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Baz Lomba JA, Pires J, Myrmel M, Arnø JK, Madslien EH, Langlete P, Amato E, Hyllestad S. Effectiveness of environmental surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 as an early-warning system: Update of a systematic review during the second year of the pandemic. JOURNAL OF WATER AND HEALTH 2024; 22:197-234. [PMID: 38295081 PMCID: wh_2023_279 DOI: 10.2166/wh.2023.279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2024]
Abstract
The aim of this updated systematic review was to offer an overview of the effectiveness of environmental surveillance (ES) of SARS-CoV-2 as a potential early-warning system (EWS) for COVID-19 and new variants of concerns (VOCs) during the second year of the pandemic. An updated literature search was conducted to evaluate the added value of ES of SARS-CoV-2 for public health decisions. The search for studies published between June 2021 and July 2022 resulted in 1,588 publications, identifying 331 articles for full-text screening. A total of 151 publications met our inclusion criteria for the assessment of the effectiveness of ES as an EWS and early detection of SARS-CoV-2 variants. We identified a further 30 publications among the grey literature. ES confirms its usefulness as an EWS for detecting new waves of SARS-CoV-2 infection with an average lead time of 1-2 weeks for most of the publication. ES could function as an EWS for new VOCs in areas with no registered cases or limited clinical capacity. Challenges in data harmonization and variant detection require standardized approaches and innovations for improved public health decision-making. ES confirms its potential to support public health decision-making and resource allocation in future outbreaks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose Antonio Baz Lomba
- Department of Infection Control and Preparedness, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway E-mail:
| | - João Pires
- Department of Infection Control and Preparedness, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway; ECDC fellowship Programme, Public Health Microbiology path (EUPHEM), European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Solna, Sweden
| | - Mette Myrmel
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Virology Unit, Norwegian University of Life Science (NMBU), Oslo, Norway
| | - Jorunn Karterud Arnø
- Department of Infection Control and Preparedness, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Elisabeth Henie Madslien
- Department of Infection Control and Preparedness, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Petter Langlete
- Department of Infection Control and Preparedness, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ettore Amato
- Department of Infection Control and Preparedness, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Susanne Hyllestad
- Department of Infection Control and Preparedness, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
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Ciannella S, González-Fernández C, Gomez-Pastora J. Recent progress on wastewater-based epidemiology for COVID-19 surveillance: A systematic review of analytical procedures and epidemiological modeling. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 878:162953. [PMID: 36948304 PMCID: PMC10028212 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), whose causative agent is the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a pandemic. This virus is predominantly transmitted via respiratory droplets and shed via sputum, saliva, urine, and stool. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has been able to monitor the circulation of viral pathogens in the population. This tool demands both in-lab and computational work to be meaningful for, among other purposes, the prediction of outbreaks. In this context, we present a systematic review that organizes and discusses laboratory procedures for SARS-CoV-2 RNA quantification from a wastewater matrix, along with modeling techniques applied to the development of WBE for COVID-19 surveillance. The goal of this review is to present the current panorama of WBE operational aspects as well as to identify current challenges related to it. Our review was conducted in a reproducible manner by following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines for systematic reviews. We identified a lack of standardization in wastewater analytical procedures. Regardless, the reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) approach was the most reported technique employed to detect and quantify viral RNA in wastewater samples. As a more convenient sample matrix, we suggest the solid portion of wastewater to be considered in future investigations due to its higher viral load compared to the liquid fraction. Regarding the epidemiological modeling, the data-driven approach was consistently used for the prediction of variables associated with outbreaks. Future efforts should also be directed toward the development of rapid, more economical, portable, and accurate detection devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Ciannella
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock 79409, TX, USA.
| | - Cristina González-Fernández
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock 79409, TX, USA; Departamento de Ingenierías Química y Biomolecular, Universidad de Cantabria, Avda. Los Castros, s/n, 39005 Santander, Spain.
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Brooks YM, Gryskwicz B, Sidaway E, Shelley B, Coroi L, Downing M, Downing T, McDonnell S, Ostrye D, Hoop K, Parrish G. A case study of a community-organized wastewater surveillance in a small community: correlating weekly reported COVID-19 cases with SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations during fall 2020 to summer 2021 in Yarmouth, ME. JOURNAL OF WATER AND HEALTH 2023; 21:329-342. [PMID: 37338313 PMCID: wh_2023_238 DOI: 10.2166/wh.2023.238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater surveillance offers a rapid evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in a community. We describe how a community group, the Yarmouth Wastewater Testing Team (YWTT), in Yarmouth, Maine, (population 8,990) utilized an asset-based community design framework to organize and manage a program to monitor SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations. From September 22, 2020 through June 8, 2021, the YWTT disseminated weekly reports of the wastewater results and reported COVID-19 cases within the Yarmouth postal code. After high and increasing SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations, the YWTT issued two community advisories to encourage extra care to reduce exposure. Correlations between SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations and COVID-19 cases were stronger the week after sampling, and the average of the COVID-19 cases during the week of sampling and the following week, indicating that surveillance provided advance notice of cases. A 10% increase in SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations was associated with a 13.29% increase in the average number of weekly reported cases of COVID-19 during the week of sampling and the following week (R2 = 0.42; p < 0.001). Adjusting for viral recovery (December 21, 2020 through June 8, 2021), improved R2 from 0.60 to 0.68. Wastewater surveillance was an effective tool for the YWTT to quickly respond to viral transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yolanda M Brooks
- Department of Sciences, St. Joseph's College of Maine, 278 White's Bridge Rd, Standish, ME 04084, USA E-mail: ;
| | - Bailey Gryskwicz
- Department of Sciences, St. Joseph's College of Maine, 278 White's Bridge Rd, Standish, ME 04084, USA E-mail: ;
| | - Eilidh Sidaway
- Department of Sciences, St. Joseph's College of Maine, 278 White's Bridge Rd, Standish, ME 04084, USA E-mail: ;
| | - Brianna Shelley
- Department of Sciences, St. Joseph's College of Maine, 278 White's Bridge Rd, Standish, ME 04084, USA E-mail: ;
| | - Laura Coroi
- Wastewater Testing Team, Yarmouth Community Coronavirus Task Force, C/O Yarmouth Town Hall, 200 Main St., Yarmouth, ME 04096, USA
| | - Margaret Downing
- Wastewater Testing Team, Yarmouth Community Coronavirus Task Force, C/O Yarmouth Town Hall, 200 Main St., Yarmouth, ME 04096, USA
| | - Tom Downing
- Wastewater Testing Team, Yarmouth Community Coronavirus Task Force, C/O Yarmouth Town Hall, 200 Main St., Yarmouth, ME 04096, USA
| | - Sharon McDonnell
- Wastewater Testing Team, Yarmouth Community Coronavirus Task Force, C/O Yarmouth Town Hall, 200 Main St., Yarmouth, ME 04096, USA
| | - Dan Ostrye
- Wastewater Testing Team, Yarmouth Community Coronavirus Task Force, C/O Yarmouth Town Hall, 200 Main St., Yarmouth, ME 04096, USA
| | - Katrina Hoop
- Department of Social Sciences, University of Maine at Augusta, 46 University Drive, Augusta, ME 04330, USA
| | - Gib Parrish
- Wastewater Testing Team, Yarmouth Community Coronavirus Task Force, C/O Yarmouth Town Hall, 200 Main St., Yarmouth, ME 04096, USA
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Wade MJ, Bunce JT, Petterson S, Ferguson C, Del Campo NC, Gaddis E, Karanis P. Editorial: Wastewater-based epidemiology at the frontier of global public health. JOURNAL OF WATER AND HEALTH 2023; 21:iii-vi. [PMID: 37338311 PMCID: wh_2023_001 DOI: 10.2166/wh.2023.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Wade
- Analytics & Data Science Directorate, UK Health Security Agency, Nobel House, Smith Square, London SW1P 3JR, United Kingdom
| | - Joshua T Bunce
- Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, 2 Marsham Street, London SW1P 4DF, United Kingdom
| | - Susan Petterson
- School of Medicine, Griffith University, North Sydney, 2060, Australia
| | | | - Nohelia Castro Del Campo
- Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo, Carretera a Eldorado k.m. 5.5 Campo El Diez, C.P. 80110. Culiacán, Sinaloa, México
| | - Erica Gaddis
- SWCA Environmental Consultants, 257 East 200 South, Salt Lake City, Utah 84111, USA
| | - Panagiotos Karanis
- Unit of Anatomy and Morphology, University of Nicosia Medical School, 21 Ilia Papakyriakou, 2414 Engomi, CY-1700, Nicosia, Cyprus
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McCarthy MW. Original antigen sin and COVID-19: implications for seasonal vaccination. Expert Opin Biol Ther 2022; 22:1353-1358. [PMID: 36243027 DOI: 10.1080/14712598.2022.2137402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Original antigenic sin describes the phenomenon in which immunity against pathogens or antigens is shaped by the host's first exposure to a related pathogen or antigen. AREAS COVERED When primary immunity is boosted not by the homologous but by a cross-reacting vaccine, the newly formed antibodies may react better with the primary antigen than with the antigen actually eliciting the response. This form of immune imprinting, which has been observed with influenza, dengue, human immunodeficiency virus, and other pathogens, has profound implications for the approach to seasonal vaccination against a variety of diseases, including COVID-19. EXPERT OPINION Public health agencies and regulatory bodies have consistently recommended repeated vaccination every few months as a way to protect against COVID-19. However, the risks and benefits of this approach requires scrutiny given the concern for original antigenic sin in response to SARS-CoV-2. This manuscript examines what is known about immune imprinting and looks ahead to explore how this phenomenon may impact seasonal vaccination against emerging SARS-CoV-2 subvariants such as BA.4, BA.5, and BA.5.1, which have been associated increased transmissibility due to enhanced immune escape.
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