RNA Detection Using RT-qPCR and Non-Isolation of SARS-CoV-2 in Concentrated Wastewater (June–August 2020, Tokyo)

Nagashima, Mami; Kawakami, Mamiyo; Kumagai, Ryota; Kasuya, Fumi; Yoshida, Isao; Kashihara, Norihisa; Morita, K; Yamada, Kuriko; Fujiwara, Takushi; Kitamura, Koichi; Yoshida, Hiromu; Chiba, Takashi; Sadamasu, Kenji

doi:10.7883/yoken.jjid.2021.055

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 6 publications

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“…In Japan, SARS-CoV-2 RNA was first detected in secondary treated wastewater before chlorination at a WWTP in Yamanashi Prefecture in April 2020 ( Haramoto et al, 2020 ). Although experiments to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA have been carried out on wastewater in other regions in Japan for 1–3 months ( Hata et al, 2021 ; Kitamura et al, 2021 ; Nagashima et al, 2021 ; Torii et al, 2021 ), few studies have reported the relationship between the number of COVID-19 cases and the amount of RNA detected with long-term monitoring.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

SARS-CoV-2 RNA in Wastewater Was Highly Correlated With the Number of COVID-19 Cases During the Fourth and Fifth Pandemic Wave in Kobe City, Japan

Tanimoto¹,

Ito²,

Miyamoto³

et al. 2022

Front. Microbiol.

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Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the cause of the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and associated respiratory infections, has been detected in the feces of patients. Therefore, determining SARS-CoV-2 RNA levels in sewage may help to predict the number of infected people within the area. In this study, we quantified SARS-CoV-2 RNA copy number using reverse transcription quantitative real-time PCR with primers and probes targeting the N gene, which allows the detection of both wild-type and variant strain of SARS-CoV-2 in sewage samples from two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Kobe City, Japan, during the fourth and fifth pandemic waves of COVID-19 between February 2021 and October 2021. The wastewater samples were concentrated via centrifugation, yielding a pelleted solid fraction and a supernatant, which was subjected to polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitation. The SARS-CoV-2 RNA was significantly and frequently detected in the solid fraction than in the PEG-precipitated fraction. In addition, the copy number in the solid fraction was highly correlated with the number of COVID-19 cases in the WWTP basin (WWTP-A: r = 0.8205, p < 0.001; WWTP-B: r = 0.8482, p < 0.001). The limit of capturing COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people was 0.75 cases in WWTP-A and 1.20 cases in WWTP-B, respectively. Quantitative studies of RNA in sewage can be useful for administrative purposes related to public health, including issuing warnings and implementing preventive measures within sewage basins.

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