Detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in Wastewater and Comparison to COVID-19 Cases in Two Sewersheds, North Carolina, USA

Details

• Personal Author:
  Blackwood AD ; Clerkin TJ ; Coleman CK ; Engel LS ; Grube AM ; Guidry VT ; Holcomb DA ; Kothegal NP ; LaMontagne CD ; Miller ME ; Noble RT ; Serre ML ; Stewart JR
• Description:
  Wastewater surveillance of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) may be useful for monitoring population-wide coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections, especially given asymptomatic infections and limitations in diagnostic testing. We aimed to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater and compare viral concentrations to COVID-19 case numbers in the respective counties and sewersheds. Influent 24-hour composite wastewater samples were collected from July to December 2020 from two municipal wastewater treatment plants serving different population sizes in Orange and Chatham Counties in North Carolina. After a concentration step via HA filtration, SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected and quantified by reverse transcription droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (RT-ddPCR) and quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), targeting the N1 and N2 nucleocapsid genes. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected by RT-ddPCR in 100 % (24/24) and 79 % (19/24) of influent wastewater samples from the larger and smaller plants, respectively. In comparison, viral RNA was detected by RT-qPCR in 41.7 % (10/24) and 8.3 % (2/24) of samples from the larger and smaller plants, respectively. Positivity rates and method agreement further increased for the RT-qPCR assay when samples with positive signals below the limit of detection were counted as positive. The wastewater data from the larger plant generally correlated (p approx. 0.5, p < 0.05) with, and even anticipated, the trends in reported COVID-19 cases, with a notable spike in measured viral RNA preceding a spike in cases when students returned to a college campus in the Orange County sewershed. Correlations were generally higher when using estimates of sewershed-level case data rather than county-level data. This work supports use of wastewater surveillance for tracking COVID-19 disease trends, especially in identifying spikes in cases. Wastewater-based epidemiology can be a valuable resource for tracking disease trends, allocating resources, and evaluating policy in the fight against current and future pandemics. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Communicable Diseases Epidemiology Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Wastewater-based Epidemiology Coronavirus COVID COVID-19 DdPCR SARS-CoV-2 Sewage Surveillance Sewage Treatment Surveillance Waste Treatment Water Sampling

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• ISSN:
  0048-9697
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  North Carolina ; OSHA Region 4
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  858
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20067800
• Citation:
  Sci Total Environ 2023 Feb; 858(Pt 3):159996
• Contact Point Address:
  Jill R. Stewart, Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 135 Dauer Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States
• Email:
  Jill.Stewart@unc.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2023
• Performing Organization:
  University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Part Number:
  3
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Science of the Total Environment
• End Date:
  20270630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:a1080a36893d41ee114272753fd96a55256ea5493c04be3082e213da7ef84d0368eeb1d6a02ccd72225886bedc9480aa2ec986b3bc6ec5a6c8c0aefb7a17cc33
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/230056/cdc_230056_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.70 MB ]