Targeted amplicon sequencing of wastewater samples for detecting SARS-CoV-2 variants with high sensitivity and resolution.

ABSTRACT: Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is a promising approach for monitoring the spread of SARS-CoV-2 within communities. Although qPCR-based WBE is powerful in that it allows quick and highly sensitive detection of this virus, it can provide limited information about which variants are responsible for the overall increase or decrease of this virus in sewage, and this hinders accurate risk assessments. To resolve this problem, we developed a next generation sequencing (NGS)-based method to determine the identity and composition of individual SARS-CoV-2 variants in wastewater samples. Combination and optimization of targeted amplicon-sequencing and nested PCR allowed detection of each variant with sensitivity comparable to that of qPCR. In addition, by targeting the receptor binding domain (R

SUBMITTER: Kuroiwa M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10258123 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature