandemic viruses. This article summarizes current knowledge and discusses the critical factors for implementing wastewater-based epidemiology of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Polo
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, CIBUS-Facultade de Bioloxía & Institute CRETUS, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Spain.
| | - Marcos Quintela-Baluja
- School of Engineering, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, United Kingdom
| | - Alexander Corbishley
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush Campus, Midlothian, EH25 9RG, United Kingdom
| | - Davey L Jones
- Environment Centre Wales, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2UW, United Kingdom; UWA School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Andrew C Singer
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology. Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB, United Kingdom
| | - David W Graham
- School of Engineering, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, United Kingdom
| | - Jesús L Romalde
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, CIBUS-Facultade de Bioloxía & Institute CRETUS, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Spain.
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Edmunds RC, Burrows D. Got Glycogen?: Development and Multispecies Validation of the Novel Preserve, Precipitate, Lyse, Precipitate, Purify (PPLPP) Workflow for Environmental DNA Extraction from Longmire's Preserved Water Samples. J Biomol Tech 2020; 31:125-150. [PMID: 33100918 DOI: 10.7171/jbt.20-3104-003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Unfiltered and filtered water samples can be used to collect environmental DNA (eDNA). We developed the novel "Preserve, Precipitate, Lyse, Precipitate, Purify" (PPLPP) workflow to efficiently extract eDNA from Longmire's preserved unfiltered and filtered water samples (44-100% recovery). The PPLPP workflow includes initial glycogen-aided isopropanol precipitation, guanidium hypochlorite and Triton X-100-based lysis, terminal glycogen-aided polyethylene glycol precipitation, and inhibitor purification. Three novel eDNA assays that exclusively target species invasive to Australia were also developed: Tilapia_v2_16S concurrently targets Oreochromis mossambicus (Mozambique tilapia) and Tilapia mariae (spotted tilapia) while R.marina_16S and C.caroliniana_matK discretely target Rhinella marina (cane toad) and Cabomba caroliniana (fanwort), respectively. All 3 assays were validated in silico before in vitro and in situ validations using PPLPP workflow extracted samples. PPLPP workflow was concurrently validated in vitro and in situ using all 3 assays. In vitro validations demonstrated that 1) glycogen inclusion increased extracellular DNA recovery by ∼48-fold compared with glycogen exclusion, 2) swinging-bucket centrifugation for 90 min at 3270 g is equivalent to fixed-angle centrifugation for 5-20 min at 6750 g, and 3) Zymo OneStep Inhibitor Removal Kit, Qiagen DNeasy PowerClean Pro Cleanup Kit, and silica-Zymo double purification provide effective inhibitor removal. In situ validation demonstrated 95.8 ± 2.8% (mean ± SEM) detectability across all 3 target species in Longmire's preserved unfiltered and filtered water samples extracted using the PPLPP workflow (without phenol:chloroform:isoamyl alcohol purification) after 39 d of incubation at room temperature and 50°C. PPLPP workflow is recommended for future temperate and tropical eDNA studies that use Longmire's to preserve unfiltered or filtered water samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard C Edmunds
- Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research (TropWATER), James Cook University, Townsville 4811, Queensland, Australia
| | - Damien Burrows
- Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research (TropWATER), James Cook University, Townsville 4811, Queensland, Australia
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Lasareishvili B, Shi H, Wang X, Hillstead KD, Tediashvili M, Jaiani E, Tarabara VV. Virus recovery by tangential flow filtration: A model to guide the design of a sample concentration process. Biotechnol Prog 2020; 37:e3080. [PMID: 32985140 DOI: 10.1002/btpr.3080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Revised: 08/31/2020] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
A simple model is developed to describe the instantaneous (rv ) and cumulative (Rv ) recovery of viruses from water during sample concentration by tangential flow filtration in the regime of constant water recovery, r. A figure of merit, M = rv r, is proposed as an aggregate performance metric that captures both the efficiency of virus recovery and the speed of sample concentration. We derive an expression for virus concentration in the sample as a function of filtration time with the rate-normalized virus loss, η = 1 - r v r , as a parameter. A practically relevant case is considered when the rate of virus loss is proportional to the permeation-driven mass flux of viruses to the membrane: d m ad dt ∼ Q p C f ≫ Q p C p . In this scenario, the instantaneous recovery is constant, the cumulative recovery is decreasing as a power function of time, R v = 1 - Q p V 0 t η , η mediates the trade-off between r and rv , and M is maximized at r = r opt = 1 2 η . The proposed model can guide the design of the sample concentration process and serve as a framework for quantification and interlaboratory comparison of experimental data on virus recovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Besarion Lasareishvili
- School of Engineering and Technologies, Agricultural University of Georgia, Kakha Bendukidze University Campus, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - Hang Shi
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Xunhao Wang
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Kyle D Hillstead
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Marina Tediashvili
- Giorgi Eliava Institute of Bacteriophages, Microbiology and Virology, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - Ekaterine Jaiani
- Giorgi Eliava Institute of Bacteriophages, Microbiology and Virology, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - Volodymyr V Tarabara
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
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Weli SC, Bernhardt LV, Qviller L, Myrmel M, Lillehaug A. Development and evaluation of a method for concentration and detection of salmonid alphavirus from seawater. J Virol Methods 2020; 287:113990. [PMID: 33035567 DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2020.113990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Revised: 09/25/2020] [Accepted: 10/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Waterborne viral infections represent a major threat to fish health. For many viruses, understanding the interplay between pathogens, host and environment presents a major hurdle for transmission. Salmonid alphavirus (SAV) can infect and cause pancreas disease (PD) in farmed salmonids in seawater. During infection, SAV is excreted from infected fish to the seawater. We evaluated two types of filters and four different eluents, for concentration of SAV3. One L of seawater was spiked with SAV3, followed by filtration and virus elution from membrane filters. For the negatively charged MF hydrophilic membrane filter (MF-) combined with NucliSENS® lysis buffer the SAV3 recovery was 39.5 ± 1.8 % by RT-ddPCR and 25.9 ± 5.7 % by RT-qPCR. The recovery using the positively charged 1 MDS Zeta Plus® Virosorb® membrane filter (MD+), combined with NucliSENS® lysis buffer was 19.0 ± 0.1 % by RT-ddPCR and 13.3 ± 3.8 % by RT-qPCR. The limits of quantification (LOQ) and detection (LOD) were estimated to be 5.18 × 103 and 2.0 × 102 SAV3 copies/L of natural seawater, by RT-ddPCR. SAV3 recovery from small volumes of seawater, and the requirement for standard laboratory equipment, suggest the MF-filter combined with NucliSENS® lysis buffer would be a candidate for further validation in experimental trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Chioma Weli
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, P.O. Box 750 Sentrum, N-0106 Oslo, Norway.
| | | | - Lars Qviller
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, P.O. Box 750 Sentrum, N-0106 Oslo, Norway.
| | - Mette Myrmel
- Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Virology Unit, P.O. Box 8146 Dep., N-0033 Oslo, Norway.
| | - Atle Lillehaug
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, P.O. Box 750 Sentrum, N-0106 Oslo, Norway.
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Schmitz BW, Innes GK, Xue J, Gerba CP, Pepper IL, Sherchan S. Reduction of erythromycin resistance gene erm(F) and class 1 integron-integrase genes in wastewater by Bardenpho treatment. WATER ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH : A RESEARCH PUBLICATION OF THE WATER ENVIRONMENT FEDERATION 2020; 92:1042-1050. [PMID: 31989707 DOI: 10.1002/wer.1299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2019] [Revised: 12/23/2019] [Accepted: 01/22/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Wastewaters routinely contain antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and genes (ARG) that are removed to a varying degree during wastewater treatment. This study investigated the removal of the erythromycin ribosome methylase class F (erm(F)) and class 1 integron-integrase (intI1) genes at each stage from two water resource recovery facilities in southern Arizona. Although genes were significantly reduced by Bardenpho treatment, erm(F) and intI1 were still observed in ≥ 9 and 7 out of 12 secondary effluent samples. Primary processes via sedimentation or dissolved air flotation, as well as chlorine disinfection, did not significantly impact erm(F) and intI1 concentrations. Therefore, Bardenpho treatment was critical to reduce erm(F) and intI1. Concentrations of erm(F) and intI1 were compared with each other and other markers for anthropogenic pollution. Results from this study support intI1 as one suitable marker to measure erythromycin resistance genes in wastewater, as intI1 was found at higher concentrations, persisted more throughout treatment, and correlated with erm(F) at nearly every treatment stage. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Bardenpho treatment was the key process responsible for the reduction of intI1 and erm(F) genes during wastewater treatment. Primary treatment and chlorine disinfection did not impact erm(F) and intI1 gene concentrations. The intI1 gene is a suitable marker for measuring erm(F) genes in wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bradley W Schmitz
- JHU/Stantec Alliance, Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Gabriel K Innes
- Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Jia Xue
- Department of Global Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana
| | - Charles P Gerba
- Water & Energy Sustainable Technology (WEST) Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
| | - Ian L Pepper
- Water & Energy Sustainable Technology (WEST) Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
| | - Samendra Sherchan
- Department of Global Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana
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Amalfitano S, Levantesi C, Copetti D, Stefani F, Locantore I, Guarnieri V, Lobascio C, Bersani F, Giacosa D, Detsis E, Rossetti S. Water and microbial monitoring technologies towards the near future space exploration. WATER RESEARCH 2020; 177:115787. [PMID: 32315899 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.115787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2019] [Revised: 03/31/2020] [Accepted: 04/01/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Space exploration is demanding longer lasting human missions and water resupply from Earth will become increasingly unrealistic. In a near future, the spacecraft water monitoring systems will require technological advances to promptly identify and counteract contingent events of waterborne microbial contamination, posing health risks to astronauts with lowered immune responsiveness. The search for bio-analytical approaches, alternative to those applied on Earth by cultivation-dependent methods, is pushed by the compelling need to limit waste disposal and avoid microbial regrowth from analytical carryovers. Prospective technologies will be selected only if first validated in a flight-like environment, by following basic principles, advantages, and limitations beyond their current applications on Earth. Starting from the water monitoring activities applied on the International Space Station, we provide a critical overview of the nucleic acid amplification-based approaches (i.e., loop-mediated isothermal amplification, quantitative PCR, and high-throughput sequencing) and early-warning methods for total microbial load assessments (i.e., ATP-metry, flow cytometry), already used at a high readiness level aboard crewed space vehicles. Our findings suggest that the forthcoming space applications of mature technologies will be necessarily bounded by a compromise between analytical performances (e.g., speed to results, identification depth, reproducibility, multiparametricity) and detrimental technical requirements (e.g., reagent usage, waste production, operator skills, crew time). As space exploration progresses toward extended missions to Moon and Mars, miniaturized systems that also minimize crew involvement in their end-to-end operation are likely applicable on the long-term and suitable for the in-flight water and microbiological research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Amalfitano
- Water Research Institute - National Research Council of Italy (IRSA-CNR), Via Salaria Km 29,300, 00015, Monterotondo, Roma, Italy.
| | - Caterina Levantesi
- Water Research Institute - National Research Council of Italy (IRSA-CNR), Via Salaria Km 29,300, 00015, Monterotondo, Roma, Italy
| | - Diego Copetti
- Water Research Institute - National Research Council of Italy (IRSA-CNR), Via del Mulino 19, 20861, Brugherio, Monza-Brianza, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Stefani
- Water Research Institute - National Research Council of Italy (IRSA-CNR), Via del Mulino 19, 20861, Brugherio, Monza-Brianza, Italy
| | - Ilaria Locantore
- Thales Alenia Space Italia SpA, Strada Antica di Collegno, 253 - 10146, Turin, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Guarnieri
- Thales Alenia Space Italia SpA, Strada Antica di Collegno, 253 - 10146, Turin, Italy
| | - Cesare Lobascio
- Thales Alenia Space Italia SpA, Strada Antica di Collegno, 253 - 10146, Turin, Italy
| | - Francesca Bersani
- Centro Ricerche SMAT, Società Metropolitana Acque Torino S.p.A., C.so Unità d'Italia 235/3, 10127, Torino, Italy
| | - Donatella Giacosa
- Centro Ricerche SMAT, Società Metropolitana Acque Torino S.p.A., C.so Unità d'Italia 235/3, 10127, Torino, Italy
| | - Emmanouil Detsis
- European Science Foundation, 1 quai Lezay Marnésia, BP 90015, 67080, Strasbourg Cedex, France
| | - Simona Rossetti
- Water Research Institute - National Research Council of Italy (IRSA-CNR), Via Salaria Km 29,300, 00015, Monterotondo, Roma, Italy
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44
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García Fernández X, Álvarez-Argüelles ME, Rojo S, de-Oña M. Estabilidad del ARN viral en muestras clínicas para el diagnóstico viral. Enferm Infecc Microbiol Clin 2020; 38:297-298. [DOI: 10.1016/j.eimc.2019.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2019] [Revised: 09/21/2019] [Accepted: 09/26/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Hata A, Furumai H, Katayama H. Sequential treatment using a hydrophobic resin and gel filtration to improve viral gene quantification from highly complex environmental concentrates. WATER RESEARCH 2020; 174:115652. [PMID: 32135428 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.115652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2019] [Revised: 02/24/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Assays based on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) are widely applied to quantify enteric viruses in aquatic environments to study their fates and potential infection risks. However, inhibitory substances enriched by virus concentration processes can result in inaccurate quantification. This study aimed to find a method for improving virus quantification by mitigating the effects of inhibitory environmental concentrates, using previous knowledge of the properties of the inhibitory substances. Performances of anion exchange resins, gel filtration, and a hydrophobic resin (DAX-8) were comparatively evaluated using poliovirus and its extracted RNA spiked into humic acid solutions. These solutions served as good representatives of the inhibitory environmental concentrates. A sequential treatment using DAX-8 resin and gel filtration produced the most favorable results, i.e., low virus losses that were stable and a reduced inhibitory effect. Furthermore, the sequential treatment was applied to another set of 15 environmental concentrates. Without the sequential treatment, serious underestimation (>4.0 log10 to 1.1 log10) of a molecular process control (murine norovirus) was measured for eight samples. With the treatment, the control was detected with <1.0 log10 underestimation for all samples. The treatment improved the quantification of seven types of indigenous viruses. In summary, the sequential treatment is effective in improving the viral quantification in various of environmental concentrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akihiko Hata
- Department of Environmental and Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Toyama Prefectural University, 5180 Kurokawa, Imizu-shi, Toyama, 939-0398, Japan.
| | - Hiroaki Furumai
- Research Center for Water Environment Technology, 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
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Murphy HM, McGinnis S, Blunt R, Stokdyk J, Wu J, Cagle A, Denno DM, Spencer S, Firnstahl A, Borchardt MA. Septic Systems and Rainfall Influence Human Fecal Marker and Indicator Organism Occurrence in Private Wells in Southeastern Pennsylvania. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2020; 54:3159-3168. [PMID: 32073835 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b05405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
In the United States, approximately 48 million people are served by private wells. Unlike public water systems, private well water quality is not monitored, and there are few studies on the extent and sources of contamination of private wells. We extensively investigated five private wells to understand the variability in microbial contamination, the role of septic systems as sources of contamination, and the effect of rainfall on well water quality. From 2016 to 2017, weekly or biweekly samples (n = 105) were collected from five private wells in rural Pennsylvania. Samples were tested for general water quality parameters, conventional and sewage-associated microbial indicators, and human pathogens. Total coliforms, human Bacteroides (HF183), and pepper mild mottle virus were detected at least once in all wells. Regression revealed significant relationships between HF183 and rainfall 8-14 days prior to sampling and between total coliforms and rainfall 8-14 or 0-14 days prior to sampling. Dye tracer studies at three wells confirmed the impact of household septic systems on well contamination. Microbiological measurements, chemical water quality data, and dye tracer tests provide evidence of human fecal contamination in the private wells studied, suggesting that household septic systems are the source of this contamination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather M Murphy
- Water, Health and Applied Microbiology Laboratory (WHAM Laboratory), Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122, United States
- College of Public Health, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122, United States
| | - Shannon McGinnis
- Water, Health and Applied Microbiology Laboratory (WHAM Laboratory), Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122, United States
- College of Public Health, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122, United States
| | - Ryan Blunt
- Water, Health and Applied Microbiology Laboratory (WHAM Laboratory), Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122, United States
| | - Joel Stokdyk
- United States Geological Survey (USGS), Upper Midwest Water Science Center, Marshfield, Wisconsin 54449, United States
| | - Jingwei Wu
- College of Public Health, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122, United States
| | - Alexander Cagle
- Water, Health and Applied Microbiology Laboratory (WHAM Laboratory), Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122, United States
| | - Donna M Denno
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98115, United States
| | - Susan Spencer
- United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service, Marshfield, Wisconsin 54449, United States
| | - Aaron Firnstahl
- United States Geological Survey (USGS), Upper Midwest Water Science Center, Marshfield, Wisconsin 54449, United States
| | - Mark A Borchardt
- United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service, Marshfield, Wisconsin 54449, United States
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Kumar M, Ram B, Honda R, Poopipattana C, Canh VD, Chaminda T, Furumai H. Concurrence of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB), viruses, pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in ambient waters of Guwahati, India: Urban vulnerability and resilience perspective. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 693:133640. [PMID: 31377355 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.133640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2019] [Revised: 07/03/2019] [Accepted: 07/26/2019] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Multi-drug resistant microbes, pathogenic viruses, metals, and pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in water has become the crux of urban sustainability issues. However, vulnerability due to pollutant concurrences, source apportionment, and identification of better faecal indicators needs to be better understood. The present study focuses on the vulnerability of urban Guwahati, the largest city in Northeastern India, through analyzing the concurrence of PPCPs, enteric viruses, antibiotic resistant bacteria, metal, and faecal contamination in water. The study strives to identify a relevant marker of anthropogenic pollution for the Indian scenario. Samples from the Brahmaputra River (n = 4), tributary Bharalu River (an unlined urban drain; n = 3), and Ramsar recognized Lake (Dipor Bil; n = 1) indicate caffeine > acetaminophen > theophylline > carbamazepine > crotamiton for PPCPs and pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) > aichi > hepatitis A > norovirus GII > norovirus GI for enteric viruses. PMMoV was the better indicator of faecal pollution due to its prevalence, specificity and ease of detection. Antibiotic resistance was neither correlated with the prevalence of PPCPs nor E. coli. As, Co and Mn appear to be inducing antibiotic resistance in E. coli. While the risk quotient of the urban drain (Bharalu River) indicates one order higher magnitude than reported for other Indian rivers, the Lake exhibited the least pollution and better resilience. The concurrence of pollutants and multi-drug resistant E. coli, owing to the complete absence of wastewater treatment, puts the city in a highly vulnerable state. Pollution is being regulated only by the dilution capability of the Brahmaputra River, which needs to be further researched for seasonal variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manish Kumar
- Discipline of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India.
| | - Bhagwana Ram
- Discipline of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India
| | - Ryo Honda
- Faculty of Environmental Design, Institute of Science and Engineering, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | | | - Vu Duc Canh
- Department of Urban Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tushara Chaminda
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka
| | - Hiroaki Furumai
- Department of Urban Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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Rapid assessment of viral water quality using a novel recombinase polymerase amplification test for human adenovirus. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2019; 103:8115-8125. [PMID: 31435714 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-019-10077-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2019] [Revised: 06/28/2019] [Accepted: 07/31/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Sensitive and rapid methods for determining viral contamination of water are critical, since illness can be caused by low numbers of viruses and bacterial indicators do not adequately predict viral loads. We developed novel rapid assays for detecting the viral water quality indicator human adenovirus (HAdV). A simple 15-min recombinase polymerase amplification step followed by a 5-min lateral flow detection is used. Species-specific assays were developed to discriminate HAdV A, B, C and F, and combined into a multiplex test (Ad-FAC). Species-specific assays enabled detection of 10-50 copies of the HAdV plasmid. Sample testing using methods optimised for wastewater analysis indicated the Ad-FAC assay showed 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity when compared with HAdV qPCR, with a detection limit as low as 50 gene copies. This is the first study to demonstrate the use of RPA for detecting enteric viruses in water samples, to assess virological water quality. The ability to rapidly detect enteric virus contamination of water could assist in more effective management of water safety and better protection of public health.
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Detection of pathogenic bacteria in hot tap water using the qPCR method: preliminary research. SN APPLIED SCIENCES 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s42452-019-0533-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022] Open
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