Population level SARS-CoV-2 fecal shedding rates determined via wastewater-based epidemiology.

ABSTRACT: Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has been utilized as an early warning tool to anticipate disease outbreaks, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, COVID-19 disease models built from wastewater-collected data have been limited by the complexities involved in estimating SARS-CoV-2 fecal shedding rates. In this study, wastewater from six municipalities in Arizona and Florida with distinct demographics were monitored for SARS-CoV-2 RNA between September 2020 and December 2021. Virus concentrations with corresponding clinical case counts were utilized to estimate community-wide fecal shedding rates that encompassed all infected individuals. Analyses suggest that average SARS-CoV-2 RNA fecal shedding rates typically occurred within a consistent range (7.53-9.29 log₁₀ gc

SUBMITTER: Prasek SM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9172256 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature