1
|
Pardo-Figueroa B, Mindreau-Ganoza E, Reyes-Calderon A, Yufra SP, Solorzano-Ortiz IM, Donayre-Torres AJ, Antonini C, Renom JM, Quispe AM, Mota CR, Chernicharo CAL, Carbajal MA, Santa-María M. Spatiotemporal Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in the Sewage of Three Major Urban Areas in Peru: Generating Valuable Data Where Clinical Testing Is Extremely Limited. ACS ES T Water 2022; 2:2144-2157. [PMID: 37552743 PMCID: PMC9159516 DOI: 10.1021/acsestwater.2c00065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Revised: 05/06/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Peru has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. By January 2022, Peru had surpassed 200 000 COVID-19 deaths, constituting the highest death rate per capita worldwide. Peru has had several limitations during the pandemic: insufficient testing access, limited contact tracing, a strained medical infrastructure, and many economic hurdles. These limitations hindered the gathering of accurate information about infected individuals with spatial resolution in real time, a critical aspect of effectively controlling the pandemic. Wastewater monitoring for SARS-CoV-2 RNA offered a promising alternative for providing needed population-wide information to complement health care indicators. In this study, we demonstrate the feasibility and value of implementing a decentralized SARS-CoV-2 RNA wastewater monitoring system to assess the spatiotemporal distribution of COVID-19 in three major cities in Peru: Lima, Callao, and Arequipa. Our data on viral loads showed the same trends as health indicators such as incidence and mortality. Furthermore, we were able to identify hot spots of contagion within the surveyed urban areas to guide the efforts of health authorities. Viral decay in the sewage network of the cities studied was found to be negligible (<2%). Overall, our results support wastewater monitoring for SARS-CoV-2 as a valuable and cost-effective tool for monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic in the Peruvian context.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Braulio Pardo-Figueroa
- Universidad de Ingenieria y Tecnologia
(UTEC), Centro de Investigación y Tecnología del Agua
(CITA), Jr. Medrano Silva 165, Lima 15063, Peru
| | - Elias Mindreau-Ganoza
- Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos,
Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Av. Germán Amézaga
s/n, Lima 15081, Peru
| | - Alonso Reyes-Calderon
- Universidad de Ingenieria y Tecnologia
(UTEC), Centro de Investigación y Tecnología del Agua
(CITA), Jr. Medrano Silva 165, Lima 15063, Peru
| | - Sonia P. Yufra
- Universidad Nacional de San Agustin de
Arequipa, Departamento de Ingeniería Metalúrgica e
Ingeniería Ambiental, Av. Independencia s/n, Arequipa 04001,
Peru
| | - Isabel M. Solorzano-Ortiz
- Universidad de Ingenieria y Tecnologia
(UTEC), Departamento de Ingeniería Ambiental, Jr. Medrano Silva
165, Lima 15063, Peru
| | - Alberto J. Donayre-Torres
- Universidad de Ingenieria y Tecnologia
(UTEC), Departamento de Bioingeniería, Jr. Medrano Silva 165, Lima
15063, Peru
| | - Claudia Antonini
- Universidad de Ingenieria y Tecnologia
(UTEC), Departamento de Ingeniería Industrial, Jr. Medrano Silva
165, Lima 15063, Peru
| | - Jose Miguel Renom
- Universidad de Ingenieria y Tecnologia
(UTEC), Departamento de Ciencias, Jr. Medrano Silva 165, Lima 15063,
Peru
| | - Antonio Marty Quispe
- Universidad de Ingenieria y Tecnologia
(UTEC), Departamento de Bioingeniería, Jr. Medrano Silva 165, Lima
15063, Peru
- Universidad Continental,
Escuela de Posgrado, Av. San Carlos 1980, Huancayo 12001, Peru
| | - Cesar R. Mota
- Universidade Federal de Minas
Gerais, Departamento de Engenharia Sanitária e Ambiental, Escola de
Engenharia, Av. Antonio Carlos, 6.627, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte,
Brazil
| | - Carlos A. L. Chernicharo
- Universidade Federal de Minas
Gerais, Departamento de Engenharia Sanitária e Ambiental, Escola de
Engenharia, Av. Antonio Carlos, 6.627, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte,
Brazil
| | - Max A. Carbajal
- Ministerio de Vivienda
Construcción y Saneamiento, Dirección de Saneamiento, Av.
República de Panamá 3650, Lima 15073, Peru
| | - Mónica
C. Santa-María
- Universidad de Ingenieria y Tecnologia
(UTEC), Centro de Investigación y Tecnología del Agua
(CITA), Jr. Medrano Silva 165, Lima 15063, Peru
- Universidad de Ingenieria y Tecnologia
(UTEC), Departamento de Ingeniería Ambiental, Jr. Medrano Silva
165, Lima 15063, Peru
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Kassaw TK, Donayre-Torres AJ, Antunes MS, Morey KJ, Medford JI. Engineering synthetic regulatory circuits in plants. Plant Sci 2018; 273:13-22. [PMID: 29907304 DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2018.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2018] [Revised: 04/05/2018] [Accepted: 04/07/2018] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Plant synthetic biology is a rapidly emerging field that aims to engineer genetic circuits to function in plants with the same reliability and precision as electronic circuits. These circuits can be used to program predictable plant behavior, producing novel traits to improve crop plant productivity, enable biosensors, and serve as platforms to synthesize chemicals and complex biomolecules. Herein we introduce the importance of developing orthogonal plant parts and the need for quantitative part characterization for mathematical modeling of complex circuits. In particular, transfer functions are important when designing electronic-like genetic controls such as toggle switches, positive/negative feedback loops, and Boolean logic gates. We then discuss potential constraints and challenges in synthetic regulatory circuit design and integration when using plants. Finally, we highlight current and potential plant synthetic regulatory circuit applications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tessema K Kassaw
- Department of Biology, 1878 Campus Delivery, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1878, USA
| | - Alberto J Donayre-Torres
- Department of Biology, 1878 Campus Delivery, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1878, USA
| | - Mauricio S Antunes
- Department of Biology, 1878 Campus Delivery, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1878, USA
| | - Kevin J Morey
- Department of Biology, 1878 Campus Delivery, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1878, USA
| | - June I Medford
- Department of Biology, 1878 Campus Delivery, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1878, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Donayre-Torres AJ, Esquivel-Soto E, Gutiérrez-Xicoténcatl MDL, Esquivel-Guadarrama FR, Gómez-Lim MA. Production and purification of immunologically active core protein p24 from HIV-1 fused to ricin toxin B subunit in E. coli. Virol J 2009; 6:17. [PMID: 19196485 PMCID: PMC2653483 DOI: 10.1186/1743-422x-6-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2008] [Accepted: 02/06/2009] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Gag protein from HIV-1 is a polyprotein of 55 kDa, which, during viral maturation, is cleaved to release matrix p17, core p24 and nucleocapsid proteins. The p24 antigen contains epitopes that prime helper CD4 T-cells, which have been demonstrated to be protective and it can elicit lymphocyte proliferation. Thus, p24 is likely to be an integral part of any multicomponent HIV vaccine. The availability of an optimal adjuvant and carrier to enhance antiviral responses may accelerate the development of a vaccine candidate against HIV. The aim of this study was to investigate the adjuvant-carrier properties of the B ricin subunit (RTB) when fused to p24. Results A fusion between ricin toxin B subunit and p24 HIV (RTB/p24) was expressed in E. coli. Affinity chromatography was used for purification of p24 alone and RTB/p24 from cytosolic fractions. Biological activity of RTB/p24 was determined by ELISA and affinity chromatography using the artificial receptor glycoprotein asialofetuin. Both assays have demonstrated that RTB/p24 is able to interact with complex sugars, suggesting that the chimeric protein retains lectin activity. Also, RTB/p24 was demonstrated to be immunologically active in mice. Two weeks after intraperitoneal inoculation with RTB/p24 without an adjuvant, a strong anti-p24 immune response was detected. The levels of the antibodies were comparable to those found in mice immunized with p24 alone in the presence of Freund adjuvant. RTB/p24 inoculated intranasally in mice, also elicited significant immune responses to p24, although the response was not as strong as that obtained in mice immunized with p24 in the presence of the mucosal adjuvant cholera toxin. Conclusion In this work, we report the expression in E. coli of HIV-1 p24 fused to the subunit B of ricin toxin. The high levels of antibodies obtained after intranasal and intraperitoneal immunization of mice demonstrate the adjuvant-carrier properties of RTB when conjugated to an HIV structural protein. This is the first report in which a eukaryotic toxin produced in E. coli is employed as an adjuvant to elicit immune responses to p24 HIV core antigen.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alberto J Donayre-Torres
- Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados (CINVESTAV), Unidad Irapuato, Km 9.6 Libramiento Norte, 36500 Carretera Irapuato-León, Irapuato, Guanajuato, México.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|