Division of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, North 13 West 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8628, Japan.
CSIRO Environment, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, QLD 4102, Australia.
Sci Total Environ. 2023 Jul 1;880:162694. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162694. Epub 2023 Mar 8.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, a decrease in the prevalence of Influenza A virus (IAV) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) has been suggested by clinical surveillance. However, there may be potential biases in obtaining an accurate overview of infectious diseases in a community. To elucidate the impact of the COVID-19 on the prevalence of IAV and RSV, we quantified IAV and RSV RNA in wastewater collected from three wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Sapporo, Japan, between October 2018 and January 2023, using highly sensitive EPISENS™ method. From October 2018 to April 2020, the IAV M gene concentrations were positively correlated with the confirmed cases in the corresponding area (Spearman's r = 0.61). Subtype-specific HA genes of IAV were also detected, and their concentrations showed trends that were consistent with clinically reported cases. RSV A and B serotypes were also detected in wastewater, and their concentrations were positively correlated with the confirmed clinical cases (Spearman's r = 0.36-0.52). The detection ratios of IAV and RSV in wastewater decreased from 66.7 % (22/33) and 42.4 % (14/33) to 4.56 % (12/263) and 32.7 % (86/263), respectively in the city after the COVID-19 prevalence. The present study demonstrates the potential usefulness of wastewater-based epidemiology combined with the preservation of wastewater (wastewater banking) as a tool for better management of respiratory viral diseases.
自 COVID-19 大流行以来，临床监测表明甲型流感病毒 (IAV) 和呼吸道合胞病毒 (RSV) 的流行率有所下降。然而，在获得社区传染病的准确概况方面，可能存在潜在的偏差。为了阐明 COVID-19 对 IAV 和 RSV 流行率的影响，我们使用高度敏感的 EPISENS™ 方法，对 2018 年 10 月至 2023 年 1 月期间从日本札幌的三个污水处理厂 (WWTP) 收集的废水中的 IAV 和 RSV RNA 进行了定量分析。从 2018 年 10 月至 2020 年 4 月，IAV M 基因浓度与相应区域内确诊病例呈正相关（Spearman's r = 0.61）。还检测到了 IAV 的亚型特异性 HA 基因，其浓度与临床报告病例的趋势一致。废水中还检测到了 RSV A 和 B 血清型，其浓度与确诊的临床病例呈正相关（Spearman's r = 0.36-0.52）。IAV 和 RSV 在废水中的检出率从 COVID-19 流行前的 66.7%（22/33）和 42.4%（14/33）分别下降到流行后的 4.56%（12/263）和 32.7%（86/263）。本研究表明，结合废水保存（废水银行）的基于废水的流行病学具有作为呼吸道病毒疾病更好管理工具的潜力。
