Measurement of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater tracks community infection dynamics
Author: ["Jordan Peccia","Alessandro Zulli","Doug E. Brackney","Nathan D. Grubaugh","Edward H. Kaplan","Arnau Casanovas-Massana","Albert I. Ko","Amyn A. Malik","Dennis Wang","Mike Wang","Joshua L. Warren","Daniel M. Weinberger","Wyatt Arnold","Saad B. Omer"]
Publication: Nature Biotechnology
CITE.CC academic search helps you expand the influence of your papers.
Abstract
We measured severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA concentrations in primary sewage sludge in the New Haven, Connecticut, USA, metropolitan area during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in Spring 2020. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected throughout the more than 10-week study and, when adjusted for time lags, tracked the rise and fall of cases seen in SARS-CoV-2 clinical test results and local COVID-19 hospital admissions. Relative to these indicators, SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations in sludge were 0–2 d ahead of SARS-CoV-2 positive test results by date of specimen collection, 0–2 d ahead of the percentage of positive tests by date of specimen collection, 1–4 d ahead of local hospital admissions and 6–8 d ahead of SARS-CoV-2 positive test results by reporting date. Our data show the utility of viral RNA monitoring in municipal wastewater for SARS-CoV-2 infection surveillance at a population-wide level. In communities facing a delay between specimen collection and the reporting of test results, immediate wastewater results can provide considerable advance notice of infection dynamics. Testing sewage for the novel coronavirus reveals epidemiological trends.
Cite this article
Peccia, J., Zulli, A., Brackney, D.E. et al. Measurement of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater tracks community infection dynamics. Nat Biotechnol 38, 1164–1167 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-020-0684-z
