Assessment of a SARS-CoV-2 wastewater monitoring program in El Paso, Texas, from November 2020 to June 2022

Gitter, Anna; Bauer, Cici; Wu, Fuqing; Ramphul, Ryan; Chavarria, Carlos A.; Zhang, Kehe; Petrosino, Joseph F.; Mezzari, Melissa P.; Gallegos, Gabriela; Terwilliger, Austen; Clark, Justin R.; Feliz, Karen; Avadhanula, Vasanthi; Piedra, Tony; Weesner, Kyle; Maresso, Anthony W.; Mena, Kristina D.

doi:10.1080/09603123.2022.2159017

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Sampling twice per week for SARS‐CoV‐2 was determined to be sufficient to avoid detection inaccuracies and was sufficient to correlate with a 7‐ to 8‐day lag time in case detection at two Austin WWTPs (Feng et al 2021; Nelson et al 2022). In El Paso, a nearly weekly sampling approach had a 4‐ to 24‐day lag time (Gitter et al 2023); therefore, a biweekly sampling strategy would be more practical when limited resources and personnel are considered, especially in a rural community (Feng et al 2021). Extending the time between sampling events would be expected to increase detection errors for environmental monitoring; however, an increase in the concentration of biological or chemical contaminants observed at multiple sampling points within a community would then warrant a strategic increase in sample frequency and location of sampling points (Levine et al 2014).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Large volume for collections (1-2 L) especially when low incidence of COVID cases is expected Ahmed et al 2022 Composite influent samples over a 24-hr period sampled one to two days per week at 12 WWTPs and daily for five days per week for two WWTPs A three-day per week sampling frequency evenly spaced apart will not compromise surveillance and a non-consecutive two-day per week frequency has minimal impact on surveillance sufficient to correlate with a 7-to 8-day lag time in case detection at two Austin WWTPs (Feng et al 2021;Nelson et al 2022). In El Paso, a nearly weekly sampling approach had a 4-to 24-day lag time (Gitter et al 2023); therefore, a biweekly sampling strategy would be more practical when limited resources and personnel are considered, especially in a rural community (Feng et al 2021). Extending the time between sampling events would be expected to increase detection errors for environmental monitoring; however, an increase in the concentration of biological or chemical contaminants observed at multiple sampling points within a community would then warrant a strategic increase in sample frequency and location of sampling points (Levine et al 2014).…”

Section: Ahmed Et Al 2022mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Feasibility of Wastewater‐based Public Health Monitoring Systems in Texas’ Small Rural Communities

Mendoza‐Sanchez,

Smyth,

Mendez

et al. 2024

Contemporary Water Research

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In recent years, there has been much focus on the use of wastewater‐based epidemiology (WBE) in urban centers, particularly for SARS‐CoV‐2 monitoring. However, less is known about the application of WBE in rural settings or in areas of limited resources. Most WBE programs in low‐resource communities have occurred outside the United States. To reap the benefits, WBE would need to be tailored to better reflect the socioeconomic challenges, technical barriers, communication limitations, and variable wastewater infrastructures associated with rural communities. The objective of this review is to evaluate the potential opportunities and challenges of deploying the current SARS‐CoV‐2 monitoring methodologies in small, rural communities, with a particular focus on rural Texas. For this, we conducted an inventory of rural communities in the state of Texas and their wastewater infrastructure. Based on specific rural examples, we evaluated the potential of current WBE methodologies used in urban settings to monitor for emerging biological agents of concern such as SARS‐CoV‐2. Our findings include an overview of rural wastewater capacity across rural Texas, a look at current WBE efforts to detect SARS‐CoV‐2, and recommendations for future implementation in two cities in rural counties, Kerrville and Valentine. WBE is a rapidly evolving public health tool with several notable advantages associated with cost, access, and adaptability. It is of particular use in resource‐limited communities that often exhibit healthcare disparities. This study presents the first overview of the feasibility of implementing WBE in the rural settings of Texas. We provide several recommendations and suggest alternatives that may be of use when planning an expansion of WBE into these areas.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Ahmed Et Al 2022mentioning

confidence: 99%

Feasibility of Wastewater‐based Public Health Monitoring Systems in Texas’ Small Rural Communities

Mendoza‐Sanchez,

Smyth,

Mendez

et al. 2024

Contemporary Water Research

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“…The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) initiated the National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) in September 2020 to track the dispersion of SARS-CoV-2. Our own team's activity began in April of 2020 in the cities of Houston and El Paso, Texas, both of which have implemented a city-wide SARS-CoV-2 wastewater (WW) monitoring program ( 7 – 9 ). Recently, the CDC expanded their SARS-CoV-2 wastewater testing program to include poliovirus after vaccine derived poliovirus was detected in New York state ( 10 ).…”

Section: Recent Sars-cov-2 Experience—rebirthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wastewater pandemic preparedness: Toward an end-to-end pathogen monitoring program

Clark

Terwilliger

Avadhanula

et al. 2023

Front. Public Health

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Molecular analysis of public wastewater has great potential as a harbinger for community health and health threats. Long-used to monitor the presence of enteric viruses, in particular polio, recent successes of wastewater as a reliable lead indicator for trends in SARS-CoV-2 levels and hospital admissions has generated optimism and emerging evidence that similar science can be applied to other pathogens of pandemic potential (PPPs), especially respiratory viruses and their variants of concern (VOC). However, there are substantial challenges associated with implementation of this ideal, namely that multiple and distinct fields of inquiry must be bridged and coordinated. These include engineering, molecular sciences, temporal-geospatial analytics, epidemiology and medical, and governmental and public health messaging, all of which present their own caveats. Here, we outline a framework for an integrated, state-wide, end-to-end human pathogen monitoring program using wastewater to track viral PPPs.

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“…Next, we tested the detection of MPXV in wastewater using F3L, F8L, and C22L_m assays. Weekly wastewater samples were collected between February 20 and March 27, 2023 from four wastewater treatment facilities including FH, HS, JT, and RB, which together serve about 751,982 individuals in El Paso 18 . Raw wastewater samples were separated into .…”

Section: (Which Was Not Certified By Peer Review)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Wastewater surveillance suggests unreported Mpox cases in a low-prevalence area

Oghuan,

Chavarria,

Vanderwal

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Wastewater surveillance has emerged as a valuable tool for monitoring infectious disease agents including SARS-CoV-2 and Mpox virus. However, detecting the Mpox virus in wastewater is particularly challenging due to its relatively low prevalence in the community. In this study, we detected Mpox virus in wastewater from a US-Mexico border city with a low prevalence of Mpox disease during February and March 2023 using real-time PCR assays targeting the C22L, F3L, and F8L genes. An increasing trend of viral concentration was observed 1~2 weeks earlier than when the Mpox case was reported. Further sequencing and epidemiological analysis provided supporting evidence for unreported Mpox infections in the city. This study showcases a combined approach with multiple molecular assays for efficient detection of the Mpox virus in wastewater in a low-prevalence area. The findings emphasize the value of wastewater surveillance as a timely identification tool for infectious diseases in low-prevalence areas, and the need for heightened vigilance to control the spread of infectious diseases in such settings.

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Assessment of a SARS-CoV-2 wastewater monitoring program in El Paso, Texas, from November 2020 to June 2022

Cited by 7 publications

References 27 publications

Feasibility of Wastewater‐based Public Health Monitoring Systems in Texas’ Small Rural Communities

Feasibility of Wastewater‐based Public Health Monitoring Systems in Texas’ Small Rural Communities

Wastewater pandemic preparedness: Toward an end-to-end pathogen monitoring program

Wastewater surveillance suggests unreported Mpox cases in a low-prevalence area

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