Department of Biology, US Air Force Academy, USAFA, CO 80840, USA.
Life Science Research Center, US Air Force Academy, USAFA, CO 80840, USA.
Mil Med. 2023 Nov 3;188(11-12):e3675-e3679. doi: 10.1093/milmed/usad239.
The presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) in wastewater has been proposed as a sentinel surveillance epidemiological tool for detection of infectious disease at a community level and as a complementary approach to syndromic surveillance of infectious disease outbreaks. We have designed a study to test the presence and quantity of SARS-CoV2, the virus responsible for COVID19, in the wastewater treatment facility (WWTF) of the U.S. Air Force Academy.
Wastewater samples were tested in the laboratory to quantify the amount of SARS-CoV2 RNA using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Raw SARS-CoV2 viral titer in wastewater was normalized to the viral titer of a fecal marker, pepper mild mottle virus, to correct for dilutions. Temporal and spatial trends of COVID19 were analyzed. Furthermore, we compared wastewater analysis results against clinical data to assist public health decisions.
Preliminary data suggest that wastewater analysis can provide temporal and spatial trends of COVID19. The geographically discrete WWTF at the U.S. Air Force suggests that wastewater testing is a useful approach to developing a comprehensive sentinel surveillance system.
Together with ongoing syndromic surveillance data, this proof-of-concept study seeks to determine whether early detection of SARS-CoV2 in a closed system WWTF correlates to changes in community and clinically reported COVID19. The well-documented population served by the geographically discrete WWTF at the U.S. Air Force Academy may serve to better elucidate the adjunctive role of wastewater testing in a comprehensive surveillance system. These results may be of particular interest to the DoD and local commanders given the WWTFs under their immediate control and the information that these studies may provide in support of operational readiness through early detection of disease outbreaks.
有人提出，在废水中存在严重急性呼吸系统综合征冠状病毒 2（SARS-CoV2），可以作为在社区层面检测传染病的哨点监测流行病学工具，以及对传染病爆发进行综合征监测的补充手段。我们设计了一项研究，以测试美国空军学院废水处理设施（WWTF）中导致 COVID19 的 SARS-CoV2 病毒的存在和数量。
实验室测试废水样本，使用逆转录定量聚合酶链反应来定量 SARS-CoV2 RNA 的含量。将废水中 SARS-CoV2 的原始病毒滴度归一化为粪便标志物——胡椒轻斑驳病毒的病毒滴度，以校正稀释度。分析 COVID19 的时间和空间趋势。此外，我们将废水分析结果与临床数据进行比较，以协助公共卫生决策。
初步数据表明，废水分析可以提供 COVID19 的时间和空间趋势。美国空军地理位置离散的 WWTF 表明，废水检测是开发全面哨点监测系统的有用方法。
结合正在进行的综合征监测数据，这项概念验证研究旨在确定在封闭系统 WWTF 中早期检测 SARS-CoV2 是否与社区和临床报告的 COVID19 变化相关。美国空军学院地理位置离散的 WWTF 所服务的人口记录完善，可以更好地阐明废水检测在全面监测系统中的辅助作用。鉴于废水处理厂处于其直接控制之下，这些结果可能特别引起国防部和当地指挥官的兴趣，这些研究可以提供有关通过早期发现疾病爆发来支持战备的信息。
