Wastewater-based monitoring of the spread of the new SARS-CoV-2 virus, also referred to as wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE), has been suggested as a tool to support epidemiology. An extensive sampling campaign, including nine municipal wastewater treatment plants, has been conducted in different cities of the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany) on the same day in April 2020, close to the first peak of the corona crisis. Samples were processed and analysed for a set of SARS-CoV-2-specific genes, as well as pan-genotypic gene sequences also covering other coronavirus types, using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Additionally, a comprehensive set of chemical reference parameters and bioindicators was analysed to characterize the wastewater quality and composition. Results of the RT-qPCR based gene analysis indicate the presence of SARS-CoV-2 genetic traces in different raw wastewaters. Furthermore, selected samples have been sequenced using Sanger technology to confirm the specificity of the RT-qPCR and the origin of the coronavirus. A comparison of the particle-bound and the dissolved portion of SARS-CoV-2 virus genes shows that quantifications must not neglect the solid-phase reservoir. The infectivity of the raw wastewater has also been assessed by viral outgrowth assay with a potential SARS-CoV-2 host cell line in vitro, which were not infected when exposed to the samples. This first evidence suggests that wastewater might be no major route for transmission to humans. Our findings draw attention to the need for further methodological and molecular assay validation for enveloped viruses in wastewater.
Registro de acceso restringido Este recurso no está disponible en acceso abierto por política de la editorial. No obstante, se puede acceder al texto completo desde la Universitat Jaume I o si el usuario cuenta con suscripción. Registre d'accés restringit Aquest recurs no està disponible en accés obert per política de l'editorial. No obstant això, es pot accedir al text complet des de la Universitat Jaume I o si l'usuari compta amb subscripció. Restricted access item This item isn't open access because of publisher's policy. The full--text version is only available from Jaume I University or if the user has a running suscription to the publisher's contents.
N-(1,3-Dimethylbutyl)-N′-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine-quinone (6PPD-quinone), a transformation
product of the rubber tire antioxidant 6PPD, has recently been identified
as the chemical responsible for urban runoff mortality syndrome in
coho salmon, with a median lethal concentration (LC50)
of <0.1 μg/L. Subsequent studies have failed to confirm comparable
sensitivity in other fish species. Here, we investigated the acute
toxicity of 6PPD-quinone to rainbow trout, brook trout, Arctic char,
and white sturgeon. Fish were exposed under static renewal conditions,
and exposure concentrations were verified analytically. Mortalities
in brook trout occurred between 1.2 and 20 h, while mortalities began
after 7 h and spanned 60 h in rainbow trout. The LC50s
in brook trout (24 h) and rainbow trout (72 h) were 0.59 and 1.00
μg/L, respectively. Both species showed characteristic symptoms
(increased ventilation, gasping, spiraling, and loss of equilibrium)
shortly before death. No mortalities were observed after exposure
of either char or sturgeon for 96 h at measured concentrations as
high as 14.2 μg/L. This is the first study to demonstrate the
acute toxicity of 6PPD-quinone to other fishes of commercial, cultural,
and ecological importance at environmentally relevant concentrations
and provides urgently needed information for environmental risk assessments
of this contaminant of emerging concern.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.