tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Sci Total Environ
. 2021 Feb 12;775:145790.
doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145790. Online ahead of print.
Correlation of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater with COVID-19 disease burden in sewersheds
Jennifer Weidhaas[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Zachary T Aanderud[SUP] 2 [/SUP], D Keith Roper[SUP] 3 [/SUP], James VanDerslice[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Erica Brown Gaddis[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Jeff Ostermiller[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Ken Hoffman[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Rubayat Jamal[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Phillip Heck[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Yue Zhang[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Kevin Torgersen[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Jacob Vander Laan[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Nathan LaCross[SUP] 9 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), is shed in feces and the viral ribonucleic acid (RNA) is detectable in wastewater. A nine-week wastewater epidemiology study of ten wastewater facilities, serving 39% of the state of Utah or 1.26 M individuals was conducted in April and May of 2020. COVID-19 cases were tabulated from within each sewershed boundary. RNA from SARS-CoV-2 was detectable in 61% of 126 wastewater samples. Urban sewersheds serving >100,000 individuals and tourist communities had higher detection frequencies. An outbreak of COVID-19 across two communities positively correlated with an increase in wastewater SARS-CoV-2 RNA, while a decline in COVID-19 cases preceded a decline in RNA. SARS-CoV-2 RNA followed a first order decay rate in wastewater, while 90% of the RNA was present in the liquid phase of the influent. Infiltration and inflow, virus decay and sewershed characteristics should be considered during correlation analysis of SAR-CoV-2 with COVID-19 cases. These results provide evidence of the utility of wastewater epidemiology to assist in public health responses to COVID-19.
Keywords: COVID-19; Disease burden; Interceptor; SARS-CoV-2 RNA; Sewershed; Wastewater epidemiology.
. 2021 Feb 12;775:145790.
doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145790. Online ahead of print.
Correlation of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater with COVID-19 disease burden in sewersheds
Jennifer Weidhaas[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Zachary T Aanderud[SUP] 2 [/SUP], D Keith Roper[SUP] 3 [/SUP], James VanDerslice[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Erica Brown Gaddis[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Jeff Ostermiller[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Ken Hoffman[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Rubayat Jamal[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Phillip Heck[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Yue Zhang[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Kevin Torgersen[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Jacob Vander Laan[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Nathan LaCross[SUP] 9 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 33618308
- DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145790
Abstract
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), is shed in feces and the viral ribonucleic acid (RNA) is detectable in wastewater. A nine-week wastewater epidemiology study of ten wastewater facilities, serving 39% of the state of Utah or 1.26 M individuals was conducted in April and May of 2020. COVID-19 cases were tabulated from within each sewershed boundary. RNA from SARS-CoV-2 was detectable in 61% of 126 wastewater samples. Urban sewersheds serving >100,000 individuals and tourist communities had higher detection frequencies. An outbreak of COVID-19 across two communities positively correlated with an increase in wastewater SARS-CoV-2 RNA, while a decline in COVID-19 cases preceded a decline in RNA. SARS-CoV-2 RNA followed a first order decay rate in wastewater, while 90% of the RNA was present in the liquid phase of the influent. Infiltration and inflow, virus decay and sewershed characteristics should be considered during correlation analysis of SAR-CoV-2 with COVID-19 cases. These results provide evidence of the utility of wastewater epidemiology to assist in public health responses to COVID-19.
Keywords: COVID-19; Disease burden; Interceptor; SARS-CoV-2 RNA; Sewershed; Wastewater epidemiology.