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Boza JM, Amirali A, Williams SL, Currall BB, Grills GS, Mason CE, Solo-Gabriele HM, Erickson DC. Evaluation of a field deployable, high-throughput RT-LAMP device as an early warning system for COVID-19 through SARS-CoV-2 measurements in wastewater. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 944:173744. [PMID: 38844223 PMCID: PMC11249788 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2024] [Revised: 05/02/2024] [Accepted: 06/01/2024] [Indexed: 06/16/2024]
Abstract
Quantification of SARS-CoV-2 RNA copies in wastewater can be used to estimate COVID-19 prevalence in communities. While such results are important for mitigating disease spread, SARS-CoV-2 measurements require sophisticated equipment and trained personnel, for which a centralized laboratory is necessary. This significantly impacts the time to result, defeating its purpose as an early warning detection tool. The objective of this study was to evaluate a field portable device (called MINI) for detecting SARS-CoV-2 viral loads in wastewater using real-time reverse transcriptase loop-mediated isothermal amplification (real-time RT-LAMP). The device was tested using wastewater samples collected from buildings (with 430 to 1430 inhabitants) that had known COVID-19-positive cases. Results show comparable performance of RT-LAMP against reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) when detecting SARS-CoV-2 copies in wastewater. Both RT-LAMP and RT-qPCR detected SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater from buildings with at least three positive individuals within a 6-day time frame prior to diagnosis. The large 96-well throughput provided by MINI provided scalability to multi-building detection. The portability of the MINI device enabled decentralized on-site detection, significantly reducing the time to result. The overall findings support the use of RT-LAMP within the MINI configuration as an early detection system for COVID-19 infection using wastewater collected at the building scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- J M Boza
- Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
| | - A Amirali
- Department of Chemical, Environmental, and Materials Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA
| | - S L Williams
- Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - B B Currall
- Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - G S Grills
- Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - C E Mason
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York City, NY 10021, USA; The HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA; The WorldQuant Initiative for Quantitative Prediction, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - H M Solo-Gabriele
- Department of Chemical, Environmental, and Materials Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA
| | - D C Erickson
- Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA; Division of Nutritional Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA.
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Amirali A, Babler KM, Sharkey ME, Beaver CC, Boone MM, Comerford S, Cooper D, Currall BB, Goodman KW, Grills GS, Kobetz E, Kumar N, Laine J, Lamar WE, Mason CE, Reding BD, Roca MA, Ryon K, Schürer SC, Shukla BS, Solle NS, Stevenson M, Tallon JJ, Vidović D, Williams SL, Yin X, Solo-Gabriele HM. Wastewater based surveillance can be used to reduce clinical testing intensity on a university campus. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 918:170452. [PMID: 38296085 PMCID: PMC10923133 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Revised: 12/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
Clinical testing has been a vital part of the response to and suppression of the COVID-19 pandemic; however, testing imposes significant burdens on a population. College students had to contend with clinical testing while simultaneously dealing with health risks and the academic pressures brought on by quarantines, changes to virtual platforms, and other disruptions to daily life. The objective of this study was to analyze whether wastewater surveillance can be used to decrease the intensity of clinical testing while maintaining reliable measurements of diseases incidence on campus. Twelve months of human health and wastewater surveillance data for eight residential buildings on a university campus were analyzed to establish how SARS-CoV-2 levels in the wastewater can be used to minimize clinical testing burden on students. Wastewater SARS-CoV-2 levels were used to create multiple scenarios, each with differing levels of testing intensity, which were compared to the actual testing volumes implemented by the university. We found that scenarios in which testing intensity fluctuations matched rise and falls in SARS-CoV-2 wastewater levels had stronger correlations between SARS-CoV-2 levels and recorded clinical positives. In addition to stronger correlations, most scenarios resulted in overall fewer weekly clinical tests performed. We suggest the use of wastewater surveillance to guide COVID-19 testing as it can significantly increase the efficacy of COVID-19 surveillance while reducing the burden placed on college students during a pandemic. Future efforts should be made to integrate wastewater surveillance into clinical testing strategies implemented on college campuses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayaaz Amirali
- Department of Chemical, Environmental, and Materials Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA
| | - Kristina M Babler
- Department of Chemical, Environmental, and Materials Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA
| | - Mark E Sharkey
- Department of Medicine, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, 33136, FL, USA
| | - Cynthia C Beaver
- Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Melinda M Boone
- Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Samuel Comerford
- Department of Medicine, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, 33136, FL, USA
| | | | - Benjamin B Currall
- Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Kenneth W Goodman
- Frost Institute for Data Science & Computing, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA; Institute for Bioethics and Health Policy, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, 33136, FL, USA
| | - George S Grills
- Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Erin Kobetz
- Department of Medicine, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, 33136, FL, USA
| | - Naresh Kumar
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Jennifer Laine
- Environmental Health and Safety, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Walter E Lamar
- Division of Occupational Health, Safety & Compliance, University of Miami Health System, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Christopher E Mason
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York City, NY 10021, USA; The HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA; The WorldQuant Initiative for Quantitative Prediction, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Brian D Reding
- Environmental Health and Safety, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Matthew A Roca
- Department of Chemical, Environmental, and Materials Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA
| | - Krista Ryon
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York City, NY 10021, USA
| | - Stephan C Schürer
- Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA; Department of Molecular & Cellular Pharmacology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicines, Miami, FL 33136, USA; Institute for Data Science & Computing, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA
| | - Bhavarth S Shukla
- Department of Medicine, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, 33136, FL, USA
| | - Natasha Schaefer Solle
- Department of Medicine, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, 33136, FL, USA; Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Mario Stevenson
- Department of Chemical, Environmental, and Materials Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA
| | - John J Tallon
- Facilities and Operations, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA
| | - Dušica Vidović
- Department of Chemical, Environmental, and Materials Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA
| | - Sion L Williams
- Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Xue Yin
- Department of Chemical, Environmental, and Materials Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA
| | - Helena M Solo-Gabriele
- Department of Chemical, Environmental, and Materials Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA.
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Blakey GL, McCloskey CB, Guthridge JM, Williams CL, Lu R, Hayes JT, Pinkston KG, Talbert ML. COVID-19 Pandemic Spurs Evolution of an Academic Pathology Department and Laboratory. Acad Pathol 2021; 8:23742895211037029. [PMID: 34458566 PMCID: PMC8385575 DOI: 10.1177/23742895211037029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Revised: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused much suffering through disease and death, disruption of daily life, and economic havoc. Global health infrastructure has been challenged, in some cases failing. In the United States, the inability of laboratories to provide adequate testing for the causative pathogen, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, has been the subject of negative press and national debate. Even so, these challenges have prompted pathology practices and clinical labs to change their organizations and operations for the better. The natural positive evolution of the University of Oklahoma Department of Pathology and OU Health Laboratories has been greatly accelerated by the global pandemic. While developing a substantial COVID testing response, our department of pathology and laboratories have evolved a much nimbler organizational structure, established an important research partnership, built a translational research resource, created a significant reference lab capability, and completed many key hires against a national background of hiring freezes and pay cuts. Also, the high visibility of the clinical lab and pathologists during the outbreak has reinforced the value of lab medicine to patient care across our health system. In the midst of significant ongoing changes to the structure and financing of our underlying organizations, high trust among departmental, hospital, health system, and medical school leadership during the pandemic has promoted these positive changes, allowing us to emerge much stronger from this crisis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory L Blakey
- Department of Pathology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
| | - Cindy B McCloskey
- Department of Pathology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
| | - Joel M Guthridge
- Arthritis and Clinical Immunology Research Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
| | - Christopher L Williams
- Department of Pathology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
| | - Rufei Lu
- Department of Pathology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
| | | | | | - Michael L Talbert
- Department of Pathology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
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