1
|
Ulanova A, Mansfeldt C. EcoGenoRisk: Developing a computational ecological risk assessment tool for synthetic biology. Environ Pollut 2024; 346:123647. [PMID: 38402941 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.123647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
The expanding field of synthetic biology (synbio) supports new opportunities in the design of targeted bioproducts or modified microorganisms. However, this rapid development of synbio products raises concerns surrounding the potential risks of modified microorganisms contaminating unintended environments. These potential invasion risks require new bioinformatic tools to inform the design phase. EcoGenoRisk is a newly constructed computational risk assessment tool for invasiveness that aims to predict where synbio microorganisms may establish a population by screening for habitats of genetically similar microorganisms. The first module of the tool identifies genetically similar microorganisms and potential ecological relationships such as competition, mutualism, and inhibition. In total, 520 archaeal and 32,828 bacterial complete assembly genomes were analyzed to test the specificity and accuracy of the tool as well as to characterize the enzymatic profiles of different taxonomic lineages. Additionally, ecological relationships were analyzed to determine which would result in the greatest potential overlap between shared functional profiles. Notably, competition displayed the significantly highest overlap of shared functions between compared genomes. Overall, EcoGenoRisk is a flexible software pipeline that assists environmental risk assessors to query large databases of known microorganisms and prioritize follow-up bench scale studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Ulanova
- University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, 1111 Engineering Drive, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA; University of Colorado Boulder, Environmental Engineering Program, 4001 Discovery Drive, Boulder, CO, 80303, USA
| | - Cresten Mansfeldt
- University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, 1111 Engineering Drive, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA; University of Colorado Boulder, Environmental Engineering Program, 4001 Discovery Drive, Boulder, CO, 80303, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
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] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Maal-Bared R, Brisolara K, Knight M, Mansfeldt C. To sample or not to sample: A governance-focused decision tree for wastewater service providers considering participation in wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) in support of public health programs. Sci Total Environ 2023; 905:167128. [PMID: 37722431 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) provides value to public health monitoring and protection. Participation of public and private wastewater system operators in WBE efforts is critical to public health surveillance program success and sustainability. However, given the number of WBE solicitations wastewater service providers receive, the limitation of service provider resources, the concerns around privacy, ethics, and equity, and the fatigue associated with responding to COVID-19, operators are becoming more hesitant to participate in WBE efforts. While various ethical concerns and sustainability challenges associated with WBE have been documented, no efforts to date have investigated what factors should systematically influence the decision to provide samples to a WBE effort. Therefore, this study develops a decision-making tool for WBE teams to proactively monitor, manage, and avoid wastewater system operators' operational risks and potential liabilities. Ultimately, using this tool allows WBE program partners in academia, government, and industry to better understand wastewater system operators' needs and challenges surrounding data quality and use, public health ethics, and daily wastewater infrastructure operation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Kari Brisolara
- LSUHSC, School of Public Health, 2020 Gravier St, New Orleans, LA, USA.
| | - Mark Knight
- LuminUltra Technologies Ltd, 520 King St, Fredericton, NB E3B 6G3, Canada.
| | - Cresten Mansfeldt
- Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, 4001 Discovery Drive, Boulder, CO, USA; Environmental Engineering Program, University of Colorado Boulder, 4001 Discovery Drive, Boulder, CO, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Bowes D, Darling A, Driver EM, Kaya D, Maal-Bared R, Lee LM, Goodman K, Adhikari S, Aggarwal S, Bivins A, Bohrerova Z, Cohen A, Duvallet C, Elnimeiry RA, Hutchison JM, Kapoor V, Keenum I, Ling F, Sills D, Tiwari A, Vikesland P, Ziels R, Mansfeldt C. Structured Ethical Review for Wastewater-Based Testing in Support of Public Health. Environ Sci Technol 2023; 57:12969-12980. [PMID: 37611169 PMCID: PMC10484207 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c04529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Revised: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based testing (WBT) for SARS-CoV-2 has rapidly expanded over the past three years due to its ability to provide a comprehensive measurement of disease prevalence independent of clinical testing. The development and simultaneous application of WBT measured biomarkers for research activities and for the pursuit of public health goals, both areas with well-established ethical frameworks. Currently, WBT practitioners do not employ a standardized ethical review process, introducing the potential for adverse outcomes for WBT professionals and community members. To address this deficiency, an interdisciplinary workshop developed a framework for a structured ethical review of WBT. The workshop employed a consensus approach to create this framework as a set of 11 questions derived from primarily public health guidance. This study retrospectively applied these questions to SARS-CoV-2 monitoring programs covering the emergent phase of the pandemic (3/2020-2/2022 (n = 53)). Of note, 43% of answers highlight a lack of reported information to assess. Therefore, a systematic framework would at a minimum structure the communication of ethical considerations for applications of WBT. Consistent application of an ethical review will also assist in developing a practice of updating approaches and techniques to reflect the concerns held by both those practicing and those being monitored by WBT supported programs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Devin
A. Bowes
- Biodesign
Center for Environmental Health Engineering, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, 1001 S. McAllister Ave, Tempe, Arizona 85287, United States
- Center on
Forced Displacement, Boston University, 111 Cummington Mall, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Amanda Darling
- Department
of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, 1145 Perry Street, 415 Durham Hall; Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Erin M. Driver
- Biodesign
Center for Environmental Health Engineering, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, 1001 S. McAllister Ave, Tempe, Arizona 85287, United States
| | - Devrim Kaya
- School of
Chemical, Biological, and Environmental Engineering, Oregon State University, 105 26th St, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, United States
- School of
Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego and Imperial Valley, California 92182, United States
| | - Rasha Maal-Bared
- Quality
Assurance and Environment, EPCOR Water Services Inc., EPCOR Tower, 2000−10423 101
Street NW, Edmonton, Alberta T5H 0E7, Canada
| | - Lisa M. Lee
- Department
of Population Health Sciences and Division of Scholarly Integrity
and Research Compliance, Virginia Tech, 300 Turner St. NW, Suite 4120 (0497), Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Kenneth Goodman
- Institute
for Bioethics and Health Policy, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, Florida 33101, United States
| | - Sangeet Adhikari
- Biodesign
Center for Environmental Health Engineering, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, 1001 S. McAllister Ave, Tempe, Arizona 85287, United States
| | - Srijan Aggarwal
- Department
of Civil, Geological, and Environmental Engineering, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1764 Tanana Loop, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775, United States
| | - Aaron Bivins
- Department
of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Louisiana State University, 3255 Patrick F. Taylor Hall, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, United States
| | - Zuzana Bohrerova
- The Ohio
State University, Department of Civil, Environmental
and Geodetic Engineering, 2070 Neil Avenue, 470 Hitchcock Hall, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | - Alasdair Cohen
- Department
of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, 1145 Perry Street, 415 Durham Hall; Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
- Department
of Population Health Sciences, Virginia
Tech, 205 Duck Pond Drive, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Claire Duvallet
- Biobot
Analytics, Inc., 501
Massachusetts Avenue; Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Rasha A. Elnimeiry
- Public
Health Outbreak Coordination, Informatics, Surveillance (PHOCIS) Office—Surveillance
Section, Division of Disease Control and Health Statistics, Washington State Department of Health, 111 Israel Rd SE, Tumwater, Washington 98501, United States
| | - Justin M. Hutchison
- Department
of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, University of Kansas, 1530 W 15th St, Lawrence, Kansas 66045, United States
| | - Vikram Kapoor
- School
of Civil & Environmental Engineering, and Construction Management, University of Texas at San Antonio, 1 UTSA Circle, San Antonio, Texas 78249, United States
| | - Ishi Keenum
- Complex
Microbial Systems Group, National Institute
of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Dr, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Fangqiong Ling
- Department
of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United States
| | - Deborah Sills
- Department
of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania 17837, United States
| | - Ananda Tiwari
- Department
of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Agnes Sjöberginkatu 2,
P.O. Box 66, FI 00014 Helsinki, Finland
- Expert
Microbiology Unit, Finnish Institute for
Health and Welfare, FI 70600 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Peter Vikesland
- Department
of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, 1145 Perry Street, 415 Durham Hall; Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Ryan Ziels
- Department
of Civil Engineering, The University of
British Columbia, 6250
Applied Science Ln #2002, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Cresten Mansfeldt
- Department
of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, UCB 428, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
- Environmental
Engineering Program, University of Colorado
Boulder, UCB 607, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Bowes DA, Darling A, Driver EM, Kaya D, Maal-Bared R, Lee LM, Goodman K, Adhikari S, Aggarwal S, Bivins A, Bohrerova Z, Cohen A, Duvallet C, Elnimeiry RA, Hutchison JM, Kapoor V, Keenum I, Ling F, Sills D, Tiwari A, Vikesland P, Ziels R, Mansfeldt C. Structured Ethical Review for Wastewater-Based Testing. medRxiv 2023:2023.06.12.23291231. [PMID: 37398480 PMCID: PMC10312843 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.12.23291231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based testing (WBT) for SARS-CoV-2 has rapidly expanded over the past three years due to its ability to provide a comprehensive measurement of disease prevalence independent of clinical testing. The development and simultaneous application of the field blurred the boundary between measuring biomarkers for research activities and for pursuit of public health goals, both areas with well-established ethical frameworks. Currently, WBT practitioners do not employ a standardized ethical review process (or associated data management safeguards), introducing the potential for adverse outcomes for WBT professionals and community members. To address this deficiency, an interdisciplinary group developed a framework for a structured ethical review of WBT. The workshop employed a consensus approach to create this framework as a set of 11-questions derived from primarily public health guidance because of the common exemption of wastewater samples to human subject research considerations. This study retrospectively applied the set of questions to peer- reviewed published reports on SARS-CoV-2 monitoring campaigns covering the emergent phase of the pandemic from March 2020 to February 2022 (n=53). Overall, 43% of the responses to the questions were unable to be assessed because of lack of reported information. It is therefore hypothesized that a systematic framework would at a minimum improve the communication of key ethical considerations for the application of WBT. Consistent application of a standardized ethical review will also assist in developing an engaged practice of critically applying and updating approaches and techniques to reflect the concerns held by both those practicing and being monitored by WBT supported campaigns. Abstract Figure Synopsis Development of a structured ethical review facilitates retrospective analysis of published studies and drafted scenarios in the context of wastewater-based testing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Devin A. Bowes
- Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, 1001 S. McAllister Ave, Tempe, AZ, 85287
- Center on Forced Displacement, Boston University, 111 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA, 02215
| | - Amanda Darling
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, 1145 Perry Street; 415 Durham Hall; Blacksburg, VA 24061
| | - Erin M. Driver
- Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, 1001 S. McAllister Ave, Tempe, AZ, 85287
| | - Devrim Kaya
- School of Chemical, Biological, and Environmental Engineering, Oregon State University, 105 26th St, Corvallis, Oregon 97331
- School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego and Imperial Valley, CA
| | - Rasha Maal-Bared
- Quality Assurance and Environment, EPCOR Water Services Inc., EPCOR Tower, 2000–10423 101 Street NW, Edmonton, Alberta, CA
| | - Lisa M. Lee
- Department of Population Health Sciences and Division of Scholarly Integrity and Research Compliance, Virginia Tech, 300 Turner St. NW, Suite 4120 (0497), Blacksburg, VA 24061
| | - Kenneth Goodman
- Institute for Bioethics and Health Policy, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, Florida
| | - Sangeet Adhikari
- Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, 1001 S. McAllister Ave, Tempe, AZ, 85287
| | - Srijan Aggarwal
- Department of Civil, Geological, and Environmental Engineering, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1764 Tanana Loop, Fairbanks, AK 99775
| | - Aaron Bivins
- Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Louisiana State University, 3255 Patrick F. Taylor Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803
| | - Zuzana Bohrerova
- The Ohio State University, Department of Civil, Environmental and Geodetic Engineering, 2070 Neil Avenue, 470 Hitchcock Hall, Columbus, OH 43210
| | - Alasdair Cohen
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, 1145 Perry Street; 415 Durham Hall; Blacksburg, VA 24061
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Virginia Tech, 205 Duck Pond Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061
| | - Claire Duvallet
- Biobot Analytics, Inc., 501 Massachusetts Avenue; Cambridge, MA; 02139
| | - Rasha A. Elnimeiry
- Public Health Outbreak Coordination, Informatics, Surveillance (PHOCIS) Office – Surveillance Section, Division of Disease Control and Health Statistics, Washington State Department of Health, 111 Israel Rd SE, Tumwater, WA 98501
| | - Justin M. Hutchison
- Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, University of Kansas, 1530 W 15th St, Lawrence, KS 66045
| | - Vikram Kapoor
- School of Civil & Environmental Engineering, and Construction Management, University of Texas at San Antonio, 1 UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX 78249
| | - Ishi Keenum
- Complex Microbial Systems Group, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Dr, Gaithersburg, MD 20899
| | - Fangqiong Ling
- Department of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO, 63130
| | - Deborah Sills
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA, 17837
| | - Ananda Tiwari
- Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Agnes Sjöberginkatu 2 P.O. Box 66 FI 00014 Helsinki, Finland
- Expert Microbiology Unit, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Peter Vikesland
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, 1145 Perry Street; 415 Durham Hall; Blacksburg, VA 24061
| | - Ryan Ziels
- Department of Civil Engineering, the University of British Columbia, 6250 Applied Science Ln #2002, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4
| | - Cresten Mansfeldt
- Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, UCB 428, Boulder, CO 80309
- Environmental Engineering Program, University of Colorado Boulder, UCB 607, Boulder, CO 80309
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Johnson W, Reeves K, Liebig J, Feula A, Butler C, Alkire M, Singh S, Litton S, O'Conor K, Jones K, Ortega N, Shimek T, Witteman J, Bjorkman KK, Mansfeldt C. Effectiveness of building-level sewage surveillance during both community-spread and sporadic-infection phases of SARS-CoV-2 in a university campus population. FEMS Microbes 2022; 3:xtac024. [PMID: 37332508 PMCID: PMC10117889 DOI: 10.1093/femsmc/xtac024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2022] [Revised: 08/27/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Pathogen surveillance within wastewater rapidly progressed during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and informed public health management. In addition to the successful monitoring of entire sewer catchment basins at the treatment facility scale, subcatchment or building-level monitoring enabled targeted support of resource deployment. However, optimizing the temporal and spatial resolution of these monitoring programs remains complex due to population dynamics and within-sewer physical, chemical, and biological processes. To address these limitations, this study explores the advancement of the building-scale network that monitored the on-campus residential population at the University of Colorado Boulder between August 2020 and May 2021 through a daily SARS-CoV-2 surveillance campaign. During the study period, SARS-CoV-2 infection prevalence transitioned from robust community spread in Fall 2020 to sporadic infections in Spring 2021. Temporally, these distinct phases enabled investigating the effectiveness of resource commitment by exploring subsets of the original daily sampling data. Spatially, select sampling sites were installed along the flow path of the pipe network, enabling the exploration of the conservation of viral concentrations within the wastewater. Infection prevalence and resource commitment for informed action displayed an inverted relationship: higher temporal and spatial resolution surveillance is more imperative during sporadic infection phases than during high prevalence periods. This relationship was reinforced when norovirus (two minor clusters) and influenza (primarily absent) were additionally surveilled at a weekly frequency. Overall, resource commitment should scale to meet the objectives of the monitoring campaign-providing a general prevalence estimate requires fewer resources than an early-warning and targeted-action monitoring framework.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- William Johnson
- Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, 1111 Engineering Drive, Boulder, CO 80309, United States
- Environmental Engineering Program, University of Colorado Boulder, 4001 Discovery Drive, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Katelyn Reeves
- Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, 1111 Engineering Drive, Boulder, CO 80309, United States
- Environmental Engineering Program, University of Colorado Boulder, 4001 Discovery Drive, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Jennifer Liebig
- BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, 3415 Colorado Avenue, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Antonio Feula
- BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, 3415 Colorado Avenue, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Claire Butler
- Environmental Engineering Program, University of Colorado Boulder, 4001 Discovery Drive, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Michaela Alkire
- Environmental Engineering Program, University of Colorado Boulder, 4001 Discovery Drive, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Samiha Singh
- Environmental Engineering Program, University of Colorado Boulder, 4001 Discovery Drive, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Shelby Litton
- Environmental Engineering Program, University of Colorado Boulder, 4001 Discovery Drive, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Kerry O'Conor
- Environmental Engineering Program, University of Colorado Boulder, 4001 Discovery Drive, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Keaton Jones
- Environmental Engineering Program, University of Colorado Boulder, 4001 Discovery Drive, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Nikolas Ortega
- Environmental Engineering Program, University of Colorado Boulder, 4001 Discovery Drive, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Trace Shimek
- Environmental Engineering Program, University of Colorado Boulder, 4001 Discovery Drive, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Julia Witteman
- Environmental Engineering Program, University of Colorado Boulder, 4001 Discovery Drive, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Kristen K Bjorkman
- BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, 3415 Colorado Avenue, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Cresten Mansfeldt
- Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, 1111 Engineering Drive, Boulder, CO 80309, United States
- Environmental Engineering Program, University of Colorado Boulder, 4001 Discovery Drive, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Bivins A, Kaya D, Ahmed W, Brown J, Butler C, Greaves J, Leal R, Maas K, Rao G, Sherchan S, Sills D, Sinclair R, Wheeler RT, Mansfeldt C. Passive sampling to scale wastewater surveillance of infectious disease: Lessons learned from COVID-19. Sci Total Environ 2022; 835:155347. [PMID: 35460780 PMCID: PMC9020839 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Revised: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Much of what is known and theorized concerning passive sampling techniques has been developed considering chemical analytes. Yet, historically, biological analytes, such as Salmonella typhi, have been collected from wastewater via passive sampling with Moore swabs. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, passive sampling is re-emerging as a promising technique to monitor SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater. Method comparisons and disease surveillance using composite, grab, and passive sampling for SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection have found passive sampling with a variety of materials routinely produced qualitative results superior to grab samples and useful for sub-sewershed surveillance of COVID-19. Among individual studies, SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations derived from passive samplers demonstrated heterogeneous correlation with concentrations from paired composite samples ranging from weak (R2 = 0.27, 0.31) to moderate (R2 = 0.59) to strong (R2 = 0.76). Among passive sampler materials, electronegative membranes have shown great promise with linear uptake of SARS-CoV-2 RNA observed for exposure durations of 24 to 48 h and in several cases RNA positivity on par with composite samples. Continuing development of passive sampling methods for the surveillance of infectious diseases via diverse forms of fecal waste should focus on optimizing sampler materials for the efficient uptake and recovery of biological analytes, kit-free extraction, and resource-efficient testing methods capable of rapidly producing qualitative or quantitative data. With such refinements passive sampling could prove to be a fundamental tool for scaling wastewater surveillance of infectious disease, especially among the 1.8 billion persons living in low-resource settings served by non-traditional wastewater collection infrastructure.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Aaron Bivins
- Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Louisiana State University, 3255 Patrick F. Taylor Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA.
| | - Devrim Kaya
- School of Chemical, Biological, and Environmental Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Warish Ahmed
- CSIRO Land and Water, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, Dutton Park, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Joe Brown
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7431, USA
| | - Caitlyn Butler
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 130 Natural Resources Rd., Amherst, MA 01003, USA
| | - Justin Greaves
- School of Environmental Sustainability, Loyola University Chicago, 6364 N. Sheridan Rd, Chicago, IL 60660, USA
| | - Raeann Leal
- Loma Linda University, School of Public Health, 24951 North Circle Drive, Loma Linda, CA 92354, USA
| | - Kendra Maas
- Microbial Analyses, Resources, and Services Facility, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA
| | - Gouthami Rao
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7431, USA
| | - Samendra Sherchan
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA; Center for Climate and Health, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD 21251, USA
| | - Deborah Sills
- Bucknell University, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Lewisburg, PA 17837, USA
| | - Ryan Sinclair
- Loma Linda University, School of Public Health, 24951 North Circle Drive, Loma Linda, CA 92354, USA
| | - Robert T Wheeler
- Department of Molecular & Biomedical Sciences, University of Maine, 5735 Hitchner Hall, Orono, ME 04469, USA; Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering, University of Maine, 5735 Hitchner Hall, Orono, ME 04469, USA
| | - Cresten Mansfeldt
- University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, 1111 Engineering Drive, Boulder, CO 80309, USA; University of Colorado Boulder, Environmental Engineering Program, 4001 Discovery Dr, Boulder, CO 80303, USA
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Reeves K, Liebig J, Feula A, Saldi T, Lasda E, Johnson W, Lilienfeld J, Maggi J, Pulley K, Wilkerson PJ, Real B, Zak G, Davis J, Fink M, Gonzales P, Hager C, Ozeroff C, Tat K, Alkire M, Butler C, Coe E, Darby J, Freeman N, Heuer H, Jones JR, Karr M, Key S, Maxwell K, Nelson L, Saldana E, Shea R, Salveson L, Tomlinson K, Vargas-Barriga J, Vigil B, Brisson G, Parker R, Leinwand LA, Bjorkman K, Mansfeldt C. High-resolution within-sewer SARS-CoV-2 surveillance facilitates informed intervention. Water Res 2021; 204:117613. [PMID: 34500183 PMCID: PMC8402945 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2021] [Revised: 08/24/2021] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
To assist in the COVID-19 public health guidance on a college campus, daily composite wastewater samples were withdrawn at 20 manhole locations across the University of Colorado Boulder campus. Low-cost autosamplers were fabricated in-house to enable an economical approach to this distributed study. These sample stations operated from August 25th until November 23rd during the fall 2020 semester, with 1512 samples collected. The concentration of SARS-CoV-2 in each sample was quantified through two comparative reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reactions (RT-qPCRs). These methods were distinct in the utilization of technical replicates and normalization to an endogenous control. (1) Higher temporal resolution compensates for supply chain or other constraints that prevent technical or biological replicates. (2) The data normalized by an endogenous control agreed with the raw concentration data, minimizing the utility of normalization. The raw wastewater concentration values reflected SARS-CoV-2 prevalence on campus as detected by clinical services. Overall, combining the low-cost composite sampler with a method that quantifies the SARS-CoV-2 signal within six hours enabled actionable and time-responsive data delivered to key stakeholders. With daily reporting of the findings, wastewater surveillance assisted in decision making during critical phases of the pandemic on campus, from detecting individual cases within populations ranging from 109 to 2048 individuals to monitoring the success of on-campus interventions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Katelyn Reeves
- University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, 1111 Engineering Drive, Boulder, CO 80309, United States; University of Colorado Boulder, Environmental Engineering Program, 4001 Discovery Dr, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Jennifer Liebig
- University of Colorado Boulder, BioFrontiers Institute, 3415 Colorado Avenue, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Antonio Feula
- University of Colorado Boulder, BioFrontiers Institute, 3415 Colorado Avenue, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Tassa Saldi
- University of Colorado Boulder, BioFrontiers Institute, 3415 Colorado Avenue, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Erika Lasda
- University of Colorado Boulder, BioFrontiers Institute, 3415 Colorado Avenue, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - William Johnson
- University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, 1111 Engineering Drive, Boulder, CO 80309, United States; University of Colorado Boulder, Environmental Engineering Program, 4001 Discovery Dr, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Jacob Lilienfeld
- University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, 1111 Engineering Drive, Boulder, CO 80309, United States
| | - Juniper Maggi
- University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, 1111 Engineering Drive, Boulder, CO 80309, United States; University of Colorado Boulder, Environmental Engineering Program, 4001 Discovery Dr, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Kevin Pulley
- University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, 1111 Engineering Drive, Boulder, CO 80309, United States; University of Colorado Boulder, Environmental Engineering Program, 4001 Discovery Dr, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Paul J Wilkerson
- University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, 1111 Engineering Drive, Boulder, CO 80309, United States; University of Colorado Boulder, Environmental Engineering Program, 4001 Discovery Dr, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Breanna Real
- University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, 1111 Engineering Drive, Boulder, CO 80309, United States; University of Colorado Boulder, Environmental Engineering Program, 4001 Discovery Dr, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Gordon Zak
- University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, 1111 Engineering Drive, Boulder, CO 80309, United States; University of Colorado Boulder, Environmental Engineering Program, 4001 Discovery Dr, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Jack Davis
- University of Colorado Boulder, BioFrontiers Institute, 3415 Colorado Avenue, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Morgan Fink
- University of Colorado Boulder, BioFrontiers Institute, 3415 Colorado Avenue, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Patrick Gonzales
- University of Colorado Boulder, BioFrontiers Institute, 3415 Colorado Avenue, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Cole Hager
- University of Colorado Boulder, BioFrontiers Institute, 3415 Colorado Avenue, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Christopher Ozeroff
- University of Colorado Boulder, BioFrontiers Institute, 3415 Colorado Avenue, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Kimngan Tat
- University of Colorado Boulder, BioFrontiers Institute, 3415 Colorado Avenue, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Michaela Alkire
- University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, 1111 Engineering Drive, Boulder, CO 80309, United States; University of Colorado Boulder, Environmental Engineering Program, 4001 Discovery Dr, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Claire Butler
- University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, 1111 Engineering Drive, Boulder, CO 80309, United States; University of Colorado Boulder, Environmental Engineering Program, 4001 Discovery Dr, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Elle Coe
- University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, 1111 Engineering Drive, Boulder, CO 80309, United States; University of Colorado Boulder, Environmental Engineering Program, 4001 Discovery Dr, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Jessica Darby
- University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, 1111 Engineering Drive, Boulder, CO 80309, United States; University of Colorado Boulder, Environmental Engineering Program, 4001 Discovery Dr, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Nicholas Freeman
- University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, 1111 Engineering Drive, Boulder, CO 80309, United States; University of Colorado Boulder, Environmental Engineering Program, 4001 Discovery Dr, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Heidi Heuer
- University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, 1111 Engineering Drive, Boulder, CO 80309, United States; University of Colorado Boulder, Environmental Engineering Program, 4001 Discovery Dr, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Jeffery R Jones
- University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, 1111 Engineering Drive, Boulder, CO 80309, United States; University of Colorado Boulder, Environmental Engineering Program, 4001 Discovery Dr, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Madeline Karr
- University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, 1111 Engineering Drive, Boulder, CO 80309, United States; University of Colorado Boulder, Environmental Engineering Program, 4001 Discovery Dr, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Sara Key
- University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, 1111 Engineering Drive, Boulder, CO 80309, United States; University of Colorado Boulder, Environmental Engineering Program, 4001 Discovery Dr, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Kiersten Maxwell
- University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, 1111 Engineering Drive, Boulder, CO 80309, United States; University of Colorado Boulder, Environmental Engineering Program, 4001 Discovery Dr, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Lauren Nelson
- University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, 1111 Engineering Drive, Boulder, CO 80309, United States; University of Colorado Boulder, Environmental Engineering Program, 4001 Discovery Dr, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Emily Saldana
- University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, 1111 Engineering Drive, Boulder, CO 80309, United States; University of Colorado Boulder, Environmental Engineering Program, 4001 Discovery Dr, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Rachel Shea
- University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, 1111 Engineering Drive, Boulder, CO 80309, United States; University of Colorado Boulder, Environmental Engineering Program, 4001 Discovery Dr, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Lewis Salveson
- University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, 1111 Engineering Drive, Boulder, CO 80309, United States; University of Colorado Boulder, Environmental Engineering Program, 4001 Discovery Dr, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Kate Tomlinson
- University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, 1111 Engineering Drive, Boulder, CO 80309, United States; University of Colorado Boulder, Environmental Engineering Program, 4001 Discovery Dr, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Jorge Vargas-Barriga
- University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, 1111 Engineering Drive, Boulder, CO 80309, United States; University of Colorado Boulder, Environmental Engineering Program, 4001 Discovery Dr, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Bailey Vigil
- University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, 1111 Engineering Drive, Boulder, CO 80309, United States; University of Colorado Boulder, Environmental Engineering Program, 4001 Discovery Dr, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Gloria Brisson
- University of Colorado Boulder, Medical Services, 1900 Wardenburg Drive, Boulder, CO 80309, United States
| | - Roy Parker
- University of Colorado Boulder, BioFrontiers Institute, 3415 Colorado Avenue, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Leslie A Leinwand
- University of Colorado Boulder, BioFrontiers Institute, 3415 Colorado Avenue, Boulder, CO 80303, United States; University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, 1945 Colorado Avenue, Boulder, CO 80309, United States
| | - Kristen Bjorkman
- University of Colorado Boulder, BioFrontiers Institute, 3415 Colorado Avenue, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Cresten Mansfeldt
- University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, 1111 Engineering Drive, Boulder, CO 80309, United States; University of Colorado Boulder, Environmental Engineering Program, 4001 Discovery Dr, Boulder, CO 80303, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
McClary-Gutierrez JS, Aanderud ZT, Al-Faliti M, Duvallet C, Gonzalez R, Guzman J, Holm RH, Jahne MA, Kantor RS, Katsivelis P, Kuhn KG, Langan LM, Mansfeldt C, McLellan SL, Grijalva LMM, Murnane KS, Naughton CC, Packman AI, Paraskevopoulos S, Radniecki TS, Roman FA, Shrestha A, Stadler LB, Steele JA, Swalla BM, Vikesland P, Wartell B, Wilusz CJ, Wong JCC, Boehm AB, Halden RU, Bibby K, Vela JD. Standardizing data reporting in the research community to enhance the utility of open data for SARS-CoV-2 wastewater surveillance. Environ Sci (Camb) 2021; 9:10.1039/d1ew00235j. [PMID: 34567579 PMCID: PMC8459677 DOI: 10.1039/d1ew00235j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection in wastewater is being rapidly developed and adopted as a public health monitoring tool worldwide. With wastewater surveillance programs being implemented across many different scales and by many different stakeholders, it is critical that data collected and shared are accompanied by an appropriate minimal amount of metainformation to enable meaningful interpretation and use of this new information source and intercomparison across datasets. While some databases are being developed for specific surveillance programs locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally, common globally-adopted data standards have not yet been established within the research community. Establishing such standards will require national and international consensus on what metainformation should accompany SARS-CoV-2 wastewater measurements. To establish a recommendation on minimum information to accompany reporting of SARS-CoV-2 occurrence in wastewater for the research community, the United States National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Coordination Network on Wastewater Surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 hosted a workshop in February 2021 with participants from academia, government agencies, private companies, wastewater utilities, public health laboratories, and research institutes. This report presents the primary two outcomes of the workshop: (i) a recommendation on the set of minimum meta-information that is needed to confidently interpret wastewater SARS-CoV-2 data, and (ii) insights from workshop discussions on how to improve standardization of data reporting.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jill S McClary-Gutierrez
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Zachary T Aanderud
- Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Mitham Al-Faliti
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Howard University, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | - Raul Gonzalez
- Hampton Roads Sanitation District, Virginia Beach, VA, USA
| | - Joe Guzman
- Orange County Public Health Laboratory, Newport Beach, CA, USA
| | - Rochelle H Holm
- Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute, University of Louisville, 302 E. Muhammad Ali Blvd., Louisville, KY, 40202, USA
| | | | - Rose S Kantor
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | | | - Katrin Gaardbo Kuhn
- Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
| | - Laura M Langan
- Center for Reservoir and Aquatic Systems Research, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
| | - Cresten Mansfeldt
- Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Sandra L McLellan
- School of Freshwater Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | | | - Kevin S Murnane
- Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology & Neuroscience, Louisiana State University Health - Shreveport, Shreveport, LA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Louisiana State University Health - Shreveport, Shreveport, LA, USA
- Louisiana Addiction Research Center, Louisiana State University Health - Shreveport, Shreveport, LA, USA
| | - Colleen C Naughton
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Merced, CA, USA
| | - Aaron I Packman
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern Center for Water Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | | | - Tyler S Radniecki
- School of Chemical, Biological, and Environmental Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Fernando A Roman
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Merced, CA, USA
| | - Abhilasha Shrestha
- Division of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Lauren B Stadler
- Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Joshua A Steele
- Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, Costa Mesa, CA, USA
| | | | - Peter Vikesland
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Brian Wartell
- Department of Environmental Engineering, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Carol J Wilusz
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | | | - Alexandria B Boehm
- Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Rolf U Halden
- Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- OneWaterOneHealth, Arizona State University Foundation, Tempe, AZ, USA
- AquaVitas, LLC, Scottsdale, AZ, USA
| | - Kyle Bibby
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Jeseth Delgado Vela
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Howard University, Washington, DC, USA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Mansfeldt C, Deiner K, Mächler E, Fenner K, Eggen RIL, Stamm C, Schönenberger U, Walser JC, Altermatt F. Microbial community shifts in streams receiving treated wastewater effluent. Sci Total Environ 2020; 709:135727. [PMID: 31887504 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.135727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2019] [Revised: 10/22/2019] [Accepted: 11/22/2019] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents release not only chemical constituents in watersheds, but also contain microorganisms. Thus, an understanding of what microorganisms are released and how they change microbial communities within natural streams is needed. To characterize the community shifts in streams receiving WWTP effluent, we sampled water-column microorganisms from upstream, downstream, and the effluent of WWTPs located on 23 headwater streams in which no other effluent was released upstream. We characterized the bacterial community by sequencing the V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. We hypothesized that the downstream community profile would be a hydraulic mixture between the two sources (i.e., upstream and effluent). In ordination analyses, the downstream bacterial community profile was a mixture between the upstream and effluent. For 14 of the sites, the main contribution (>50%) to the downstream community originated from bacteria in the WWTP effluent and significant shifts in relative abundance of specific sequence variants were detected. These shifts in sequence variants may serve as general bioindicators of wastewater-effluent influenced streams, with a human-gut related Ruminococcus genus displaying the highest shift (30-fold higher abundances downstream). However, not all taxa composition changes were predicted based on hydraulic mixing alone. Specifically, the decrease of Cyanobacteria/Chloroplast reads was not adequately described by hydraulic mixing. The potential alteration of stream microbial communities via a high inflow of human-gut related bacteria and a decrease in autotrophic functional groups resulting from WWTP effluent creates the potential for general shifts in stream ecosystem function.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cresten Mansfeldt
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Kristy Deiner
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland; Natural History Museum London, London, UK.
| | - Elvira Mächler
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland; Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Kathrin Fenner
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland; Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH, Zürich, Switzerland; Chemistry Department, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Rik I L Eggen
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland; Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Christian Stamm
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Urs Schönenberger
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | | | - Florian Altermatt
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland; Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Mansfeldt C, Achermann S, Men Y, Walser JC, Villez K, Joss A, Johnson DR, Fenner K. Microbial residence time is a controlling parameter of the taxonomic composition and functional profile of microbial communities. ISME J 2019; 13:1589-1601. [PMID: 30787397 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-019-0371-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2018] [Revised: 01/29/2019] [Accepted: 02/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
A remaining challenge within microbial ecology is to understand the determinants of richness and diversity observed in environmental microbial communities. In a range of systems, including activated sludge bioreactors, the microbial residence time (MRT) has been previously shown to shape the microbial community composition. However, the physiological and ecological mechanisms driving this influence have remained unclear. Here, this relationship is explored by analyzing an activated sludge system fed with municipal wastewater. Using a model designed in this study based on Monod-growth kinetics, longer MRTs were shown to increase the range of growth parameters that enable persistence, resulting in increased richness and diversity in the modeled community. In laboratory experiments, six sequencing batch reactors treating domestic wastewater were operated in parallel at MRTs between 1 and 15 days. The communities were characterized using both 16S ribosomal RNA and non-target messenger RNA sequencing (metatranscriptomic analysis), and model-predicted monotonic increases in richness were confirmed in both profiles. Accordingly, taxonomic Shannon diversity also increased with MRT. In contrast, the diversity in enzyme class annotations resulting from the metatranscriptomic analysis displayed a non-monotonic trend over the MRT gradient. Disproportionately high abundances of transcripts encoding for rarer enzymes occur at longer MRTs and lead to the disconnect between taxonomic and functional diversity profiles.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cresten Mansfeldt
- Department of Environmental Chemistry, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Eawag, Überlandstrasse 133, 8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland.
| | - Stefan Achermann
- Department of Environmental Chemistry, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Eawag, Überlandstrasse 133, 8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland.,Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, ETH Zürich, 8092, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Yujie Men
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois, 205N. Mathews Ave., Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Jean-Claude Walser
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, Genetic Diversity Centre, ETH Zürich, Universitätstrasse 16, 8006, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Kris Villez
- Department of Process Engineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Eawag, Überlandstrasse 133, 8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Adriano Joss
- Department of Process Engineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Eawag, Überlandstrasse 133, 8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - David R Johnson
- Department of Environmental Microbiology, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Eawag, Überlandstrasse 133, 8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Kathrin Fenner
- Department of Environmental Chemistry, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Eawag, Überlandstrasse 133, 8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland.,Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, ETH Zürich, 8092, Zürich, Switzerland.,Department of Chemistry, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zürich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|