Wastewater-Based Epidemiology for Viral Surveillance from an Endemic Perspective: Evidence and Challenges

Viruses, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 16(3), P. 482 - 482

Published: March 20, 2024

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is currently used to monitor not only the spread of viral SARS-CoV-2 pandemic but also that other viruses in endemic conditions, particularly absence syndromic surveillance. The continuous monitoring sewage requires high expenditure and significant time investments, highlighting need for standardized methods structured strategies. In this context, we conducted weekly wastewater northwestern Tuscany (Italy) targeted human adenovirus (HAdV), norovirus genogroup II (NoVggII), enterovirus (EV), SARS-CoV-2. Samples were collected at entrances treatment plants concentrated using PEG/NaCl precipitation, nucleic acids extracted detected through real-time reverse transcription qPCR. NoVggII was most identified target (84.4%), followed by HAdV, SARS-CoV-2, EV. Only HAdV EV exhibited seasonal peaks spring summer. Compared with data previously same study area (from February 2021 September 2021), results revealed a shift from an epidemic pattern, least region under investigation, which likely due mutations led spreading new variants increased resistance summer environmental conditions. conclusion, efficient strategy, WBE proves valuable surveillance scenarios, enabling identification temporal–local distribution patterns are useful making informed public health decisions.

Language: Английский

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Wastewater-based epidemiology framework: Collaborative modeling for sustainable disease surveillance

The Science of The Total Environment, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 968, P. 178889 - 178889

Published: Feb. 19, 2025

Language: Английский

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Wastewater Based Epidemiology for Viral Surveillance in an Endemic Perspective: Evidence and Challenges

Published: Feb. 8, 2024

Wastewater-Based Epidemiology (WBE) is currently used to monitor not only the spread of pandemic virus SARS-CoV-2 but also for other viruses in endemic conditions, particularly absence syndromic surveillance. Continuous monitoring sewage requires high costs and significant time investment, highlighting need standardized methods structured strategies. In this context, we conducted weekly wastewater northwestern Italy, targeting Human Adenovirus (HAdV), Norovirus Genogroup II (NoVggII), Enterovirus (EV), SARS-CoV-2. Samples collected at entrance treatment plants were concentrated using PEG/NaCl precipitation viral nucleic acids extracted detected by real-time (RT-)qPCR. NoVggII resulted most identified target (84.4%), followed HAdV, SARS-CoV-2, EV. Only HAdV EV exhibited seasonal peaks spring summer. results compared with data previously same study area (February 2021 September 2021) revealed a shift from an epidemic status, likely due evolution variants. conclusion, WBE, efficient strategy, proves valuable surveillance scenarios, enabling identification temporal-local distribution patterns that are useful making informed public health decision.

Language: Английский

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Wastewater Treatment Plants Performance for Reuse: Evaluation of Bacterial and Viral Risks

Water, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 16(10), P. 1399 - 1399

Published: May 14, 2024

Reusing reclaimed water is of paramount importance to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals 6 and 13. In Europe, a recent Regulation set minimum requirements reuse in agriculture. However, some challenges remain considering microbial risks their prevention. this study, two urban wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) were investigated from perspective reuse. A five-year investigation was performed on routine monitoring parameters collected under different weather conditions (wet/dry) treatments (chlorination/non-chlorination) inlet outlet samples. Moreover, three-month focused parameters, including indicators, index pathogens (Human Adenovirus—HAdV, Salmonella spp.), other viral (norovirus, enterovirus, SARS-CoV-2). The long-term study revealed compliance both WWTPs chemical (organic substances solids) more than 90% samples, whereas Escherichia coli, ranged 96.1% with chlorination dry 16.7% without wet days. E. coli positively associated oxygen demand (COD), which could be promising online measurable proxy coli. performance demonstrated sound reliability detecting as suitable surrogate chlorinated effluents, but neither bacterial nor indicators are able represent HAdV. Although remove most considered, seems insufficient safety.

Language: Английский

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Environmental Dissemination of SARS-CoV-2: An Analysis Employing Crassphage and Next-Generation Sequencing Protocols

Food and Environmental Virology, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 17(1)

Published: Jan. 7, 2025

Language: Английский

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Variability of Clinical Metrics in Small Population Communities Drive Perceived Wastewater and Environmental Surveillance Data Quality: Ontario, Canada-Wide Study

ACS ES&T Water, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 5(4), P. 1605 - 1619

Published: March 7, 2025

The emergence of COVID-19 in Canada has led to over 4.9 million cases and 59,000 deaths by May 2024. Traditional clinical surveillance metrics (hospital admissions laboratory-positive cases) were complemented with wastewater environmental monitoring (WEM) monitor SARS-CoV-2 incidence. However, challenges public health integration WEM persist due perceived limitations data quality, potentially driving inconsistent correlations variability lead times. This study investigates how factors like population size, measurement magnitude, site isolation status, hospital admissions, affect Ontario. analysis uncovers a direct relationship between the size surveyed sewersheds, while magnitude was not directly impacted size. Higher observed smaller likely reducing correlation strength for inferring Population significantly influenced thresholds identified at ∼66,000 inhabitants strong WEM-hospital ∼68,000 WEM-laboratory-positive during waned vaccination periods Ontario (the Omicron BA.1 wave). During significant immunization BA.2 wave), these increased ∼187,000 238,000, respectively. These findings highlight benefit strategic interventions, especially communities. provides insights enhancing decision making disease through WEM, applicable other diseases.

Language: Английский

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Evaluating Population Normalization Methods Using Chemical Data for Wastewater-Based Epidemiology: Insights from a Site-Specific Case Study

Viruses, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 17(5), P. 672 - 672

Published: May 4, 2025

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has been widely employed to track the spread of human pathogens; however, correlating wastewater data with clinical surveillance remains challenging due population variability and environmental factors affecting composition. This study evaluated different SARS-CoV-2 normalization methods, comparing static estimates dynamic based on common physicochemical parameters: chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical (BOD5), ammonia (NH4-N). Wastewater samples were collected from four urban treatment plants (WWTPs) in northwestern Tuscany (Italy) February 2021 March 2023. The correlations between normalized viral loads COVID-19 cases highest for (ρ = 0.405), followed closely by using COD BOD5 0.378 each). Normalization NH4-N was less effective. These findings suggest that parameters, particularly BOD5, offer a valid alternative when or flow rate measurements are unavailable. parameters provide cost-effective practical approach improving WBE reliability, resource-limited settings. Our results reinforce importance enhance its representativeness applicability public health surveillance.

Language: Английский

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Toileting behaviours of the UK public: insights for reducing demographic bias in wastewater-based epidemiology sampling strategies

Research Square (Research Square), Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: May 7, 2025

Wastewater-based epidemiology has gained increasing interest for its application as a public health surveillance tool, yet the impact of toileting habits over representativeness wastewater data remains underexplored. To address this, we surveyed toilet UK (n = 2109). Most respondents defecated once daily (52%), with higher frequencies and morning defecation more common among male older participants. Willingness to use facilities outside home was lower than urination, varied by location (from 32% at paid toilets 75% work). Cleanliness leading reason avoiding (67%), while safety concerns were frequently reported females (43%). Those aged 18–24 less willing participants, citing shyness proportion. These behavioural patterns suggest that composite or time-resolved grab sampling can help account demographic influence diurnal patterns. Furthermore, near-source studies— particularly in non-residential settings where is lower—should strongly consider detection sensitivity their design. Overall, demonstrate deeper understanding population’s crucial ensure deliver effective insights.

Language: Английский

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Integrated environmental surveillance: the role of wastewater, air, and surface microbiomes in global health security

Water Emerging Contaminants & Nanoplastics, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 4(2)

Published: May 26, 2025

In recent years, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic, wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has emerged as an effective tool for early detection of disease outbreaks. This manuscript presents a novel perspective on WBE by highlighting sewage predictive instrument, capable providing near-real-time, community-level pathogen surveillance and anticipating mitigating future pandemics even before first clinical symptoms are detected. approach enables cost-effective, non-invasive, population-wide monitoring infectious diseases’ emergence, evolution, decline. By identifying pathogens in human waste (e.g., viruses bacteria), delivers real-time insights into infection trends, encompassing data from asymptomatic pre-symptomatic populations, enabling timely interventions public health authorities. Among key advantages its capacity to encompass large pinpoint transmission hotspots, facilitate resource allocation containment efforts. The efficacy predicting already been validated during potential critical component pandemic response preparedness. However, this also challenges such sample variability, environmental factors, infrastructure limitations. Through comprehensive review state-of-art available topic, including almost 300 published papers, present emphasizes expected impact integrating global frameworks discusses applications emerging diseases, aiming provide multidimensional overview integration with other tools.

Language: Английский

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Wastewater-based epidemiology of influenza viruses: a systematic review

The Science of The Total Environment, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 986, P. 179706 - 179706

Published: May 30, 2025

Language: Английский

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