Evaluation of a Wastewater-Based Epidemiological Approach to Estimate the Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Infections and the Detection of Viral Variants in Disparate Oregon Communities at City and Neighborhood Scales

Layton, Blythe A.; Kaya, Devrim; Kelly, Christine; Williamson, Kenneth; Alegre, Dana; Bachhuber, Silke; Banwarth, Peter G; Bethel, Jeffrey W.; Carter, Katherine; Dalziel, Benjamin D.; Dasenko, Mark; Geniza, Matthew; George, Andrea D.; Girard, Anne-Marie; Haggerty, R.; Higley, Kathryn A.; Hynes, Denise M.; Lubchenco, Jane; McLaughlin, Katherine; Nieto, F. Javier; Noakes, Aslan; Peterson, Michael; Piemonti, Adriana D; Sanders, Justin L.; Tyler, Brett M.; Radniecki, Tyler S.

doi:10.1289/ehp10289

Cited by 36 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…In our opinion, the N gene was the best indicator of viral concentration in WWTP samples. Other studies also use the N gene as the preferred target for viral detection [ 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 ]. In our study, which aimed to quantify SARS-CoV-2 ARN in wastewater irrespective of the viral strain circulating at the time, the N gene is a logical best target as it is more conserved than the S gene.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anthropogenic Sewage Water Circuit as Vector for SARS-CoV-2 Viral ARN Transport and Public Health Assessment, Monitoring and Forecasting—Sibiu Metropolitan Area (Transylvania/Romania) Study Case

Boeraș

Curtean–Bănăduc

Bănăduc

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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Water is a risk factor for epidemics of waterborne diseases with effects on human health. In 2019, new viral pneumonia cases occurred in China and spread worldwide. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility and accuracy of a wastewater-based epidemiological (WBE) monitoring tool in a SARS-CoV-2 hot spot (Sibiu City metropolitan area), namely to highlight the correlation between the number of infections on the days of sampling and the amount of viral RNA detected in wastewater. Wastewater samples were collected once a week, and viral RNA was extracted and quantified. In parallel, the daily number of SARS-CoV-2 infections was obtained from the local council. The correlation between the number of infections and viruses detected in sewage was measured by Pearson correlation coefficients. The results show the amount of viral RNA in the wastewater is directly correlated with the number of infections reported in the week up to the sampling day and also the number of infections reported for the sampling day. Moreover, correlation coefficients show the amount of viral RNA in wastewater increases in advance of the increase in reported infection cases. Therefore, WBE can be used as a tool for monitoring virus spread trends in human communities and can help anticipate the trend of this type of viral infection.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anthropogenic Sewage Water Circuit as Vector for SARS-CoV-2 Viral ARN Transport and Public Health Assessment, Monitoring and Forecasting—Sibiu Metropolitan Area (Transylvania/Romania) Study Case

Boeraș

Curtean–Bănăduc

Bănăduc

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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“…To the best of our knowledge, this paper and a paper authored by several of the coauthors are the only reports that provide a direct and quantitative evaluation of the prevalence of COVID-19 with people living in the wastewater sewersheds areas and the SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA concentration in sewage. The suggested correlation we identified is particularly strong during November and December 2020 when community participation was high.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…During the current COVID-19 pandemic, interest in WBE was renewed when SARS-CoV-2 RNA was identified in patient feces . Multiple studies worldwide have since confirmed that SARS-CoV2 RNA can be detected in wastewater and sludge. − In addition, the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater appears to correlate with the dynamics of the reported cases, and the occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) can be captured by genomic sequencing. ,− Our own experience with monitoring Oregon communities over a 10-month period has suggested that WBE is a better predictor of COVID-19 community prevalence than routinely reported cases, despite WBE’s inherent variability …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…17,19−21 Our own experience with monitoring Oregon communities over a 10-month period has suggested that WBE is a better predictor of COVID-19 community prevalence than routinely reported cases, despite WBE's inherent variability. 22 In the current study, we sought to determine the correlation between wastewater SARS-CoV-2 signals and individual COVID-19 status, as well as compare positivity rates in two underserved communities in Portland, Oregon to those reported in the greater Multnomah County. To execute this study, we established two community-based SARS-CoV-2 testing sites to compare population SARS-CoV-2 infection rates with prospective wastewater signals, with an emphasis on rates of infection in communities disproportionately affected by SARS-CoV-2.…”

Section: ■ Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Community-Based SARS-CoV-2 Testing Using Saliva or Nasopharyngeal Swabs to Compare the Performance of Weekly COVID-19 Screening to Wastewater SARS-CoV-2 Signals

Brunton

Mohebnasab

et al. 2022

ACS EST Water

Self Cite

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Multiple studies worldwide have confirmed that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA can be detected in wastewater. However, there is a lack of data directly comparing the wastewater SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentration with the prevalence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in individuals living in sewershed areas. Here, we correlate wastewater SARS-CoV-2 signals with SARS-CoV-2 positivity rates in symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals and compare positivity rates in two underserved communities in Portland, Oregon to those reported in greater Multnomah County. 403 individuals were recruited via two COVID-19 testing sites over a period of 16 weeks. The weekly SARS-CoV-2 positivity rate in our cohort ranged from 0 to 21.7% and trended higher than symptomatic positivity rates reported by Multnomah County (1.9–8.7%). Among the 362 individuals who reported symptom status, 76 were symptomatic and 286 were asymptomatic. COVID-19 was detected in 35 participants: 24 symptomatic, 9 asymptomatic, and 2 of unknown symptomatology. Wastewater testing yielded 0.33–149.9 viral RNA genomic copies/L/person and paralleled community COVID-19 positive test rates. In conclusion, wastewater sampling accurately identified increased SARS-CoV-2 within a community. Importantly, the rate of SARS-CoV-2 positivity in underserved areas is higher than positivity rates within the County as a whole, suggesting a disproportionate burden of SARS-CoV-2 in these communities.

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Critical Needs for Integrated Surveillance: Wastewater-Based and Clinical Epidemiology in Evolving Scenarios with Lessons Learned from SARS-CoV-2

Carducci,

Federigi,

Lauretani

et al. 2024

Food Environ Virol

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) and clinical surveillance have been used as tools for analyzing the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 in the community, but both approaches can be strongly influenced by some sources of variability. From the challenging perspective of integrating environmental and clinical data, we performed a correlation analysis between SARS-CoV-2 concentrations in raw sewage and incident COVID-19 cases in areas served by medium-size wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) from 2021 to 2023. To this aim, both datasets were adjusted for several sources of variability: WBE data were adjusted for factors including the analytical protocol, sewage flow, and population size, while clinical data adjustments considered the demographic composition of the served population. Then, we addressed the impact on the correlation of differences among sewerage networks and variations in the frequency and type of swab tests due to changes in political and regulatory scenarios. Wastewater and clinical data were significantly correlated when restrictive containment measures and limited movements were in effect (ρ = 0.50) and when COVID-19 cases were confirmed exclusively through molecular testing (ρ = 0.49). Moreover, a positive (although weak) correlation arose for WWTPs located in densely populated areas (ρ = 0.37) and with shorter sewerage lengths (ρ = 0.28). This study provides methodological approaches for interpreting WBE and clinical surveillance data, which could also be useful for other infections. Data adjustments and evaluation of possible sources of bias need to be carefully considered from the perspective of integrated environmental and clinical surveillance of infections.

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Evaluation of a Wastewater-Based Epidemiological Approach to Estimate the Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Infections and the Detection of Viral Variants in Disparate Oregon Communities at City and Neighborhood Scales

Cited by 36 publications

References 52 publications

Anthropogenic Sewage Water Circuit as Vector for SARS-CoV-2 Viral ARN Transport and Public Health Assessment, Monitoring and Forecasting—Sibiu Metropolitan Area (Transylvania/Romania) Study Case

Anthropogenic Sewage Water Circuit as Vector for SARS-CoV-2 Viral ARN Transport and Public Health Assessment, Monitoring and Forecasting—Sibiu Metropolitan Area (Transylvania/Romania) Study Case

Community-Based SARS-CoV-2 Testing Using Saliva or Nasopharyngeal Swabs to Compare the Performance of Weekly COVID-19 Screening to Wastewater SARS-CoV-2 Signals

Critical Needs for Integrated Surveillance: Wastewater-Based and Clinical Epidemiology in Evolving Scenarios with Lessons Learned from SARS-CoV-2

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