Birch Olivia N, Garza Frankie M, Greaves Justin C
Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, Indiana University-Bloomington, 2719 E 10th Street, Innovation Center, Bloomington, IN 47408, USA.
Pathogens. 2025 Jul 3;14(7):658. doi: 10.3390/pathogens14070658.
is a bacterial pathogen known to be the causative agent in many different illnesses, with Group A Streptococcus (GAS) pharyngitis (strep throat), being one of the more prevalent. The spread and severity of GAS pharyngitis can grow exponentially if individuals are not taking the proper precautions. Wastewater surveillance has been used to test for numerous different pathogens that humans spread throughout a community and in this study, we utilized wastewater surveillance to monitor GAS pharyngitis in a small city. Over a year, 57 wastewater influent samples were tested for and three commonly tested respiratory viruses (Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), SARS-CoV-2, Influenza A). Three microbial indicators and population normalizers (CrAssphage, Pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV), and Mycobacterium) were tested as well to compare and contrast each indicator's value and range over time. Wastewater data was then compared to publicly available search term data as clinical data was not readily available. There was a high correlation between the collected molecular data and the publicly available search term data for . Additionally, this study provided more information about the seasonal trend of throughout the year through molecular data and allowed for the ability to track peak infection months in this small city. Overall, these results highlight the substantial benefits of using wastewater surveillance for the monitoring of GAS pharyngitis. This study also provides helpful insights into future studies about the prevalence of respiratory bacteria and their seasonal trends in wastewater, allowing for public health systems to provide mitigation strategies.
是一种已知可导致多种不同疾病的细菌病原体，其中A组链球菌（GAS）咽炎（链球菌性咽喉炎）较为常见。如果个人不采取适当的预防措施，GAS咽炎的传播和严重程度可能会呈指数级增长。废水监测已被用于检测人类在社区中传播的多种不同病原体，在本研究中，我们利用废水监测来监测一个小城市中的GAS咽炎。在一年的时间里，对57份废水进水样本进行了检测，并检测了三种常见的呼吸道病毒（呼吸道合胞病毒（RSV）、SARS-CoV-2、甲型流感病毒）。还测试了三种微生物指标和种群标准化物（粪便噬菌体、辣椒轻斑驳病毒（PMMoV）和分枝杆菌），以比较和对比每个指标随时间的数值和范围。由于临床数据不易获取，因此将废水数据与公开可用的搜索词数据进行了比较。收集的分子数据与公开可用的关于的搜索词数据之间存在高度相关性。此外，本研究通过分子数据提供了关于全年的季节性趋势的更多信息，并能够追踪这个小城市的感染高峰月份。总体而言，这些结果突出了使用废水监测来监测GAS咽炎的巨大益处。本研究还为未来关于废水中呼吸道细菌的流行情况及其季节性趋势的研究提供了有益的见解，使公共卫生系统能够提供缓解策略。
