Holzer C, Ho J, Tiehm A, Stange C
TZW: DVGW-Technologiezentrum Wasser, Karlsruher Str. 84, D-76139 Karlsruhe, Germany.
TZW: DVGW-Technologiezentrum Wasser, Karlsruher Str. 84, D-76139 Karlsruhe, Germany.
Sci Total Environ. 2025 Jan 10;959:178244. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.178244. Epub 2024 Dec 26.
As a lesson learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, wastewater-based epidemiology was recognised and used as an important method for surveillance and early detection of SARS-CoV-2. As a result, consideration of wastewater as a source of public health information has gained new prominence, and there is consensus that similar approaches can be used to detect the spread of other viral pathogens or antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in populations. However, the implementation of wastewater monitoring poses challenges in terms of obtaining representative and meaningful samples. In particular, it is difficult to sample small catchments, critical facilities (e.g. hospitals) or low-income countries where the use of automatic water samplers is not possible or the samplers are not available. To overcome these problems, this study developed a low-cost and easy-to-use passive sampler based on activated carbon as an adsorbent with a corresponding elution/extraction protocol that allows the detection of viruses and antibiotic resistance genes in wastewater. Monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 with these passive samplers at the influent of a wastewater treatment plant over a period of 1.5 months showed a positive correlation with monitoring with 24-h composite samples in the catchment area. Analysis of the nucleic acid extracts for antibiotic resistance genes showed the presence of clinically relevant carbapenemase genes such as bla and bla in the wastewater samples, with these genes being detected more reliably by the passive samplers than in the 24-h composite samples. This study therefore demonstrated that passive samplers provide reproducible SARS-CoV-2 RNA and antibiotic resistance gene signals from wastewater and a time-integrated measurement of the sampled matrix with high sensitivity.
从新冠疫情中吸取的教训是，基于污水的流行病学得到认可，并被用作监测和早期检测严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）的重要方法。因此，将污水视为公共卫生信息来源这一观念重新受到重视，并且人们达成共识，认为类似方法可用于检测人群中其他病毒病原体的传播或抗菌药物耐药性（AMR）。然而，污水监测的实施在获取具有代表性和有意义的样本方面面临挑战。特别是，对于小流域、关键设施（如医院）或低收入国家而言，采样很困难，因为无法使用自动水样采集器或没有这种采集器。为克服这些问题，本研究开发了一种低成本且易于使用的被动采样器，该采样器以活性炭作为吸附剂，并配有相应的洗脱/提取方案，可用于检测污水中的病毒和抗生素抗性基因。在一座污水处理厂的进水口使用这些被动采样器对SARS-CoV-2进行了1.5个月的监测，结果显示与集水区24小时混合样本的监测结果呈正相关。对抗生素抗性基因的核酸提取物分析表明，污水样本中存在临床上相关的碳青霉烯酶基因，如bla和bla，被动采样器检测到这些基因的可靠性高于24小时混合样本。因此，本研究表明，被动采样器能从污水中提供可重复的SARS-CoV-2 RNA和抗生素抗性基因信号，并能对采样基质进行具有高灵敏度的时间积分测量。
