Laboratory of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Thessaly, 22 Papakyriazi Str., 41222 Larissa, Greece.
National Public Health Organization, 15123 Athens, Greece.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Mar 22;20(6):5219. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20065219.
The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to significant progress in the field of wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) of respiratory pathogens and highlighted its potential for a wider application in public health surveillance. This study aimed to evaluate whether monitoring of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in wastewater can provide a comprehensive picture of disease transmission at the community level. The study was conducted in Larissa (Central Greece) between October 2022 and January 2023. Forty-six wastewater samples were collected from the inlet of the wastewater treatment plant of Larissa and analyzed with a real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) based method. RSV and SARS-CoV-2 wastewater viral loads (genome copies/100,000 inhabitants) were analyzed against sentinel surveillance data on influenza-like illness (ILI) to identify potential associations. Univariate linear regression analysis revealed that RSV wastewater viral load (lagged by one week) and ILI notification rates in children up to 14 years old were strongly associated (std. Beta: 0.73 (95% CI: 0.31-1.14), = 0.002, R = 0.308). A weaker association was found between SARS-CoV-2 viral load and ILI rates in the 15+ age group (std. Beta: 0.56 (95% CI: 0.06-1.05), = 0.032, R = 0.527). The results support the incorporation of RSV monitoring into existing wastewater-based surveillance systems.
COVID-19 大流行的出现推动了基于废水的呼吸道病原体监测（WBS）领域的显著进展，并凸显了其在公共卫生监测中的更广泛应用潜力。本研究旨在评估监测废水中呼吸道合胞病毒（RSV）是否可以全面了解社区层面的疾病传播。该研究于 2022 年 10 月至 2023 年 1 月在希腊中部的拉里萨进行。从拉里萨污水处理厂的入口处采集了 46 个废水样本，并使用基于实时逆转录聚合酶链反应（RT-PCR）的方法进行分析。分析了 RSV 和 SARS-CoV-2 废水病毒载量（基因组拷贝/10 万居民）与流感样疾病（ILI）哨点监测数据的关系，以确定潜在的关联。单变量线性回归分析显示，RSV 废水病毒载量（滞后一周）与 14 岁以下儿童的 ILI 通知率密切相关（标准 Beta：0.73（95% CI：0.31-1.14）， = 0.002，R = 0.308）。在 15 岁及以上年龄组中，SARS-CoV-2 病毒载量与 ILI 率之间的相关性较弱（标准 Beta：0.56（95% CI：0.06-1.05）， = 0.032，R = 0.527）。研究结果支持将 RSV 监测纳入现有的基于废水的监测系统。
