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
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.
| Medienart: |
E-Artikel |
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| Erscheinungsjahr: |
2022 |
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| Erschienen: |
2022 |
| Enthalten in: |
Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:152 |
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| Enthalten in: |
Swiss medical weekly - 152(2022) vom: 20. Juni, Seite w30202 |
| Sprache: |
Englisch |
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| Beteiligte Personen: |
Bagutti, Claudia [VerfasserIn] |
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| Anmerkungen: |
Date Completed 14.07.2022 Date Revised 07.12.2022 published: Electronic-eCollection Citation Status MEDLINE |
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| doi: |
10.4414/smw.2022.w30202 |
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| PPN (Katalog-ID): |
NLM343429403 |
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| 245 | 1 | 0 | |a 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 |b results of an observational surveillance study |
| 264 | 1 | |c 2022 | |
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| 500 | |a Date Revised 07.12.2022 | ||
| 500 | |a published: Electronic-eCollection | ||
| 500 | |a Citation Status MEDLINE | ||
| 520 | |a 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 | ||
| 520 | |a 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 | ||
| 520 | |a 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 | ||
| 520 | |a 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 | ||
| 650 | 4 | |a Journal Article | |
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| 650 | 7 | |a Waste Water |2 NLM | |
| 700 | 1 | |a Alt Hug, Monica |e verfasserin |4 aut | |
| 700 | 1 | |a Heim, Philippe |e verfasserin |4 aut | |
| 700 | 1 | |a Maurer Pekerman, Laura |e verfasserin |4 aut | |
| 700 | 1 | |a Ilg Hampe, Evelyn |e verfasserin |4 aut | |
| 700 | 1 | |a Hübner, Philipp |e verfasserin |4 aut | |
| 700 | 1 | |a Fuchs, Simon |e verfasserin |4 aut | |
| 700 | 1 | |a Savic, Miodrag |e verfasserin |4 aut | |
| 700 | 1 | |a Stadler, Tanja |e verfasserin |4 aut | |
| 700 | 1 | |a Topolsky, Ivan |e verfasserin |4 aut | |
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| 700 | 1 | |a Dreifuss, David |e verfasserin |4 aut | |
| 700 | 1 | |a Beerenwinkel, Niko |e verfasserin |4 aut | |
| 700 | 1 | |a Tschudin Sutter, Sarah |e verfasserin |4 aut | |
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