TY - JOUR
T1 - Application of human RNase P normalization for the realistic estimation of SARS-CoV-2 viral load in wastewater
T2 - A perspective from Qatar wastewater surveillance
AU - El-Malah, Shimaa S.
AU - Saththasivam, Jayaprakash
AU - Jabbar, Khadeeja Abdul
AU - Arun, K. K.
AU - Gomez, Tricia A.
AU - Ahmed, Ayeda A.
AU - Mohamoud, Yasmin A.
AU - Malek, Joel A.
AU - Abu Raddad, Laith J.
AU - Abu Halaweh, Hussein A.
AU - Bertollini, Roberto
AU - Lawler, Jenny
AU - Mahmoud, Khaled A.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Author(s)
PY - 2022/8
Y1 - 2022/8
N2 - The apparent uncertainty associated with shedding patterns, environmental impacts, and sample processing strategies have greatly influenced the variability of SARS-CoV-2 concentrations in wastewater. This study evaluates the use of a new normalization approach using human RNase P for the logic estimation of SARS-CoV-2 viral load in wastewater. SARS-CoV-2 variants outbreak was monitored during the circulating wave between February and August 2021. Sewage samples were collected from five major wastewater treatment plants and subsequently analyzed to determine the viral loads in the wastewater. SARS-CoV-2 was detected in all the samples where the wastewater Ct values exhibited a similar trend as the reported number of new daily positive cases in the country. The infected population number was estimated using a mathematical model that compensated for RNA decay due to wastewater temperature and sewer residence time, and which indicated that the number of positive cases circulating in the population declined from 765,729 ± 142,080 to 2,303 ± 464 during the sampling period. Genomic analyses of SARS-CoV-2 of thirty wastewater samples collected between March 2021 and April 2021 revealed that alpha (B.1.1.7) and beta (B.1.351) were among the dominant variants of concern (VOC) in Qatar. The findings of this study imply that the normalization of data allows a more realistic assessment of incidence trends within the population.
AB - The apparent uncertainty associated with shedding patterns, environmental impacts, and sample processing strategies have greatly influenced the variability of SARS-CoV-2 concentrations in wastewater. This study evaluates the use of a new normalization approach using human RNase P for the logic estimation of SARS-CoV-2 viral load in wastewater. SARS-CoV-2 variants outbreak was monitored during the circulating wave between February and August 2021. Sewage samples were collected from five major wastewater treatment plants and subsequently analyzed to determine the viral loads in the wastewater. SARS-CoV-2 was detected in all the samples where the wastewater Ct values exhibited a similar trend as the reported number of new daily positive cases in the country. The infected population number was estimated using a mathematical model that compensated for RNA decay due to wastewater temperature and sewer residence time, and which indicated that the number of positive cases circulating in the population declined from 765,729 ± 142,080 to 2,303 ± 464 during the sampling period. Genomic analyses of SARS-CoV-2 of thirty wastewater samples collected between March 2021 and April 2021 revealed that alpha (B.1.1.7) and beta (B.1.351) were among the dominant variants of concern (VOC) in Qatar. The findings of this study imply that the normalization of data allows a more realistic assessment of incidence trends within the population.
KW - Municipal wastewater
KW - SARS-CoV-2 monitoring
KW - Sequencing
KW - Variant of concern
KW - Wastewater surveillance
KW - Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE)
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85133353499&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.eti.2022.102775
DO - 10.1016/j.eti.2022.102775
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85133353499
SN - 2352-1864
VL - 27
JO - Environmental Technology and Innovation
JF - Environmental Technology and Innovation
M1 - 102775
ER -