Dataset Information

SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations in wastewater foreshadow dynamics and clinical presentation of new COVID-19 cases.

ABSTRACT: Current estimates of COVID-19 prevalence are largely based on symptomatic, clinically diagnosed cases. The existence of a large number of undiagnosed infections hampers population-wide investigation of viral circulation. Here, we quantify the SARS-CoV-2 concentration and track its dynamics in wastewater at a major urban wastewater treatment facility in Massachusetts, between early January and May 2020. SARS-CoV-2 was first detected in wastewater on March 3. SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations in wastewater correlated with clinically diagnosed new COVID-19 cases, with the trends appearing 4-10 days earlier in wastewater than in clinical data. We inferred viral shedding dynamics by modeling wastewater viral load as a convolution of back-dated new clinical cases with the average population-level viral shedding function. The inferred viral shedding function showed an early peak, likely before symptom onset and clinical diagnosis, consistent with emerging clinical and experimental evidence. This finding suggests that SARS-CoV-2 concentrations in wastewater may be primarily driven by viral shedding early in infection. This work shows that longitudinal wastewater analysis can be used to identify trends in disease transmission in advance of clinical case reporting, and infer early viral shedding dynamics for newly infected individuals, which are difficult to capture in clinical investigations.

SUBMITTER: Wu F

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8416286 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations in wastewater foreshadow dynamics and clinical presentation of new COVID-19 cases.

Wu Fuqing F Xiao Amy A Zhang Jianbo J Moniz Katya K Endo Noriko N Armas Federica F Bonneau Richard R Brown Megan A MA Bushman Mary M Chai Peter R PR Duvallet Claire C Erickson Timothy B TB Foppe Katelyn K Ghaeli Newsha N Gu Xiaoqiong X Hanage William P WP Huang Katherine H KH Lee Wei Lin WL Matus Mariana M McElroy Kyle A KA Nagler Jonathan J Rhode Steven F SF Santillana Mauricio M Tucker Joshua A JA Wuertz Stefan S Zhao Shijie S Thompson Janelle J Alm Eric J EJ

The Science of the total environment 20210904

Current estimates of COVID-19 prevalence are largely based on symptomatic, clinically diagnosed cases. The existence of a large number of undiagnosed infections hampers population-wide investigation of viral circulation. Here, we quantify the SARS-CoV-2 concentration and track its dynamics in wastewater at a major urban wastewater treatment facility in Massachusetts, between early January and May 2020. SARS-CoV-2 was first detected in wastewater on March 3. SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations in waste ...[more]

PMID: 34534872

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Project description:Over two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, it is apparent that some populations across the world are more susceptible than others to SARS-CoV-2 infection and spread. Understanding how populations with varying demographic patterns are impacted by COVID-19 may highlight which factors are most important in targeting to combat global suffering. The first objective of this study was to investigate the association of various socioeconomic status (SES) parameters and confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state of Ohio, USA. This study examines the largest and capital city of Ohio (Columbus) and various small-medium-sized communities. The second objective was to determine the relationship between SES parameters and community-level SARS-CoV-2 concentrations using municipal wastewater samples from each city's respective wastewater treatment plants from August 2020 to January 2021. SES parameters include population size, median income, poverty, race/ethnicity, education, health care access, types of COVID-19 testing sites, and social vulnerability index. Statistical analysis results show that confirmed (normalized and/or non-normalized) COVID-19 cases were negatively associated with White percentage and registered hospitals, and positively associated with registered physicians and various COVID-19 testing sites. Wastewater viral concentrations were negatively associated with poverty, and positively associated with median income, community health centers, and onsite rapid testing locations. Additional analyses conclude that population is a significant factor in determining COVID-19 cases and SARS-CoV-2 wastewater concentrations. Results indicate that community healthcare parameters relate to a negative health outcome (COVID-19) and that demographic parameters can be associated with community-level SARS-CoV-2 wastewater concentrations. As the first study that examines the association between socioeconomic parameters and SARS-CoV-2 wastewater concentrations as well as confirmed COVID-19 cases, it is apparent that social determinants have an impact in determining the health burden of small-medium sized Ohioan cities. This study design and innovative approach are scalable and applicable for endemic and pandemic surveillance across the world.

Dataset Information

SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations in wastewater foreshadow dynamics and clinical presentation of new COVID-19 cases.

Publications

SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations in wastewater foreshadow dynamics and clinical presentation of new COVID-19 cases.

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