Environmental Virology Laboratory, Water Pollution Research Department, Environment and Climate Change Research Institute, National Research Centre, Dokki 12622, Giza, Egypt E-mail:
Molecular Biology Department, Biotechnology Research Institute, National Research Centre, 12622 Dokki, Cairo, Egypt.
J Water Health. 2022 Aug;20(8):1212-1222. doi: 10.2166/wh.2022.098.
The new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is a respiratory virus causing coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Individuals with COVID-19 can shed the viral genome in their feces, even if they do not have symptoms, and the virus can be detected in wastewater. The current study provides the first surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 RNA genome in the wastewater in Egypt. To study this aim, untreated influent (n = 48) and treated effluent (n = 48) samples were collected between January and December 2021 from the wastewater treatment plant in Giza. The viral RNA genome was determined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) (S, E, and N target regions) and real-time quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (RT-qPCR) (N1 and N2 target regions). The RT-PCR assay failed to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in all samples analyzed, whereas RT-qPCR succeeded in the detection of N gene of SARS-CoV-2 in 62.5% of untreated influent samples. The RT-qPCR Ct values of those samples tested positive ranged from 19.9 to 30.1 with a mean of 23. The treated effluent samples were negative for viral RNA detected by both RT-PCR and RT-qPCR, indicating the efficiency of the sewage treatment plant in degrading SARS-CoV-2. Our preliminary findings provide evidence for the value of wastewater epidemiology approach for the surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in the population to assist in the responses of public health to COVID-19 outbreak.
新型冠状病毒（SARS-CoV-2）是一种呼吸道病毒，可引起冠状病毒病（COVID-19）。患有 COVID-19 的个体即使没有症状也可以在粪便中排出病毒基因组，并且可以在废水中检测到该病毒。本研究首次对埃及废水中 SARS-CoV-2 RNA 基因组进行了监测。为了研究这一目的，于 2021 年 1 月至 12 月间从吉萨的污水处理厂采集了未经处理的进水（n = 48）和处理后的出水（n = 48）样本。通过逆转录-聚合酶链反应（RT-PCR）（S、E 和 N 靶区）和实时定量逆转录-PCR（RT-qPCR）（N1 和 N2 靶区）测定病毒 RNA 基因组。RT-PCR 检测未能在所有分析的样本中检测到 SARS-CoV-2 RNA，而 RT-qPCR 成功地在未经处理的进水样本中 62.5%的样本中检测到 SARS-CoV-2 的 N 基因。这些检测呈阳性的样本的 RT-qPCR Ct 值范围为 19.9 至 30.1，平均值为 23。两种 RT-PCR 和 RT-qPCR 均检测为阴性的处理后的出水样本，表明污水处理厂对 SARS-CoV-2 的降解效率较高。我们的初步发现为废水流行病学方法在人群中监测 SARS-CoV-2 以协助公共卫生应对 COVID-19 爆发提供了证据。
