Sanitation Laboratory, Department of Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Espírito Santo, Vitória, Espirito Santo, Brazil E-mail:
J Water Health. 2023 Mar;21(3):343-353. doi: 10.2166/wh.2023.260.
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is a valuable tool for investigating the existence, prevalence, and spread of pathogens, such as SARS-CoV-2, in a given population. WBE, proposed as part of the SARS-CoV-2 surveillance strategy for monitoring virus circulation, may complement clinical data and contribute to reducing the spread of the disease through early detection. In developing countries such as Brazil, where clinical data are scarce, information obtained from wastewater monitoring can be crucial for designing public health interventions. In the United States, the country with the largest number of confirmed SARS-CoV-2 cases worldwide, WBE programs have begun to be carried out to investigate correlations with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) clinical data and support health agencies in decision-making to prevent the spread of the disease. This systematic review aimed to assess the contribution of WBE to SARS-CoV-2 screening in Brazil and the United States and compare studies conducted in a developed and developing country. Studies in Brazil and the United States showed WBE to be an important epidemiological surveillance strategy in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. WBE approaches are useful for early detection of COVID-19 outbreaks, estimation of clinical cases, and assessment of the effectiveness of vaccination program.
基于污水的流行病学（WBE）是一种有价值的工具，可用于调查特定人群中病原体（如 SARS-CoV-2）的存在、流行和传播。WBE 作为 SARS-CoV-2 监测策略的一部分，用于监测病毒传播，可补充临床数据，并有助于通过早期检测减少疾病传播。在巴西等发展中国家，临床数据稀缺，从污水监测中获得的信息对于设计公共卫生干预措施至关重要。在美国，这个全球确诊 SARS-CoV-2 病例最多的国家，已经开始开展 WBE 项目，以调查与 2019 年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）临床数据的相关性，并为卫生机构提供支持，以防止疾病传播。本系统评价旨在评估 WBE 对巴西和美国 SARS-CoV-2 筛查的贡献，并比较在发达国家和发展中国家开展的研究。巴西和美国的研究表明，WBE 是 COVID-19 大流行背景下重要的流行病学监测策略。WBE 方法可用于 COVID-19 暴发的早期检测、临床病例估计以及评估疫苗接种计划的效果。
