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Zhou T, Li X, Liu H, Dong S, Zhang Z, Wang Z, Li J, Nghiem LD, Khan SJ, Wang Q. Occurrence, fate, and remediation for per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in sewage sludge: A comprehensive review. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2024; 466:133637. [PMID: 38306831 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.133637] [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: 09/21/2023] [Revised: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/04/2024]
Abstract
Addressing per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination is an urgent environmental concern. While most research has focused on PFAS contamination in water matrices, comparatively little attention has been given to sludge, a significant by-product of wastewater treatment. This critical review presents the latest information on emission sources, global distribution, international regulations, analytical methods, and remediation technologies for PFAS in sludge and biosolids from wastewater treatment plants. PFAS concentrations in sludge matrices are typically in hundreds of ng/g dry weight (dw) in developed countries but are rarely reported in developing and least-developed countries due to the limited analytical capability. In comparison to water samples, efficient extraction and cleaning procedures are crucial for PFAS detection in sludge samples. While regulations on PFAS have mainly focused on soil due to biosolids reuse, only two countries have set limits on PFAS in sludge or biosolids with a maximum of 100 ng/g dw for major PFAS. Biological technologies using microbes and enzymes present in sludge are considered as having high potential for PFAS remediation, as they are eco-friendly, low-cost, and promising. By contrast, physical/chemical methods are either energy-intensive or linked to further challenges with PFAS contamination and disposal. The findings of this review deepen our comprehension of PFAS in sludge and have guided future research recommendations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting Zhou
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Xuan Li
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia.
| | - Huan Liu
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Shiman Dong
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Via Accademia Albertina 13, Turin 10123, Italy
| | - Zehao Zhang
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Zhenyao Wang
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Jibin Li
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Long D Nghiem
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Stuart J Khan
- School of Civil Engineering, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Qilin Wang
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia.
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Parkins MD, Lee BE, Acosta N, Bautista M, Hubert CRJ, Hrudey SE, Frankowski K, Pang XL. Wastewater-based surveillance as a tool for public health action: SARS-CoV-2 and beyond. Clin Microbiol Rev 2024; 37:e0010322. [PMID: 38095438 PMCID: PMC10938902 DOI: 10.1128/cmr.00103-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) has undergone dramatic advancement in the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The power and potential of this platform technology were rapidly realized when it became evident that not only did WBS-measured SARS-CoV-2 RNA correlate strongly with COVID-19 clinical disease within monitored populations but also, in fact, it functioned as a leading indicator. Teams from across the globe rapidly innovated novel approaches by which wastewater could be collected from diverse sewersheds ranging from wastewater treatment plants (enabling community-level surveillance) to more granular locations including individual neighborhoods and high-risk buildings such as long-term care facilities (LTCF). Efficient processes enabled SARS-CoV-2 RNA extraction and concentration from the highly dilute wastewater matrix. Molecular and genomic tools to identify, quantify, and characterize SARS-CoV-2 and its various variants were adapted from clinical programs and applied to these mixed environmental systems. Novel data-sharing tools allowed this information to be mobilized and made immediately available to public health and government decision-makers and even the public, enabling evidence-informed decision-making based on local disease dynamics. WBS has since been recognized as a tool of transformative potential, providing near-real-time cost-effective, objective, comprehensive, and inclusive data on the changing prevalence of measured analytes across space and time in populations. However, as a consequence of rapid innovation from hundreds of teams simultaneously, tremendous heterogeneity currently exists in the SARS-CoV-2 WBS literature. This manuscript provides a state-of-the-art review of WBS as established with SARS-CoV-2 and details the current work underway expanding its scope to other infectious disease targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael D. Parkins
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- O’Brien Institute of Public Health, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Bonita E. Lee
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Nicole Acosta
- Department of Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Maria Bautista
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Casey R. J. Hubert
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Steve E. Hrudey
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Kevin Frankowski
- Advancing Canadian Water Assets, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Xiao-Li Pang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Provincial Health Laboratory, Alberta Health Services, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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3
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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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4
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Choi BJ, Hoselton S, Njau GN, Idamawatta I, Carson P, McEvoy J. Estimating the prevalence of COVID-19 cases through the analysis of SARS-CoV-2 RNA copies derived from wastewater samples from North Dakota. GLOBAL EPIDEMIOLOGY 2023; 6:100124. [PMID: 37881481 PMCID: PMC10594563 DOI: 10.1016/j.gloepi.2023.100124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Revised: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 virus was first detected in December 2019, which prompted many researchers to investigate how the virus spreads. SARS-CoV-2 is mainly transmitted through respiratory droplets. Symptoms of the SARS-CoV-2 virus appear after an incubation period. Moreover, the asymptomatic infected individuals unknowingly spread the virus. Detecting infected people requires daily tests and contact tracing, which are expensive. The early detection of infectious diseases, including COVID-19, can be achieved with wastewater-based epidemiology, which is timely and cost-effective. In this study, we collected wastewater samples from wastewater treatment plants in several cities in North Dakota and then extracted viral RNA copies. We used log-RNA copies in the model to predict the number of infected cases using Quantile Regression (QR) and K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN) Regression. The model's performance was evaluated by comparing the Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE). The QR model performs well in cities where the population is >10000 . In addition, the model predictions were compared with the basic Susceptible-Infected-Recovered (SIR) model which is the golden standard model for infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bong-Jin Choi
- Department of Statistics and Department of Public Health, North Dakota State University, United States of America
| | - Scott Hoselton
- Department of Microbiological Sciences, North Dakota State University, United States of America
| | - Grace N. Njau
- North Dakota Department of Health, United States of America
| | - I.G.C.G. Idamawatta
- Department of Statistics, North Dakota State University, United States of America
| | - Paul Carson
- Center for Immunization Research and Education (CIRE), Department of Public Health, North Dakota State University, United States of America
| | - John McEvoy
- Department of Microbiological Sciences, North Dakota State University, United States of America
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Kumar M, Joshi M, Jiang G, Yamada R, Honda R, Srivastava V, Mahlknecht J, Barcelo D, Chidambram S, Khursheed A, Graham DW, Goswami R, Kuroda K, Tiwari A, Joshi C. Response of wastewater-based epidemiology predictor for the second wave of COVID-19 in Ahmedabad, India: A long-term data Perspective. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2023; 337:122471. [PMID: 37652227 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122471] [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: 05/06/2023] [Revised: 07/30/2023] [Accepted: 08/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
In this work, we present an eight-month longitudinal study of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) in Ahmedabad, India, where wastewater surveillance was introduced in September 2020 after the successful containment of the first wave of COVID-19 to predict the resurge of the infection during the second wave of the pandemic. The study aims to elucidate the weekly resolution of the SARS-CoV-2 RNA data for eight months in wastewater samples to predict the COVID-19 situation and identify hotspots in Ahmedabad. A total of 287 samples were analyzed for SARS-CoV-2 RNA using RT-PCR, and Spearman's rank correlation was applied to depict the early warning potential of WBE. During September 2020 to April 2021, the increasing number of positive wastewater influent samples correlated with the growing number of confirmed clinical cases. It also showed clear evidence of early detection of the second wave of COVID-19 in Ahmedabad (March 2021). 258 out of a total 287 samples were detected positive with at least two out of three SARS-CoV-2 genes (N, ORF- 1 ab, and S). Monthly variation represented a significant decline in all three gene copies in October compared to September 2020, followed by an abrupt increase in November 2020. A similar increment in the gene copies was observed in March and April 2021, which would be an indicator of the second wave of COVID-19. A lead time of 1-2 weeks was observed in the change of gene concentrations compared with clinically confirmed cases. Measured wastewater ORF- 1 ab gene copies ranged from 6.1 x 102 (October 2020) to 1.4 x 104 (November 2020) copies/mL, and wastewater gene levels typically lead to confirmed cases by one to two weeks. The study highlights the value of WBE as a monitoring tool to predict waves within a pandemic, identify local disease hotspots within a city, and guide rapid management interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manish Kumar
- Sustainability Cluster, School of Advanced Engineering, UPES, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, 248007, India; Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Campus Monterey, Monterrey, 64849, Nuevo Leon, Mexico.
| | - Madhvi Joshi
- Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, 248007, India
| | - Guangming Jiang
- School of Civil, Mining, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Wollongong, Australia
| | - Rintaro Yamada
- Faculty of Geosciences and Civil Engineering, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, 920-1192, Japan; Yachiyo Engineering Co., Ltd. Tokyo, 111-8648, Japan
| | - Ryo Honda
- Faculty of Geosciences and Civil Engineering, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, 920-1192, Japan
| | - Vaibhav Srivastava
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of Allahabad, Prayagraj, 211002, India
| | - Jürgen Mahlknecht
- Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Campus Monterey, Monterrey, 64849, Nuevo Leon, Mexico
| | - Damia Barcelo
- Sustainability Cluster, School of Advanced Engineering, UPES, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, 248007, India; Department of Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC), Jordi Girona, 18-26, 08034, Barcelona, Spain; Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA-CERCA), Parc Científic i Tecnol'ogic de la Universitat de Girona, c/Emili Grahit, 101, Edifici H2O, 17003, Girona, Spain
| | | | - Anwar Khursheed
- Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11421, Saudi Arabia
| | - David W Graham
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK
| | - Ritusmita Goswami
- Centre for Ecology, Environment and Sustainable Development, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Guwahati, India
| | - Keisuke Kuroda
- Department of Environmental and Civil Engineering, Toyama Prefectural University, 5180 Kurokawa, Imizu, 939-0398, Japan
| | - Ananda Tiwari
- Expert Microbiology Unit, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, 70701 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Chaitanya Joshi
- Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, 248007, India
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6
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Li X, Liu H, Gao L, Sherchan SP, Zhou T, Khan SJ, van Loosdrecht MCM, Wang Q. Wastewater-based epidemiology predicts COVID-19-induced weekly new hospital admissions in over 150 USA counties. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4548. [PMID: 37507407 PMCID: PMC10382499 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40305-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Although the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) emergency status is easing, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect healthcare systems globally. It is crucial to have a reliable and population-wide prediction tool for estimating COVID-19-induced hospital admissions. We evaluated the feasibility of using wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) to predict COVID-19-induced weekly new hospitalizations in 159 counties across 45 states in the United States of America (USA), covering a population of nearly 100 million. Using county-level weekly wastewater surveillance data (over 20 months), WBE-based models were established through the random forest algorithm. WBE-based models accurately predicted the county-level weekly new admissions, allowing a preparation window of 1-4 weeks. In real applications, periodically updated WBE-based models showed good accuracy and transferability, with mean absolute error within 4-6 patients/100k population for upcoming weekly new hospitalization numbers. Our study demonstrated the potential of using WBE as an effective method to provide early warnings for healthcare systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuan Li
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, 2007, Australia
| | - Huan Liu
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, 2007, Australia
| | - Li Gao
- South East Water, 101 Wells Street, Frankston, VIC, 3199, Australia
| | - Samendra P Sherchan
- Department of Biology, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Ting Zhou
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, 2007, Australia
| | - Stuart J Khan
- Water Research Centre, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Mark C M van Loosdrecht
- Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Julianalaan 67, 2628 BC, Delft, the Netherlands
| | - Qilin Wang
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, 2007, Australia.
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7
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Kallem P, Hegab H, Alsafar H, Hasan SW, Banat F. SARS-CoV-2 detection and inactivation in water and wastewater: Review on analytical methods, limitations and future research recommendations. Emerg Microbes Infect 2023:2222850. [PMID: 37279167 DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2023.2222850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
AbstractSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been detected in wastewater. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is a practical and cost-effective tool for the assessment and controlling of pandemics and probably for examining SARS-CoV-2 presence. Implementation of WBE during the outbreaks is not without limitations. Temperature, suspended solids, pH, and disinfectants affect the stability of viruses in wastewater. Due to these limitations, instruments and techniques have been utilized to detect SARS-CoV-2. SARS-CoV-2 has been detected in sewage using various concentration methods and computer-aided analyzes. RT-qPCR, ddRT-PCR, multiplex PCR, RT-LAMP, and electrochemical immunosensors have been employed to detect low levels of viral contamination. Inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 is a crucial preventive measure against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). To better assess the role of wastewater as a transmission route, detection, and quantification methods need to be refined. In this paper, the latest improvements in quantification, detection, and inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater are explained. Finally, limitations and future research recommendations are thoroughly described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parashuram Kallem
- Center for Membranes and Advanced Water Technology (CMAT), Khalifa University of Science and Technology, PO Box 127788, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, PO Box 127788, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- Environmental Health and Safety Program, College of Health Sciences, Abu Dhabi University, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 59911, United Arab Emirates
| | - Hanaa Hegab
- Center for Membranes and Advanced Water Technology (CMAT), Khalifa University of Science and Technology, PO Box 127788, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, PO Box 127788, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Habiba Alsafar
- Center for Biotechnology (BTC), Khalifa University of Science and Technology, PO Box 127788, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- Emirates Bio-research center, Ministry of interior, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Shadi W Hasan
- Center for Membranes and Advanced Water Technology (CMAT), Khalifa University of Science and Technology, PO Box 127788, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, PO Box 127788, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Fawzi Banat
- Center for Membranes and Advanced Water Technology (CMAT), Khalifa University of Science and Technology, PO Box 127788, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, PO Box 127788, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
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8
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Jiang G, Liu Y, Tang S, Kitajima M, Haramoto E, Arora S, Choi PM, Jackson G, D'Aoust PM, Delatolla R, Zhang S, Guo Y, Wu J, Chen Y, Sharma E, Prosun TA, Zhao J, Kumar M, Honda R, Ahmed W, Meiman J. Moving forward with COVID-19: Future research prospects of wastewater-based epidemiology methodologies and applications. CURRENT OPINION IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & HEALTH 2023; 33:100458. [PMID: 37034453 PMCID: PMC10065412 DOI: 10.1016/j.coesh.2023.100458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has been demonstrated for its great potential in tracking of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) transmission among populations despite some inherent methodological limitations. These include non-optimized sampling approaches and analytical methods; stability of viruses in sewer systems; partitioning/retention in biofilms; and the singular and inaccurate back-calculation step to predict the number of infected individuals in the community. Future research is expected to (1) standardize best practices in wastewater sampling, analysis and data reporting protocols for the sensitive and reproducible detection of viruses in wastewater; (2) understand the in-sewer viral stability and partitioning under the impacts of dynamic wastewater flow, properties, chemicals, biofilms and sediments; and (3) achieve smart wastewater surveillance with artificial intelligence and big data models. Further specific research is essential in the monitoring of other viral pathogens with pandemic potential and subcatchment applications to maximize the benefits of WBE beyond COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangming Jiang
- School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
| | - Yanchen Liu
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Song Tang
- China CDC Key Laboratory of Environment and Population Health, National Institute of Environmental Health (NIEH), Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), Chaoyang District, Beijing 100021, China
| | - Masaaki Kitajima
- Division of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, North 13 West 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8628, Japan
| | - Eiji Haramoto
- Interdisciplinary Center for River Basin Environment, University of Yamanashi, 4-3-11 Takeda, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-8511, Japan
| | - Sudipti Arora
- Dr. B. Lal Institute of Biotechnology, 6-E, Malviya Industrial Area, Malviya Nagar, Jaipur, 302017, India
| | - Phil M Choi
- Water Unit, Health Protection Branch, Queensland Public Health and Scientific Services, Queensland Health, Australia
| | - Greg Jackson
- Water Unit, Health Protection Branch, Queensland Public Health and Scientific Services, Queensland Health, Australia
| | - Patrick M D'Aoust
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Robert Delatolla
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Shuxin Zhang
- School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
| | - Ying Guo
- School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
| | - Jiangping Wu
- School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
| | - Yan Chen
- School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
| | - Elipsha Sharma
- School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
| | - Tanjila Alam Prosun
- School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
| | - Jiawei Zhao
- School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
| | - Manish Kumar
- Sustainability Cluster, School of Engineering, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
- Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Campus Monterey, Monterrey, 64849, Nuevo Leon, Mexico
| | - Ryo Honda
- Faculty of Geosciences and Civil Engineering, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Warish Ahmed
- CSIRO Environment, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, Dutton Park, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Jon Meiman
- Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Madison, WI 53701, USA
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9
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Li X, Liu H, Zhang Z, Zhou T, Wang Q. Sulfite pretreatment enhances the medium-chain fatty acids production from waste activated sludge anaerobic fermentation. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 871:162080. [PMID: 36754319 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Revised: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Production of high-value medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) from anaerobic fermentation of waste activated sludge (WAS) has been considered as a promising alternative for renewable energy resources. However, the low biodegradability of WAS greatly limits the anaerobic fermentation performance. This study proposed and demonstrated a novel approach, sulfite pretreatment, to efficiently produce MCFAs through anaerobic fermentation of WAS. Pretreatment of WAS at a sulfite concentration of 100-500 mg S/L for 24 h effectively improved the MCFAs production and MCFAs selectivity and the promotion effect was positively correlated with the sulfite concentration used in pretreatment (Pearson's R > 0.9). The maximum MCFAs production of 6.84 g COD/L and MCFAs selectivity of 39.1 % were both achieved under 500 mg S/L sulfite pretreatment, which accounts for 2.6 times and 2.4 times of the control, respectively (MCFAs production of 2.62 g COD/L and MCFAs selectivity of 16.4 % in the control). Sulfite pretreatment also enhanced the WAS degradation from 25 ± 2 % in the control to a maximum of 39 ± 2 % under 500 mg S/L sulfite pretreatment. The electron transfer efficiency and COD flows from the substrate to products were enhanced by up to 25 % due to the sulfite pretreatment, which supports the enhanced WAS degradation. Sulfite pretreatment also promoted the solubilization, hydrolysis, and acidification processes during the anaerobic fermentation by up to 200 %, 60 %, and 45 %, respectively, which subsequently makes more substrates available for MCFAs production. The findings from this study provide a potential solution of using industrial sulfite-laden wastes for WAS pretreatment, to enhance the MCFAs production at a minimized cost.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuan Li
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Huan Liu
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia.
| | - Zehao Zhang
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Ting Zhou
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Qilin Wang
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia.
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10
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Zhang S, Shi J, Sharma E, Li X, Gao S, Zhou X, O'Brien J, Coin L, Liu Y, Sivakumar M, Hai F, Jiang G. In-sewer decay and partitioning of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli and implications for their wastewater surveillance. WATER RESEARCH 2023; 233:119737. [PMID: 36801582 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.119737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Campylobacter jejuni and coli are two main pathogenic species inducing diarrhoeal diseases in humans, which are responsible for the loss of 33 million lives each year. Current Campylobacter infections are mainly monitored by clinical surveillance which is often limited to individuals seeking treatment, resulting in under-reporting of disease prevalence and untimely indicators of community outbreaks. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has been developed and employed for the wastewater surveillance of pathogenic viruses and bacteria. Monitoring the temporal changes of pathogen concentration in wastewater allows the early detection of disease outbreaks in a community. However, studies investigating the WBE back-estimation of Campylobacter spp. are rare. Essential factors including the analytical recovery efficiency, the decay rate, the effect of in-sewer transport, and the correlation between the wastewater concentration and the infections in communities are lacking to support wastewater surveillance. This study carried out experiments to investigate the recovery of Campylobacter jejuni and coli from wastewater and the decay under different simulated sewer reactor conditions. It was found that the recovery of Campylobacter spp. from wastewater varied with their concentrations in wastewater and depended on the detection limit of quantification methods. The concentration reduction of Campylobacter. jejuni and coli in sewers followed a two-phase reduction model, and the faster concentration reduction during the first phase is mainly due to their partitioning onto sewer biofilms. The total decay of Campylobacter. jejuni and coli varied in different types of sewer reactors, i.e. rising main vs. gravity sewer. In addition, the sensitivity analysis for WBE back-estimation of Campylobacter suggested that the first-phase decay rate constant (k1) and the turning time point (t1) are determining factors and their impacts increased with the hydraulic retention time of wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuxin Zhang
- School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong, Australia
| | - Jiahua Shi
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI), University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia; School of Medical, Indigenous and Health Sciences, University of Wollongong, Australia
| | - Elipsha Sharma
- School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong, Australia
| | - Xuan Li
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Shuhong Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Xu Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Jake O'Brien
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Lachlan Coin
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Yanchen Liu
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Muttucumaru Sivakumar
- School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong, Australia
| | - Faisal Hai
- School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong, Australia
| | - Guangming Jiang
- School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong, Australia; Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI), University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia.
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11
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Amin N, Haque R, Rahman MZ, Rahman MZ, Mahmud ZH, Hasan R, Islam MT, Sarker P, Sarker S, Adnan SD, Akter N, Johnston D, Rahman M, Liu P, Wang Y, Shirin T, Rahman M, Bhattacharya P. Dependency of sanitation infrastructure on the discharge of faecal coliform and SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA in wastewater from COVID and non-COVID hospitals in Dhaka, Bangladesh. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 867:161424. [PMID: 36623655 PMCID: PMC9822545 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Revised: 12/31/2022] [Accepted: 01/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
The detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA in wastewater can be used as an indicator of the presence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in specific catchment areas. We conducted a hospital-based study to explore wastewater management in healthcare facilities and analyzed SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the hospital wastewater in Dhaka city during the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak between September 2020-January 2021. We selected three COVID-hospitals, two non-COVID-hospitals, and one non-COVID-hospital with COVID wards, conducted spot-checks of the sanitation systems (i.e., toilets, drainage, and septic-tank), and collected 90 untreated wastewater effluent samples (68 from COVID and 22 from non-COVID hospitals). E. coli was detected using a membrane filtration technique and reported as colony forming unit (CFU). SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected using the iTaq Universal Probes One-Step kit for RT-qPCR amplification of the SARS-CoV-2 ORF1ab and N gene targets and quantified for SARS-CoV-2 genome equivalent copies (GEC) per mL of sample. None of the six hospitals had a primary wastewater treatment facility; two COVID hospitals had functional septic tanks, and the rest of the hospitals had either broken onsite systems or no containment of wastewater. Overall, 100 % of wastewater samples were positive with a high concentration of E. coli (mean = 7.0 log10 CFU/100 mL). Overall, 67 % (60/90) samples were positive for SARS-CoV-2. The highest SARS-CoV-2 concentrations (median: 141 GEC/mL; range: 13-18,214) were detected in wastewater from COVID-hospitals, and in non-COVID-hospitals, the median SARS-CoV-2 concentration was 108 GEC/mL (range: 30-1829). Our results indicate that high concentrations of E. coli and SARS-CoV-2 were discharged through the hospital wastewater (both COVID and non-COVID) without treatment into the ambient water bodies. Although there is no evidence for transmission of SARS-CoV-2 via wastewater, this study highlights the significant risk posed by wastewater from health care facilities in Dhaka for the many other diseases that are spread via faecal oral route. Hospitals in low-income settings could function as sentinel sites to monitor outbreaks through wastewater-based epidemiological surveillance systems. Hospitals should aim to adopt the appropriate wastewater treatment technologies to reduce the discharge of pathogens into the environment and mitigate environmental exposures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nuhu Amin
- Infectious Diseases Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh; Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney, 235 Jones St, Ultimo, NSW, 2007, Australia.
| | - Rehnuma Haque
- Infectious Diseases Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh; School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Md Ziaur Rahman
- Infectious Diseases Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Mohammed Ziaur Rahman
- Infectious Diseases Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Zahid Hayat Mahmud
- Infectious Diseases Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Rezaul Hasan
- Infectious Diseases Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Md Tahmidul Islam
- COVID-19 Research@KTH, Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Science and Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Teknikringen 10B, SE 114 28 Stockholm, Sweden; WaterAid, Bangladesh
| | - Protim Sarker
- Infectious Diseases Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Supriya Sarker
- Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Bangladesh
| | | | - Nargis Akter
- Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) section, UNICEF, Bangladesh
| | - Dara Johnston
- Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) section, UNICEF, Bangladesh
| | - Mahbubur Rahman
- Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), Bangladesh
| | - Pengbo Liu
- Center for Global Safe Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Yuke Wang
- Center for Global Safe Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Tahmina Shirin
- Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), Bangladesh
| | - Mahbubur Rahman
- Infectious Diseases Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Prosun Bhattacharya
- COVID-19 Research@KTH, Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Science and Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Teknikringen 10B, SE 114 28 Stockholm, Sweden
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12
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Sherchan S, Thakali O, Ikner LA, Gerba CP. Survival of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 882:163049. [PMID: 36990233 PMCID: PMC10041870 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2023] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
The ongoing pandemic of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has affected >600 million people with >6 million deaths. Although Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the etiologic agent of COVID-19, is transmitted via respiratory droplets or direct contact, isolation of viable SARS-CoV-2 in feces has been reported. Therefore, there is a need for understanding the persistence of SARS-CoV-2 and emerging variants in wastewater. In this study, the survival of SARS-CoV-2 isolate hCoV-19/USA-WA1/2020 was observed in three wastewater matrices - filtered and unfiltered raw wastewater, and secondary effluent. All experiments were conducted within a BSL-3 laboratory at room temperature. The time required for inactivation of 90 % (T90) of SARS-CoV-2 was 10.4, 10.8, and 18.3 h for unfiltered raw, filtered raw, and secondary effluent, respectively. Progressive decline in infectivity of the virus following first order kinetics was noted in these wastewater matrices. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to describe the survival of SARS-CoV-2 in secondary effluent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samendra Sherchan
- Department of Environmental Health, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70112, United States of America; BioEnvironmental Science Program, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD 21251, United States of America; WEST Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States of America.
| | - Ocean Thakali
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Luisa A Ikner
- Department of Environmental Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States of America; WEST Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States of America
| | - Charles P Gerba
- Department of Environmental Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States of America; WEST Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States of America
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13
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Kisand V, Laas P, Palmik-Das K, Panksep K, Tammert H, Albreht L, Allemann H, Liepkalns L, Vooro K, Ritz C, Hauryliuk V, Tenson T. Prediction of COVID-19 positive cases, a nation-wide SARS-CoV-2 wastewater-based epidemiology study. WATER RESEARCH 2023; 231:119617. [PMID: 36682239 PMCID: PMC9845016 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.119617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2022] [Revised: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Taking advantage of Estonia's small size and population, we have employed wastewater-based epidemiology approach to monitor the spread of SARS-CoV-2, releasing weekly nation-wide updates. In this study we report results obtained between August 2020 and December 2021. Weekly 24 h composite samples were collected from wastewater treatment plants of larger towns already covered 65% of the total population that was complemented up to 40 additional grab samples from smaller towns/villages and the specific sites of concern. The N3 gene abundance was quantified by RT-qPCR. The N3 gene copy number (concentration) in wastewater fluctuated in accordance with the SARS-CoV-2 spread within the total population, with N3 abundance starting to increase 1.25 weeks (9 days) (95% CI: [1.10, 1.41]) before a rise in COVID-19 positive cases. Statistical model between the load of virus in wastewater and number of infected people validated with the Alpha variant wave (B.1.1.17) could be used to predict the order of magnitude in incidence numbers in Delta wave (B.1.617.2) in fall 2021. Targeted testing of student dormitories, retirement and nursing homes and prisons resulted in successful early discovery of outbreaks. We put forward a SARS-CoV-2 Wastewater Index (SARS2-WI) indicator of normalized virus load as COVID-19 infection metric to complement the other metrics currently used in disease control and prevention: dynamics of effective reproduction number (Re), 7-day mean of new cases, and a sum of new cases within last 14 days. In conclusion, an efficient surveillance system that combines analysis of composite and grab samples was established in Estonia. There is considerable discussion how the viral load in wastewater correlates with the number of infected people. Here we show that this correlation can be found. Moreover, we confirm that an increased signal in wastewater is observed before the increase in the number of infections. The surveillance system helped to inform public health policy and place direct interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic in Estonia via early warning of epidemic spread in various regions of the country.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veljo Kisand
- Institute of Technology, University of Tartu, Estonia.
| | - Peeter Laas
- Institute of Technology, University of Tartu, Estonia
| | | | | | - Helen Tammert
- Institute of Technology, University of Tartu, Estonia
| | | | - Hille Allemann
- Estonian Environmental Research Centre, Tallinn, Estonia
| | | | - Katri Vooro
- Estonian Environmental Research Centre, Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Christian Ritz
- Department of Population Health and Morbidity, National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark
| | - Vasili Hauryliuk
- Institute of Technology, University of Tartu, Estonia; Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, Sweden
| | - Tanel Tenson
- Institute of Technology, University of Tartu, Estonia.
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14
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Islam MA, Rahman MA, Jakariya M, Bahadur NM, Hossen F, Mukharjee SK, Hossain MS, Tasneem A, Haque MA, Sera F, Jahid IK, Ahmed T, Hasan MN, Islam MT, Hossain A, Amin R, Tiwari A, Didar-Ul-Alam M, Dhama K, Bhattacharya P, Ahmed F. A 30-day follow-up study on the prevalence of SARS-COV-2 genetic markers in wastewater from the residence of COVID-19 patient and comparison with clinical positivity. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 858:159350. [PMID: 36265620 PMCID: PMC9576909 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2022] [Revised: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater based epidemiology (WBE) is an important tool to fight against COVID-19 as it provides insights into the health status of the targeted population from a small single house to a large municipality in a cost-effective, rapid, and non-invasive way. The implementation of wastewater based surveillance (WBS) could reduce the burden on the public health system, management of pandemics, help to make informed decisions, and protect public health. In this study, a house with COVID-19 patients was targeted for monitoring the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 genetic markers in wastewater samples (WS) with clinical specimens (CS) for a period of 30 days. RT-qPCR technique was employed to target nonstructural (ORF1ab) and structural-nucleocapsid (N) protein genes of SARS-CoV-2, according to a validated experimental protocol. Physiological, environmental, and biological parameters were also measured following the American Public Health Association (APHA) standard protocols. SARS-CoV-2 viral shedding in wastewater peaked when the highest number of COVID-19 cases were clinically diagnosed. Throughout the study period, 7450 to 23,000 gene copies/1000 mL were detected, where we identified 47 % (57/120) positive samples from WS and 35 % (128/360) from CS. When the COVID-19 patient number was the lowest (2), the highest CT value (39.4; i.e., lowest copy number) was identified from WS. On the other hand, when the COVID-19 patients were the highest (6), the lowest CT value (25.2 i.e., highest copy numbers) was obtained from WS. An advance signal of increased SARS-CoV-2 viral load from the COVID-19 patient was found in WS earlier than in the CS. Using customized primer sets in a traditional PCR approach, we confirmed that all SARS-CoV-2 variants identified in both CS and WS were Delta variants (B.1.617.2). To our knowledge, this is the first follow-up study to determine a temporal relationship between COVID-19 patients and their discharge of SARS-CoV-2 RNA genetic markers in wastewater from a single house including all family members for clinical sampling from a developing country (Bangladesh), where a proper sewage system is lacking. The salient findings of the study indicate that monitoring the genetic markers of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in wastewater could identify COVID-19 cases, which reduces the burden on the public health system during COVID-19 pandemics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Aminul Islam
- COVID-19 Diagnostic Lab, Department of Microbiology, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali 3814, Bangladesh; Advanced Molecular Lab, Department of Microbiology, President Abdul Hamid Medical College, Karimganj, Kishoreganj, Bangladesh
| | - Md Arifur Rahman
- COVID-19 Diagnostic Lab, Department of Microbiology, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali 3814, Bangladesh
| | - Md Jakariya
- Department of Environmental Science and Management, North South University, Bashundhara, Dhaka 1229, Bangladesh
| | - Newaz Mohammed Bahadur
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali 3814, Bangladesh
| | - Foysal Hossen
- COVID-19 Diagnostic Lab, Department of Microbiology, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali 3814, Bangladesh
| | - Sanjoy Kumar Mukharjee
- COVID-19 Diagnostic Lab, Department of Microbiology, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali 3814, Bangladesh
| | - Mohammad Salim Hossain
- Department of Pharmacy, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali 3814, Bangladesh
| | - Atkeeya Tasneem
- Department of Environmental Science and Disaster Management, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali 3814, Bangladesh
| | - Md Atiqul Haque
- Key Lab of Animal Epidemiology and Zoonoses of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China; Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary and Animal Science, Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University, Dinajpur 5200, Bangladesh
| | - Francesco Sera
- Department of Statistics, Informatics, Applications, University of Florence, Florence, Italy; Department of Public Health, Environments and Society, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Iqbal Kabir Jahid
- Department of Microbiology, Jashore University of Science and Technology, Jashore 7408, Bangladesh
| | - Tanvir Ahmed
- Department of Civil Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh
| | - Mohammad Nayeem Hasan
- Department of Statistics, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet 3114, Bangladesh
| | | | - Amzad Hossain
- COVID-19 Diagnostic Lab, Department of Microbiology, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali 3814, Bangladesh
| | - Ruhul Amin
- COVID-19 Diagnostic Lab, Department of Microbiology, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali 3814, Bangladesh
| | - Ananda Tiwari
- Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland; Department of Health Security, Expert Microbiology Research Unit, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Finland
| | - Md Didar-Ul-Alam
- COVID-19 Diagnostic Lab, Department of Microbiology, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali 3814, Bangladesh
| | - Kuldeep Dhama
- Division of Pathology, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh 243122, India
| | - Prosun Bhattacharya
- COVID-19 Research@KTH, Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Science and Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Teknikringen 10B, SE 10044 Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Firoz Ahmed
- COVID-19 Diagnostic Lab, Department of Microbiology, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali 3814, Bangladesh
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15
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Prasek SM, Pepper IL, Innes GK, Slinski S, Betancourt WQ, Foster AR, Yaglom HD, Porter WT, Engelthaler DM, Schmitz BW. Variant-specific SARS-CoV-2 shedding rates in wastewater. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 857:159165. [PMID: 36195153 PMCID: PMC9527179 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2022] [Revised: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies show that SARS-CoV-2 waste shedding rates vary by community and are influenced by multiple factors; however, differences in shedding rates across multiple variants have yet to be evaluated. The purpose of this work is to build on previous research that evaluated waste shedding rates for early SARS-CoV-2 and the Delta variant, and update population level waste shedding rates for the more-recent Omicron variant in six communities. Mean SARS-CoV-2 waste shedding rates were found to increase with the predominance of the Delta variant and subsequently decrease with Omicron infections. Interestingly, the Delta stage had the highest mean shedding rates and was associated with the most severe disease symptoms reported in other clinical studies, while Omicron, exhibiting reduced symptoms, had the lowest mean shedding rates. Additionally, shedding rates were most consistent across communities during the Omicron stage. This is the first paper to identify waste shedding rates specific to the Omicron variant and fills a knowledge gap critical to disease prevalence modeling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M Prasek
- Water & Energy Sustainable Technology (WEST) Center, University of Arizona, 2959 W. Calle Agua Nueva, Tucson, AZ 85745, USA
| | - Ian L Pepper
- Water & Energy Sustainable Technology (WEST) Center, University of Arizona, 2959 W. Calle Agua Nueva, Tucson, AZ 85745, USA
| | - Gabriel K Innes
- Yuma Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture (YCEDA), University of Arizona, 6425 W. 8th St., Yuma, AZ 85364, USA
| | - Stephanie Slinski
- Yuma Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture (YCEDA), University of Arizona, 6425 W. 8th St., Yuma, AZ 85364, USA
| | - Walter Q Betancourt
- Water & Energy Sustainable Technology (WEST) Center, University of Arizona, 2959 W. Calle Agua Nueva, Tucson, AZ 85745, USA
| | - Aidan R Foster
- Water & Energy Sustainable Technology (WEST) Center, University of Arizona, 2959 W. Calle Agua Nueva, Tucson, AZ 85745, USA
| | - Hayley D Yaglom
- The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), 445 N. Fifth Street, Phoenix, AZ 85004, USA
| | - W Tanner Porter
- The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), 445 N. Fifth Street, Phoenix, AZ 85004, USA
| | - David M Engelthaler
- The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), 445 N. Fifth Street, Phoenix, AZ 85004, USA
| | - Bradley W Schmitz
- Yuma Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture (YCEDA), University of Arizona, 6425 W. 8th St., Yuma, AZ 85364, USA.
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16
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Li X, Zhang S, Sherchan S, Orive G, Lertxundi U, Haramoto E, Honda R, Kumar M, Arora S, Kitajima M, Jiang G. Correlation between SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentration in wastewater and COVID-19 cases in community: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2023; 441:129848. [PMID: 36067562 PMCID: PMC9420035 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.129848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Revised: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has been considered as a promising approach for population-wide surveillance of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Many studies have successfully quantified severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA concentration in wastewater (CRNA). However, the correlation between the CRNA and the COVID-19 clinically confirmed cases in the corresponding wastewater catchments varies and the impacts of environmental and other factors remain unclear. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to identify the correlation between CRNA and various types of clinically confirmed case numbers, including prevalence and incidence rates. The impacts of environmental factors, WBE sampling design, and epidemiological conditions on the correlation were assessed for the same datasets. The systematic review identified 133 correlation coefficients, ranging from -0.38 to 0.99. The correlation between CRNA and new cases (either daily new, weekly new, or future cases) was stronger than that of active cases and cumulative cases. These correlation coefficients were potentially affected by environmental and epidemiological conditions and WBE sampling design. Larger variations of air temperature and clinical testing coverage, and the increase of catchment size showed strong negative impacts on the correlation between CRNA and COVID-19 case numbers. Interestingly, the sampling technique had negligible impact although increasing the sampling frequency improved the correlation. These findings highlight the importance of viral shedding dynamics, in-sewer decay, WBE sampling design and clinical testing on the accurate back-estimation of COVID-19 case numbers through the WBE approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuan Li
- School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia; Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Shuxin Zhang
- School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia
| | - Samendrdra Sherchan
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Gorka Orive
- NanoBioCel Group, Laboratory of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Paseo de la Universidad 7, Vitoria-Gasteiz 01006, Spain; Biomedical Research Networking Centre in Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
| | - Unax Lertxundi
- Bioaraba Health Research Institute; Osakidetza Basque Health Service, Araba Mental Health Network, Araba Psychiatric Hospital, Pharmacy Service, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
| | - Eiji Haramoto
- Interdisciplinary Center for River Basin Environment, University of Yamanashi, Kofu, Japan
| | - Ryo Honda
- Faculty of Geosciences and Civil Engineering, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Manish Kumar
- Sustainability Cluster, School of Engineering, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Sudipti Arora
- Dr. B. Lal Institute of Biotechnology, Jaipur, India
| | - Masaaki Kitajima
- Division of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Guangming Jiang
- School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia; Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI), University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia.
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17
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Eaton CJ, Coxon S, Pattis I, Chappell A, Hewitt J, Gilpin BJ. A Framework for Public Health Authorities to Evaluate Health Determinants for Wastewater-Based Epidemiology. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2022; 130:125001. [PMID: 36520537 PMCID: PMC9754092 DOI: 10.1289/ehp11115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Revised: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is rapidly developing as a powerful public health tool. It can provide information about a wide range of health determinants (HDs), including community exposure to environmental hazards, trends in consumption of licit and illicit substances, spread of infectious diseases, and general community health. As such, the list of possible candidate HDs for WBE is almost limitless. Consequently, a means to evaluate and prioritize suitable candidates for WBE is useful, particularly for public health authorities, who often face resource constraints. OBJECTIVES We have developed a framework to assist public health authorities to decide what HDs may be appropriate for WBE and what biomarkers could be used. This commentary reflects the experience of the authors, who work at the interface of research and public health implementation. DISCUSSION To be suitable for WBE, a candidate HD should address a public health or scientific issue that would benefit from better understanding at the population level. For HDs where information on individual exposures or stratification by population subgroups is required, WBE is less suitable. Where other methodologies are already used to monitor the candidate HD, consideration must be given to whether WBE could provide better or complementary information to the current approach. An essential requirement of WBE is a biomarker specific for the candidate HD. A biomarker in this context refers to any human-excreted chemical or biological that could act as an indicator of consumption or exposure to an environmental hazard or of the human health state. Suitable biomarkers should meet several criteria outlined in this commentary, which requires background knowledge for both the biomarker and the HD. An evaluation tree summarizing key considerations for public health authorities when assessing the suitability of candidate HDs for WBE and an example evaluation are presented. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP11115.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla J. Eaton
- Institute of Environmental Science and Research Ltd., Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Sarah Coxon
- Institute of Environmental Science and Research Ltd., Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Isabelle Pattis
- Institute of Environmental Science and Research Ltd., Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Andrew Chappell
- Institute of Environmental Science and Research Ltd., Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Joanne Hewitt
- Institute of Environmental Science and Research Ltd., Porirua, New Zealand
| | - Brent J. Gilpin
- Institute of Environmental Science and Research Ltd., Christchurch, New Zealand
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18
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Kumar M. Spectrum of environmental surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 fragments: Questions, quests, and conquest. CURRENT OPINION IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & HEALTH 2022; 30:100401. [PMID: 36339883 PMCID: PMC9617644 DOI: 10.1016/j.coesh.2022.100401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
This works examines the entire spectrum of 'Environmental Surveillance (EnvSurv)' of SARS-CoV-2 fragments i.e. the questions, quests, and conquests of the technology since early year 2020. The prime focus of the present work to document the journey with achieved objectives and remaining ambitions associated with the technology. Despite the EnvSurv may be regarded as the techniques, which rather achieved more than expected, will it win the struggle for its existence or lose its way once the pandemic and fear associated with it completely fades. Pertaining to this discussions, major researched topics were investigated, followed by enlisting of ten bullets of the past experiences along with corresponding challenges, and finally key targets for the techniques are enlisted. The article targets to be a simple guide of the journey of EnvSur in terms of its effectiveness for treatment, infectivity, monitoring & estimation (TIME) till date.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manish Kumar
- Sustainability Cluster, School of Engineering, Enery Agcres, University of Petroleum & Energy Studies, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, 248007, India
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19
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de Freitas Bueno R, Claro ICM, Augusto MR, Duran AFA, Camillo LDMB, Cabral AD, Sodré FF, Brandão CCS, Vizzotto CS, Silveira R, de Melo Mendes G, Arruda AF, de Brito NN, Machado BAS, Duarte GRM, de Lourdes Aguiar-Oliveira M. Wastewater-based epidemiology: A Brazilian SARS-COV-2 surveillance experience. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING 2022; 10:108298. [PMID: 35873721 PMCID: PMC9295330 DOI: 10.1016/j.jece.2022.108298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Revised: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/17/2022] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Since 2020, developed countries have rapidly shared both publicly and academically relevant wastewater surveillance information. Data on SARS-CoV-2 circulation is pivotal for guiding public health policies and improving the COVID-19 pandemic response. Conversely, low- and middle-income countries, such as Latin America and the Caribbean, showed timid activities in the Wastewater-Based Epidemiology (WBE) context. In these countries, isolated groups perform viral wastewater monitoring, and the data are unevenly shared or accessible to health agencies and the scientific community. This manuscript aims to highlight the relevance of a multiparty effort involving research, public health, and governmental agencies to support usage of WBE methodology to its full potential during the COVID-19 pandemic as part of a joint One Health surveillance approach. Thus, in this study, we explored the results obtained from wastewater surveillance in different regions of Brazil as a part of the COVID-19 Wastewater Monitoring Network ANA (National Water Agency), MCTI (Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovations) and MS (Ministry of Health). Over the epidemiological weeks of 2021 and early 2022, viral RNA concentrations in wastewater followed epidemiological trends and variations. The highest viral loads in wastewater samples were detected during the second Brazilian wave of COVID-19. Corroborating international reports, our experience demonstrated usefulness of the WBE approach in viral surveillance. Wastewater surveillance allows hotspot identification, and therefore, early public health interventions. In addition, this methodology allows tracking of asymptomatic and oligosymptomatic individuals, who are generally underreported, especially in emerging countries with limited clinical testing capacity. Therefore, WBE undoubtedly contributes to improving public health responses in the context of this pandemic, as well as other sanitary emergencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo de Freitas Bueno
- Federal University of ABC. Center of Engineering, Modelling and Applied Social Sciences (CECS), Santo Andre, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ieda Carolina Mantovani Claro
- Federal University of ABC. Center of Engineering, Modelling and Applied Social Sciences (CECS), Santo Andre, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Matheus Ribeiro Augusto
- Federal University of ABC. Center of Engineering, Modelling and Applied Social Sciences (CECS), Santo Andre, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Adriana Feliciano Alves Duran
- Federal University of ABC. Center of Engineering, Modelling and Applied Social Sciences (CECS), Santo Andre, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Aline Diniz Cabral
- Federal University of ABC. Center of Engineering, Modelling and Applied Social Sciences (CECS), Santo Andre, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | | | - Carla Simone Vizzotto
- University of Brasilia, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Brasília, Federal District, Brazil
| | - Rafaella Silveira
- University of Brasilia. Institute of Chemistry, Brasília, Federal District, Brazil
- University of Brasilia, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Brasília, Federal District, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - Bruna Aparecida Souza Machado
- University Center SENAI/CIMATEC. SENAI Institute of Innovation (ISI) in Health Advanced Systems (CIMATEC ISI SAS), Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
| | | | - Maria de Lourdes Aguiar-Oliveira
- Laboratory of Respiratory Viruses and Measles, National/MoH and International/WHO Reference Laboratory in COVID-19, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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20
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Miao J, Wei Z, Zhou S, Li J, Shi D, Yang D, Jiang G, Yin J, Yang ZW, Li JW, Jin M. Predicting the concentrations of enteric viruses in urban rivers running through the city center via an artificial neural network. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2022; 438:129506. [PMID: 35999718 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.129506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2022] [Revised: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Viral waterborne diseases are widespread in cities due largely to the occurrence of enteric viruses in urban rivers, which pose a significant concern to human health. Yet, the application of rapid detection technology for enteric viruses in environmental water remains undeveloped globally. Here, multiple linear regression (MLR) modeling and artificial neural network (ANN) modeling, which used frequently measured physicochemical parameters in river water, were constructed to predict the concentration of enteric viruses including human enteroviruses (EnVs), rotaviruses (HRVs), astroviruses (AstVs), noroviruses GⅡ (HuNoVs GⅡ), and adenoviruses (HAdVs) in rivers. After training, testing, and validating, ANN models showed better performance than any MLR model for predicting the viral concentration in Jinhe River. All determined R-values for ANN models exceeded 0.89, suggesting a strong correlation between the predicted and measured outputs for target enteric viruses. Furthermore, ANN models provided a better congruence between the observed and predicted concentrations of each virus than MLR models did. Together, these findings strongly suggest that ANN modeling can provide more accurate and timely predictions of viral concentrations based on frequent (or routine) measurements of physicochemical parameters in river water, which would improve assessments of waterborne disease prevalence in cities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Miao
- Department of Environment and Health, Tianjin Institute of Environmental & Operational Medicine, Key Laboratory of Risk Assessment and Control for Environment & Food Safety, No.1 Dali Road, Tianjin 300050, China
| | - Zilin Wei
- Department of Environment and Health, Tianjin Institute of Environmental & Operational Medicine, Key Laboratory of Risk Assessment and Control for Environment & Food Safety, No.1 Dali Road, Tianjin 300050, China
| | - Shuqing Zhou
- Department of Environment and Health, Tianjin Institute of Environmental & Operational Medicine, Key Laboratory of Risk Assessment and Control for Environment & Food Safety, No.1 Dali Road, Tianjin 300050, China
| | - Jiaying Li
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, QLD 4103, Australia
| | - Danyang Shi
- Department of Environment and Health, Tianjin Institute of Environmental & Operational Medicine, Key Laboratory of Risk Assessment and Control for Environment & Food Safety, No.1 Dali Road, Tianjin 300050, China
| | - Dong Yang
- Department of Environment and Health, Tianjin Institute of Environmental & Operational Medicine, Key Laboratory of Risk Assessment and Control for Environment & Food Safety, No.1 Dali Road, Tianjin 300050, China
| | - Guangming Jiang
- School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong, Wollongong 2522, Australia
| | - Jing Yin
- Department of Environment and Health, Tianjin Institute of Environmental & Operational Medicine, Key Laboratory of Risk Assessment and Control for Environment & Food Safety, No.1 Dali Road, Tianjin 300050, China
| | - Zhong Wei Yang
- Department of Environment and Health, Tianjin Institute of Environmental & Operational Medicine, Key Laboratory of Risk Assessment and Control for Environment & Food Safety, No.1 Dali Road, Tianjin 300050, China
| | - Jun Wen Li
- Department of Environment and Health, Tianjin Institute of Environmental & Operational Medicine, Key Laboratory of Risk Assessment and Control for Environment & Food Safety, No.1 Dali Road, Tianjin 300050, China
| | - Min Jin
- Department of Environment and Health, Tianjin Institute of Environmental & Operational Medicine, Key Laboratory of Risk Assessment and Control for Environment & Food Safety, No.1 Dali Road, Tianjin 300050, China.
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21
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Prasek SM, Pepper IL, Innes GK, Slinski S, Ruedas M, Sanchez A, Brierley P, Betancourt WQ, Stark ER, Foster AR, Betts-Childress ND, Schmitz BW. Population level SARS-CoV-2 fecal shedding rates determined via wastewater-based epidemiology. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 838:156535. [PMID: 35688254 PMCID: PMC9172256 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2022] [Revised: 05/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/03/2022] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has been utilized as an early warning tool to anticipate disease outbreaks, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, COVID-19 disease models built from wastewater-collected data have been limited by the complexities involved in estimating SARS-CoV-2 fecal shedding rates. In this study, wastewater from six municipalities in Arizona and Florida with distinct demographics were monitored for SARS-CoV-2 RNA between September 2020 and December 2021. Virus concentrations with corresponding clinical case counts were utilized to estimate community-wide fecal shedding rates that encompassed all infected individuals. Analyses suggest that average SARS-CoV-2 RNA fecal shedding rates typically occurred within a consistent range (7.53-9.29 log10 gc/g-feces); and yet, were unique to each community and influenced by population demographics. Age, ethnicity, and socio-economic factors may have influenced shedding rates. Interestingly, populations with median age between 30 and 39 had the greatest fecal shedding rates. Additionally, rates remained relatively constant throughout the pandemic provided conditions related to vaccination and variants were unchanged. Rates significantly increased in some communities when the Delta variant became predominant. Findings in this study suggest that community-specific shedding rates may be appropriate in model development relating wastewater virus concentrations to clinical case counts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M Prasek
- Water & Energy Sustainable Technology (WEST) Center, University of Arizona, 2959 W. Calle Agua Nueva, Tucson, AZ 85745, USA
| | - Ian L Pepper
- Water & Energy Sustainable Technology (WEST) Center, University of Arizona, 2959 W. Calle Agua Nueva, Tucson, AZ 85745, USA
| | - Gabriel K Innes
- Yuma Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture (YCEDA), University of Arizona, 6425 W. 8(th) St., Yuma, AZ 85364, USA
| | - Stephanie Slinski
- Yuma Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture (YCEDA), University of Arizona, 6425 W. 8(th) St., Yuma, AZ 85364, USA
| | - Martha Ruedas
- Yuma Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture (YCEDA), University of Arizona, 6425 W. 8(th) St., Yuma, AZ 85364, USA
| | - Ana Sanchez
- Yuma Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture (YCEDA), University of Arizona, 6425 W. 8(th) St., Yuma, AZ 85364, USA
| | - Paul Brierley
- Yuma Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture (YCEDA), University of Arizona, 6425 W. 8(th) St., Yuma, AZ 85364, USA
| | - Walter Q Betancourt
- Water & Energy Sustainable Technology (WEST) Center, University of Arizona, 2959 W. Calle Agua Nueva, Tucson, AZ 85745, USA
| | - Erika R Stark
- Water & Energy Sustainable Technology (WEST) Center, University of Arizona, 2959 W. Calle Agua Nueva, Tucson, AZ 85745, USA
| | - Aidan R Foster
- Water & Energy Sustainable Technology (WEST) Center, University of Arizona, 2959 W. Calle Agua Nueva, Tucson, AZ 85745, USA
| | - Nick D Betts-Childress
- Water & Energy Sustainable Technology (WEST) Center, University of Arizona, 2959 W. Calle Agua Nueva, Tucson, AZ 85745, USA
| | - Bradley W Schmitz
- Yuma Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture (YCEDA), University of Arizona, 6425 W. 8(th) St., Yuma, AZ 85364, USA.
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22
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Robins K, Leonard AFC, Farkas K, Graham DW, Jones DL, Kasprzyk-Hordern B, Bunce JT, Grimsley JMS, Wade MJ, Zealand AM, McIntyre-Nolan S. Research needs for optimising wastewater-based epidemiology monitoring for public health protection. JOURNAL OF WATER AND HEALTH 2022; 20:1284-1313. [PMID: 36170187 DOI: 10.2166/wh.2022.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is an unobtrusive method used to observe patterns in illicit drug use, poliovirus, and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). The pandemic and need for surveillance measures have led to the rapid acceleration of WBE research and development globally. With the infrastructure available to monitor SARS-CoV-2 from wastewater in 58 countries globally, there is potential to expand targets and applications for public health protection, such as other viral pathogens, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), pharmaceutical consumption, or exposure to chemical pollutants. Some applications have been explored in academic research but are not used to inform public health decision-making. We reflect on the current knowledge of WBE for these applications and identify barriers and opportunities for expanding beyond SARS-CoV-2. This paper critically reviews the applications of WBE for public health and identifies the important research gaps for WBE to be a useful tool in public health. It considers possible uses for pathogenic viruses, AMR, and chemicals. It summarises the current evidence on the following: (1) the presence of markers in stool and urine; (2) environmental factors influencing persistence of markers in wastewater; (3) methods for sample collection and storage; (4) prospective methods for detection and quantification; (5) reducing uncertainties; and (6) further considerations for public health use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie Robins
- Environmental Monitoring for Health Protection, UK Health Security Agency, Nobel House, London SW1P 3HX, UK E-mail: ; School of Engineering, Newcastle University, Cassie Building, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Anne F C Leonard
- Environmental Monitoring for Health Protection, UK Health Security Agency, Nobel House, London SW1P 3HX, UK E-mail: ; University of Exeter Medical School, European Centre for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Kata Farkas
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, UK
| | - David W Graham
- School of Engineering, Newcastle University, Cassie Building, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
| | - David L Jones
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, UK; SoilsWest, Centre for Sustainable Farming Systems, Food Futures Institute, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6105, Australia
| | | | - Joshua T Bunce
- Environmental Monitoring for Health Protection, UK Health Security Agency, Nobel House, London SW1P 3HX, UK E-mail: ; School of Engineering, Newcastle University, Cassie Building, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Jasmine M S Grimsley
- Environmental Monitoring for Health Protection, UK Health Security Agency, Nobel House, London SW1P 3HX, UK E-mail:
| | - Matthew J Wade
- Environmental Monitoring for Health Protection, UK Health Security Agency, Nobel House, London SW1P 3HX, UK E-mail: ; School of Engineering, Newcastle University, Cassie Building, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Andrew M Zealand
- Environmental Monitoring for Health Protection, UK Health Security Agency, Nobel House, London SW1P 3HX, UK E-mail:
| | - Shannon McIntyre-Nolan
- Environmental Monitoring for Health Protection, UK Health Security Agency, Nobel House, London SW1P 3HX, UK E-mail: ; Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service, Ministry of Justice, London, SW1H 9AJ, UK
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23
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Kumar M, Jiang G, Kumar Thakur A, Chatterjee S, Bhattacharya T, Mohapatra S, Chaminda T, Kumar Tyagi V, Vithanage M, Bhattacharya P, Nghiem LD, Sarkar D, Sonne C, Mahlknecht J. Lead time of early warning by wastewater surveillance for COVID-19: Geographical variations and impacting factors. CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL (LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND : 1996) 2022; 441:135936. [PMID: 35345777 PMCID: PMC8942437 DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2022.135936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2022] [Revised: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/19/2022] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
The global data on the temporal tracking of the COVID-19 through wastewater surveillance needs to be comparatively evaluated to generate a proper and precise understanding of the robustness, advantages, and sensitivity of the wastewater-based epidemiological (WBE) approach. We reviewed the current state of knowledge based on several scientific articles pertaining to temporal variations in COVID-19 cases captured via viral RNA predictions in wastewater. This paper primarily focuses on analyzing the WBE-based temporal variation reported globally to check if the reported early warning lead-time generated through environmental surveillance is pragmatic or latent. We have compiled the geographical variations reported as lead time in various WBE reports to strike a precise correlation between COVID-19 cases and genome copies detected through wastewater surveillance, with respect to the sampling dates, separately for WASH and non-WASH countries. We highlighted sampling methods, climatic and weather conditions that significantly affected the concentration of viral SARS-CoV-2 RNA detected in wastewater, and thus the lead time reported from the various climatic zones with diverse WASH situations were different. Our major findings are: i) WBE reports around the world are not comparable, especially in terms of gene copies detected, lag-time gained between monitored RNA peak and outbreak/peak of reported case, as well as per capita RNA concentrations; ii) Varying sanitation facility and climatic conditions that impact virus degradation rate are two major interfering features limiting the comparability of WBE results, and iii) WBE is better applicable to WASH countries having well-connected sewerage system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manish Kumar
- Sustainability Cluster, School of Engineering, University of Petroleum & Energy Studies, Dehradun, Uttarakhand 248007, India
| | - Guangming Jiang
- School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong, Australia
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI), University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia
| | - Alok Kumar Thakur
- Discipline of Earth Science, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382 355, India
| | - Shreya Chatterjee
- Encore Insoltech Pvt Ltd, Randesan, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382 307, India
| | - Tanushree Bhattacharya
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra 835215, India
| | - Sanjeeb Mohapatra
- NUS Environmental Research Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Tushara Chaminda
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka
| | - Vinay Kumar Tyagi
- Environmental BioTechnology Group (EBiTG), Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Meththika Vithanage
- Sustainability Cluster, School of Engineering, University of Petroleum & Energy Studies, Dehradun, Uttarakhand 248007, India
- Ecosphere Resilience Research Center, Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda 10250, Sri Lanka
| | - Prosun Bhattacharya
- COVID-19 Research@KTH, Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Science and Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology,SE-100 44, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Long D Nghiem
- Centre for Technology in Water & Wastewater, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo 2007, Australia
| | - Dibyendu Sarkar
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Ocean Engineering, Stevens Institute of Technology, NJ 07030, USA
| | - Christian Sonne
- Sustainability Cluster, School of Engineering, University of Petroleum & Energy Studies, Dehradun, Uttarakhand 248007, India
- Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Roskilde DK-4000, Denmark
| | - Jürgen Mahlknecht
- Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Campus Monterey, Monterrey 64849, Nuevo Leon, Mexico
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24
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Guo Y, Li J, O'Brien J, Sivakumar M, Jiang G. Back-estimation of norovirus infections through wastewater-based epidemiology: A systematic review and parameter sensitivity. WATER RESEARCH 2022; 219:118610. [PMID: 35598472 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.118610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2021] [Revised: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The amount of norovirus RNA (Ribonucleic Acid) in raw wastewater, collected from a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), can provide an indication of disease prevalence within the sampled catchment. However, an accurate back-estimation might be impeded by the uncertainties from in-sewer/in-sample degradation of viral RNA, variable shedding magnitude, and difficulties in measurement within raw wastewater. The current study reviewed the published literature regarding the factors of norovirus shedding, viral RNA decay in wastewater, and the occurrence of norovirus RNA in raw wastewater based on molecular detection. Sensitivity analysis for WBE back-estimation was conducted using the reported data of the factors mentioned above considering different viral loads in wastewater samples. It was found that the back-estimation is more sensitive to analytical detection uncertainty than shedding variability for norovirus. Although seasonal temperature change can lead to variation of decay rates and may influence the sensitivity of this pathogen-specific parameter, decay rates of norovirus RNA contribute negligibly to the variance in estimating disease prevalence, based on the available data from decay experiments in bulk wastewater under different temperatures. However, the effects of in-sewer transportation on viral RNA decay and retardation by sewer biofilms on pipe surfaces are largely unknown. Given the highest uncertainty from analytical measurement by molecular methods and complexity of in-sewer processes that norovirus experienced during the transportation to WWTP, future investigations are encouraged to improve the accuracy of viral RNA detection in wastewater and delineate viral retardation/interactions with wastewater biofilms in real sewers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Guo
- School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia
| | - Jiaying Li
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia; Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Jake O'Brien
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Muttucumaru Sivakumar
- School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia
| | - Guangming Jiang
- School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia; Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI), University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia.
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25
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Jiang G, Wu J, Weidhaas J, Li X, Chen Y, Mueller J, Li J, Kumar M, Zhou X, Arora S, Haramoto E, Sherchan S, Orive G, Lertxundi U, Honda R, Kitajima M, Jackson G. Artificial neural network-based estimation of COVID-19 case numbers and effective reproduction rate using wastewater-based epidemiology. WATER RESEARCH 2022; 218:118451. [PMID: 35447417 PMCID: PMC9006161 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.118451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2022] [Revised: 04/02/2022] [Accepted: 04/10/2022] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
As a cost-effective and objective population-wide surveillance tool, wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has been widely implemented worldwide to monitor the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA concentration in wastewater. However, viral concentrations or loads in wastewater often correlate poorly with clinical case numbers. To date, there is no reliable method to back-estimate the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) case numbers from SARS-CoV-2 concentrations in wastewater. This greatly limits WBE in achieving its full potential in monitoring the unfolding pandemic. The exponentially growing SARS-CoV-2 WBE dataset, on the other hand, offers an opportunity to develop data-driven models for the estimation of COVID-19 case numbers (both incidence and prevalence) and transmission dynamics (effective reproduction rate). This study developed artificial neural network (ANN) models by innovatively expanding a conventional WBE dataset to include catchment, weather, clinical testing coverage and vaccination rate. The ANN models were trained and evaluated with a comprehensive state-wide wastewater monitoring dataset from Utah, USA during May 2020 to December 2021. In diverse sewer catchments, ANN models were found to accurately estimate the COVID-19 prevalence and incidence rates, with excellent precision for prevalence rates. Also, an ANN model was developed to estimate the effective reproduction number from both wastewater data and other pertinent factors affecting viral transmission and pandemic dynamics. The established ANN model was successfully validated for its transferability to other states or countries using the WBE dataset from Wisconsin, USA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangming Jiang
- School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong, Australia; Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI), University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia.
| | - Jiangping Wu
- School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong, Australia
| | - Jennifer Weidhaas
- University of Utah, Civil and Environmental Engineering, 110 Central Campus Drive, Suite 2000, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Xuan Li
- School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong, Australia
| | - Yan Chen
- School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong, Australia
| | - Jochen Mueller
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, The University of Queensland, Australia
| | - Jiaying Li
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, The University of Queensland, Australia
| | - Manish Kumar
- Sustainability Cluster, School of Engineering, University of Petroleum & Energy Studies, Dehradun, Uttarakhand 248007, India
| | - Xu Zhou
- Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory of Microalgal Bioenergy, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen 518055, China; State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Sudipti Arora
- Dr. B. Lal Institute of Biotechnology, Jaipur, India
| | - Eiji Haramoto
- Interdisciplinary Center for River Basin Environment, University of Yamanashi, Kofu, Japan
| | - Samendra Sherchan
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Gorka Orive
- NanoBioCel Group, Laboratory of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Paseo de la Universidad 7, Vitoria-Gasteiz 01006, Spain; Biomedical Research Networking Centre in Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
| | - Unax Lertxundi
- NanoBioCel Group, Laboratory of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Paseo de la Universidad 7, Vitoria-Gasteiz 01006, Spain; Biomedical Research Networking Centre in Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
| | - Ryo Honda
- Faculty of Geosciences and Civil Engineering, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan
| | - Masaaki Kitajima
- Division of Environmental Engineering, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido 060-8628, Japan
| | - Greg Jackson
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 4102, Brisbane, Australia
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26
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Hrudey SE, Bischel HN, Charrois J, Chik AHS, Conant B, Delatolla R, Dorner S, Graber TE, Hubert C, Isaac-Renton J, Pons W, Safford H, Servos M, Sikora C. Wastewater Surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 RNA in Canada. Facets (Ott) 2022. [DOI: 10.1139/facets-2022-0148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Wastewater surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 RNA is a relatively recent adaptation of long-standing wastewater surveillance for infectious and other harmful agents. Individuals infected with COVID-19 were found to shed SARS-CoV-2 in their faeces. Researchers around the world confirmed that SARS-CoV-2 RNA fragments could be detected and quantified in community wastewater. Canadian academic researchers, largely as volunteer initiatives, reported proof-of-concept by April 2020. National collaboration was initially facilitated by the Canadian Water Network. Many public health officials were initially skeptical about actionable information being provided by wastewater surveillance even though experience has shown that public health surveillance for a pandemic has no single, perfect approach. Rather, different approaches provide different insights, each with its own strengths and limitations. Public health science must triangulate among different forms of evidence to maximize understanding of what is happening or may be expected. Well-conceived, resourced, and implemented wastewater-based platforms can provide a cost-effective approach to support other conventional lines of evidence. Sustaining wastewater monitoring platforms for future surveillance of other disease targets and health states is a challenge. Canada can benefit from taking lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic to develop forward-looking interpretive frameworks and capacity to implement, adapt, and expand such public health surveillance capabilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steve E. Hrudey
- Professor Emeritus, Analytical & Environmental Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2G3 Canada
| | - Heather N. Bischel
- Associate Professor, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616 USA
| | - Jeff Charrois
- Senior Manager, Analytical Operations and Process Development Teams, EPCOR Water Services Inc, Edmonton, AB T5K 0A5 Canada
| | - Alex H. S. Chik
- Project Manager, Wastewater Surveillance Initiative, Ontario Clean Water Agency, Mississauga, ON L5A 4G1 Canada
| | - Bernadette Conant
- Past Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Water Network, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1 Canada
| | - Rob Delatolla
- Professor, Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5 Canada
| | - Sarah Dorner
- Professor, Civil, Geological & Mining Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal, Montréal, PQ H3T 1J4 Canada
| | - Tyson E. Graber
- Associate Scientist, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L1 Canada
| | - Casey Hubert
- Professor, Campus Alberta Innovates Program Chair in Geomicrobiology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4 Canada
| | - Judy Isaac-Renton
- Professor Emerita, Dept. Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Calgary, AB, T2N 3V9 Canada
| | - Wendy Pons
- Professor, Bachelor of Environmental Health Program Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, Kitchener, ON N2P 2N6 Canada
| | - Hannah Safford
- Associate Director of Science Policy, Federation of American Scientists, Arlington, VA 22205 USA
| | - Mark Servos
- Professor & Canada Research Chair, Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1 Canada
| | - Christopher Sikora
- Medical Officer of Health, Edmonton Region, Alberta Health Services, Edmonton, AB T5J 3E4 Canada
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