Monitoring the presence and persistence of SARS-CoV-2 in water-food-environmental compartments: State of the knowledge and research needs

Abstract

The recent spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SAR-CoV-2) and the accompanied coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has continued ceaselessly despite the implementations of popular measures, which include social distancing and outdoor face masking as recommended by the World Health Organization. Due to the unstable nature of the virus, leading to the emergence of new variants that are claimed to be more and rapidly transmissible, there is a need for further consideration of the alternative potential pathways of the virus transmissions to provide the needed and effective control measures. This review aims to address this important issue by examining the transmission pathways of SARS-CoV-2 via indirect contacts such as fomites and aerosols, extending to water, food, and other environmental compartments. This is essentially required to shed more light regarding the speculation of the virus spread through these media as the available information regarding this is fragmented in the literature. The existing state of the information on the presence and persistence of SARS-CoV-2 in water-food-environmental compartments is essential for cause-and-effect relationships of human interactions and environmental samples to safeguard the possible transmission and associated risks through these media. Furthermore, the integration of effective remedial measures previously used to tackle the viral outbreaks and pandemics, and the development of new sustainable measures targeting at monitoring and curbing the spread of SARS-CoV-2 were emphasized. This study concluded that alternative transmission pathways via human interactions with environmental samples should not be ignored due to the evolving of more infectious and transmissible SARS-CoV-2 variants.

SARS-CoV-2 circulation in Croatian wastewaters and the absence of SARS-CoV-2 in bivalve molluscan shellfish

“…Possible implications of the SARS-CoV-2 environmental shedding by wastewaters are the contamination of surface waters and its possible spill over to the wildlife. Even though SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in open surface waters ( Kolarević et al, 2021 ; Mahlknecht et al, 2021 ; Rimoldi et al, 2020 ), there is no evidence for a transmission of SARS-CoV-2 via water-food-environmental media ( Adelodun et al, 2021 ). To this date SARS-CoV-2 pandemic strain was not detected to circulate in free-ranging wildlife species which may be in contact with surface waters, wastewaters and human waste in general ( Colombo et al, 2021 ; Jemeršić et al, 2021 ).…”

SARS-CoV-2 and other pathogenic microorganisms in the environment

“…On June 20, 2021, the papers that have been published are the following: Adelodun et al (2021) prepared a review on monitoring the presence and persistence of SARS-CoV-2 in water-food-environmental compartments. Ahmed et al (2021) published a study on intraday variability of indicator and pathogenic viruses in 1-h and 24-h composite wastewater samples, in relation to their implications for wastewater-based epidemiology.…”

Insights into hazardous solid waste generation during COVID-19 pandemic and sustainable management approaches for developing countries

“…There are no existing concrete measures in place for the collection, disinfection, and disposal of used facemasks and other PPEs in many developing countries during this COVID-19 pandemic, especially those generated from the household level [17]. Zand and Heir [10] reported the increase in the landfilling of solid wastes, including the hospital wastes, as a means of solid waste management during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which could lead to contamination of environmental compartments such as soil and groundwater [18,19]. The ease of nationwide lockdown measures in many of these countries has led to the littering of disposable gloves and facemasks [13,20], which are expected to aggravate the situation on community-based waste management.…”