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RESEARCH PRODUCT
Metropolitan wastewater analysis for COVID-19 epidemiological surveillance
Walter RandazzoWalter RandazzoGloria SánchezEnric Cuevas-ferrandoRafael SanjuánPilar Domingo-calapsubject
Economic growthCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)Short CommunicationSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)DeclarationContext (language use)Disease010501 environmental sciencesWastewater01 natural sciences03 medical and health sciences0302 clinical medicinePolitical scienceEnvironmental healthPandemicMedicineHumans030212 general & internal medicinePandemics0105 earth and related environmental sciencesEarly warningTransmission (medicine)business.industrySARS-CoV-2Epidemiological surveillancePublic Health Environmental and Occupational HealthOutbreakCOVID-19Metropolitan areaWastewaterPreparednessEpidemiological surveillanceRNA Viralbusinessdescription
The COVID-19 disease, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is a rapidly emerging pandemic which has enforced extreme containment measures worldwide. In the absence of a vaccine or efficient treatment, cost-effective epidemiological surveillance strategies are urgently needed. Here, we have used RT-qPCR for SARS-CoV-2 detection in a series of longitudinal metropolitan wastewaters samples collected from February to April 2020, during the earliest stages of the epidemic in the Region of Valencia, Spain. We were able to consistently detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in samples taken in late February, when communicated cases in that region were only incipient. We also find that the wastewater viral RNA context increased rapidly and anticipated the subsequent ascent in the number of declared cases. Our results strongly suggest that the virus was undergoing community transmission earlier than previously believed, and suggest that wastewater analysis could be sensitive and cost-effective strategy for COVID-19 epidemiological surveillance. Routine implementation of this surveillance tool would significantly improve our preparedness against new or re-occurring viral outbreaks.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-09-01 | International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health |