Li Ye, Ash K T, Joyner Dominique C, Williams Daniel E, Alamilla I, McKay P J, Iler C, Green B M, Kara-Murdoch F, Swift C M, Hazen Terry C
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States.
Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, United States.
Front Microbiol. 2023 Apr 28;14:1144026. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1144026. eCollection 2023.
Although severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA has been frequently detected in sewage from many university dormitories to inform public health decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic, a clear understanding of SARS-CoV-2 RNA persistence in site-specific raw sewage is still lacking. To investigate the SARS-CoV-2 RNA persistence, a field trial was conducted in the University of Tennessee dormitories raw sewage, similar to municipal wastewater.
The decay of enveloped SARS-CoV-2 RNA and non-enveloped Pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) RNA was investigated by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) in raw sewage at 4°C and 20°C.
Temperature, followed by the concentration level of SARS-CoV-2 RNA, was the most significant factors that influenced the first-order decay rate constants () of SARS-CoV-2 RNA. The mean values of SARS-CoV-2 RNA were 0.094 day at 4°C and 0.261 day at 20°C. At high-, medium-, and low-concentration levels of SARS-CoV-2 RNA, the mean values were 0.367, 0.169, and 0.091 day, respectively. Furthermore, there was a statistical difference between the decay of enveloped SARS-CoV-2 and non-enveloped PMMoV RNA at different temperature conditions.
The first decay rates for both temperatures were statistically comparable for SARS-CoV-2 RNA, which showed sensitivity to elevated temperatures but not for PMMoV RNA. This study provides evidence for the persistence of viral RNA in site-specific raw sewage at different temperature conditions and concentration levels.
尽管在新冠疫情期间，从许多大学宿舍的污水中经常检测到严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）RNA，以便为公共卫生决策提供信息，但对于SARS-CoV-2 RNA在特定地点的原污水中的持久性仍缺乏清晰的认识。为了研究SARS-CoV-2 RNA的持久性，在田纳西大学宿舍的原污水中进行了一项田间试验，该污水类似于城市废水。
通过逆转录定量聚合酶链反应（RT-qPCR）研究了包膜SARS-CoV-2 RNA和非包膜辣椒轻斑驳病毒（PMMoV）RNA在4°C和20°C原污水中的衰减情况。
温度，其次是SARS-CoV-2 RNA的浓度水平，是影响SARS-CoV-2 RNA一级衰减速率常数（）的最重要因素。SARS-CoV-2 RNA的平均 值在4°C时为0.094天，在20°C时为0.261天。在SARS-CoV-2 RNA的高、中、低浓度水平下，平均 值分别为0.367、0.169和0.091天。此外，在不同温度条件下，包膜SARS-CoV-2和非包膜PMMoV RNA的衰减存在统计学差异。
两种温度下SARS-CoV-2 RNA的首次衰减率在统计学上具有可比性，这表明其对温度升高敏感，但PMMoV RNA则不然。本研究为病毒RNA在不同温度条件和浓度水平下在特定地点的原污水中的持久性提供了证据。
