Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States of America.
PeerJ. 2023 Mar 20;11:e15079. doi: 10.7717/peerj.15079. eCollection 2023.
Wastewater measurements of SARS-CoV-2 RNA have been extensively used to supplement clinical data on COVID-19. Most examples in the literature that describe wastewater monitoring for SARS-CoV-2 RNA use samples from wastewater treatment plants and individual buildings that serve as the primary residence of community members. However, wastewater surveillance can be an attractive supplement to clinical testing in K-12 schools where individuals only spend a portion of their time but interact with others in close proximity, increasing risk of potential transmission of disease.
Wastewater samples were collected from two K-12 schools in California and divided into solid and liquid fractions to be processed for detection of SARS-CoV-2. The resulting detection rate in each wastewater fraction was compared to each other and the detection rate in pooled clinical specimens.
Most wastewater samples were positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA when clinical testing was positive (75% for solid samples and 100% for liquid samples). Wastewater samples continued to test positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA when clinical testing was negative or in absence of clinical testing (83% for both solid and liquid samples), indicating presence of infected individuals in the schools. Wastewater solids had a higher concentration of SARS-CoV-2 than wastewater liquids on an equivalent mass basis by three orders of magnitude.
污水中 SARS-CoV-2 RNA 的测量已被广泛用于补充 COVID-19 的临床数据。文献中大多数描述用于 SARS-CoV-2 RNA 的污水监测的例子都使用来自污水处理厂和作为社区成员主要居住地的单个建筑物的样本。然而，在 K-12 学校中，污水监测可能是临床检测的一个很好的补充，因为个体在那里只花费一部分时间，但与其他人密切接触，增加了疾病潜在传播的风险。
从加利福尼亚的两所 K-12 学校采集了污水样本，并将其分为固体和液体部分，以用于检测 SARS-CoV-2。比较了每个污水部分的检测率与每个污水部分与混合临床标本的检测率。
当临床检测呈阳性时，大多数污水样本都检测到 SARS-CoV-2 RNA 呈阳性（固体样本的阳性率为 75%，液体样本的阳性率为 100%）。当临床检测呈阴性或没有临床检测时，污水样本仍继续检测到 SARS-CoV-2 RNA 呈阳性（固体样本和液体样本的阳性率均为 83%），表明学校中存在受感染的个体。污水固体的 SARS-CoV-2 浓度比污水液体高三个数量级。
