Frequency and degradation of SARS-CoV-2 markers N1, N2, and E in sewage

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease that is mainly spread through aerosolized droplets containing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and is excreted in feces by infected individuals. Sewage surveillance has been applied widely to obtain data on the...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: John J. Hart, Megan N. Jamison, James N. McNair, David C. Szlag
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IWA Publishing 2023-04-01
Series:Journal of Water and Health
Subjects:
Online Access:http://jwh.iwaponline.com/content/21/4/514
_version_ 1827951115284512768
author John J. Hart
Megan N. Jamison
James N. McNair
David C. Szlag
author_facet John J. Hart
Megan N. Jamison
James N. McNair
David C. Szlag
author_sort John J. Hart
collection DOAJ
description Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease that is mainly spread through aerosolized droplets containing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and is excreted in feces by infected individuals. Sewage surveillance has been applied widely to obtain data on the prevalence of COVID-19 in whole communities. We used SARS-CoV-2 gene targets N1, N2, and E to determine the prevalence of COVID-19 at both municipal and building levels. Frequency analysis of wastewater testing indicated that single markers detected only 85% or less of samples that were detected as positive for SARS-CoV-2 with the three markers combined, indicating the necessity of pairing markers to lower the false-negative rate. The best pair of markers in both municipal and building level monitoring was N1 and N2, which correctly identified 98% of positive samples detected with the three markers combined. The degradation rates of all three targets were assessed at two different temperatures (25 and 35 °C) as a possible explanation for observed differences between markers in frequency. Results indicated that all three RNA targets degrade at nearly the same rate, indicating that differences in degradation rate are not responsible for the observed differences in marker frequency. HIGHLIGHTS There is a knowledge gap regarding the expression frequency and degradation of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater.; This study looks at the frequency and degradation of three RNA molecular markers commonly used in wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE).; Results indicate the best combination of RNA markers and their average decay kinetics.; This study will aid in future WBE monitoring and modeling efforts for SARS-CoV-2.;
first_indexed 2024-04-09T13:36:40Z
format Article
id doaj.art-e2542c3e405c4838bef569df3b8b8b0f
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 1477-8920
1996-7829
language English
last_indexed 2024-04-09T13:36:40Z
publishDate 2023-04-01
publisher IWA Publishing
record_format Article
series Journal of Water and Health
spelling doaj.art-e2542c3e405c4838bef569df3b8b8b0f2023-05-09T07:57:17ZengIWA PublishingJournal of Water and Health1477-89201996-78292023-04-0121451452410.2166/wh.2023.314314Frequency and degradation of SARS-CoV-2 markers N1, N2, and E in sewageJohn J. Hart0Megan N. Jamison1James N. McNair2David C. Szlag3 Oakland University, Department of Chemistry, 146 Library Dr, Rochester, MI 48309, USA Oakland University, Department of Chemistry, 146 Library Dr, Rochester, MI 48309, USA Robert B. Annis Water Resources Institute, 740 West Shoreline Dr, Muskegon, MI 49441, USA Oakland University, Department of Chemistry, 146 Library Dr, Rochester, MI 48309, USA Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease that is mainly spread through aerosolized droplets containing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and is excreted in feces by infected individuals. Sewage surveillance has been applied widely to obtain data on the prevalence of COVID-19 in whole communities. We used SARS-CoV-2 gene targets N1, N2, and E to determine the prevalence of COVID-19 at both municipal and building levels. Frequency analysis of wastewater testing indicated that single markers detected only 85% or less of samples that were detected as positive for SARS-CoV-2 with the three markers combined, indicating the necessity of pairing markers to lower the false-negative rate. The best pair of markers in both municipal and building level monitoring was N1 and N2, which correctly identified 98% of positive samples detected with the three markers combined. The degradation rates of all three targets were assessed at two different temperatures (25 and 35 °C) as a possible explanation for observed differences between markers in frequency. Results indicated that all three RNA targets degrade at nearly the same rate, indicating that differences in degradation rate are not responsible for the observed differences in marker frequency. HIGHLIGHTS There is a knowledge gap regarding the expression frequency and degradation of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater.; This study looks at the frequency and degradation of three RNA molecular markers commonly used in wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE).; Results indicate the best combination of RNA markers and their average decay kinetics.; This study will aid in future WBE monitoring and modeling efforts for SARS-CoV-2.;http://jwh.iwaponline.com/content/21/4/514degradation kineticsdroplet digital pcr (ddpcr)sars-cov-2temperaturewastewater-based epidemiology (wbe)
spellingShingle John J. Hart
Megan N. Jamison
James N. McNair
David C. Szlag
Frequency and degradation of SARS-CoV-2 markers N1, N2, and E in sewage
Journal of Water and Health
degradation kinetics
droplet digital pcr (ddpcr)
sars-cov-2
temperature
wastewater-based epidemiology (wbe)
title Frequency and degradation of SARS-CoV-2 markers N1, N2, and E in sewage
title_full Frequency and degradation of SARS-CoV-2 markers N1, N2, and E in sewage
title_fullStr Frequency and degradation of SARS-CoV-2 markers N1, N2, and E in sewage
title_full_unstemmed Frequency and degradation of SARS-CoV-2 markers N1, N2, and E in sewage
title_short Frequency and degradation of SARS-CoV-2 markers N1, N2, and E in sewage
title_sort frequency and degradation of sars cov 2 markers n1 n2 and e in sewage
topic degradation kinetics
droplet digital pcr (ddpcr)
sars-cov-2
temperature
wastewater-based epidemiology (wbe)
url http://jwh.iwaponline.com/content/21/4/514
work_keys_str_mv AT johnjhart frequencyanddegradationofsarscov2markersn1n2andeinsewage
AT megannjamison frequencyanddegradationofsarscov2markersn1n2andeinsewage
AT jamesnmcnair frequencyanddegradationofsarscov2markersn1n2andeinsewage
AT davidcszlag frequencyanddegradationofsarscov2markersn1n2andeinsewage