Wastewater monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 shows high correlation with COVID-19 case numbers and allowed early detection of the first confirmed B.1.1.529 infection in Switzerland: results of an observational surveillance study.
Swiss Med Wkly
; 152: w30202, 2022 06 20.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2202460
ABSTRACT
AIMS OF THE STUDY Wastewater-based epidemiology has contributed significantly to the comprehension of the dynamics of the current COVID-19 pandemic. Its additional value in monitoring SARS-CoV-2 circulation in the population and identifying newly arising variants independently of diagnostic testing is now undisputed. As a proof of concept, we report here correlations between SARS-CoV-2 detection in wastewater and the officially recorded COVID-19 case numbers, as well as the validity of such surveillance to detect emerging variants, exemplified by the detection of the B.1.1.529 variant Omicron in Basel, Switzerland. METHODS:
From July 1 to December 31, 2021, wastewater samples were collected six times a week from the inflow of the local wastewater treatment plant that receives wastewater from the catchment area of the city of Basel, Switzerland, comprising 273,075 inhabitants. The number of SARS-CoV-2 RNA copies was determined by reverse transcriptase-quantitative PCR. Spearman's rank correlation coefficients were calculated to determine correlations with the median seven-day incidence of genome copies per litre of wastewater and official case data. To explore delayed correlation effects between the seven-day median number of genome copies/litre wastewater and the median seven-day incidence of SARS-CoV-2 cases, time-lagged Spearman's rank correlation coefficients were calculated for up to 14 days. RNA extracts from daily wastewater samples were used to genotype circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants by next-generation sequencing.RESULTS:
The number of daily cases and the median seven-day incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infections in the catchment area showed a high correlation with SARS-CoV-2 measurements in wastewater samples. All correlations between the seven-day median number of genome copies/litre wastewater and the time-lagged median seven-day incidence of SARS-CoV-2 cases were significant (p<0.001) for the investigated lag of up to 14 days. Correlation coefficients declined constantly from the maximum of 0.9395 on day 1 to the minimum of 0.8016 on day 14. The B.1.1.529 variant Omicron was detected in wastewater samples collected on November 21, 2021, before its official acknowledgement in a clinical sample by health authorities.CONCLUSIONS:
In this proof-of-concept study, wastewater-based epidemiology proved a reliable and sensitive surveillance approach, complementing routine clinical testing for mapping COVID-19 pandemic dynamics and observing newly circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
SARS-CoV-2
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Diagnostic study
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Topics:
Variants
Limits:
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
Europa
Language:
English
Journal:
Swiss Med Wkly
Journal subject:
Medicine
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
SMW.2022.w30202
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