Whole campus wastewater surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 for COVID-19 outbreak management

Y. Sharaby; Y. Gilboa; Y. Alfiya; S. Sabach; U. Cheruti; Eran Friedler

doi:10.2166/wst.2023.030

Whole campus wastewater surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 for COVID-19 outbreak management

Y. Sharaby, Y. Gilboa, Y. Alfiya, S. Sabach, U. Cheruti, Eran Friedler

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

In this long-term study (eight months), a wastewater-based epidemiology program was initiated as a decision support tool for the detection and containment of COVID-19 spread in the Technion campus. The on-campus students’ accommodations (∼3,300 residents) were divided into housing clusters and monitored through wastewater SARS-CoV-2 surveillance in 10 manholes. Results were used to create a ‘traffic-light’ scheme allowing the Technion’s COVID-19 task force to track COVID-19 spatiotemporal spread on the campus, and consequently, contain it before high morbidity levels develop. Of the 523 sewage samples analysed, 87.4% were negative for SARS-CoV-2 while 11.5% were positive, corroborating morbidity information the COVID-19 task force had. For 7.6% of the SARS-CoV-2 positive samples, the task force had no information about positive resident/s. In these events, new cases were identified after the relevant residents were clinically surge tested for COVID-19. Hence, in these instances, wastewater surveillance provided early warning helping to secure the health of the campus residents by minimising COVID-19 spread. The inflammation biomarker ferritin levels in SARS-CoV-2 positive sewage samples were significantly higher than in negative ones. This may indicate that in the future, ferritin (and other biomarkers) concentrations in wastewater could serve as indicators of infectious and inflammatory disease outbreaks.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	910-923
Number of pages	14
Journal	Water Science and Technology
Volume	87
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.2166/wst.2023.030
State	Published - 15 Feb 2023
Externally published	Yes

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The authors wish to thank the following people: Mr O. Nagar, Ms N. Cohen, Mr T. Shmaya, and Mr M. Qasum for their support in sampling, maintenance, and laboratory analyses; Prof. E. Meyron Holtz, Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering – Technion, for providing ferritin from human sources and a protocol for its quantification; Dr Oran Erster from Central Virology Laboratory, Israel Ministry of Health for providing synthetic E-gene used for SARS-CoV-2 RNA copy number quantification and for his advice. The Technion COVID-19 task force for their cooperation and support, especially to Prof. J. Rubinstein the Technion Vice President for Research.

Funding Information:
Financial support of the Milner Foundation and the Corona Research Fund, Technion is greatly acknowledged.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors.

Keywords

COVID-19
disease management
in-sewer surveillance
metabolic marker
SARS-CoV-2
wastewater-based epidemiology

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Environmental Engineering
Water Science and Technology

Access to Document

10.2166/wst.2023.030

Cite this

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title = "Whole campus wastewater surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 for COVID-19 outbreak management",

abstract = "In this long-term study (eight months), a wastewater-based epidemiology program was initiated as a decision support tool for the detection and containment of COVID-19 spread in the Technion campus. The on-campus students{\textquoteright} accommodations (∼3,300 residents) were divided into housing clusters and monitored through wastewater SARS-CoV-2 surveillance in 10 manholes. Results were used to create a {\textquoteleft}traffic-light{\textquoteright} scheme allowing the Technion{\textquoteright}s COVID-19 task force to track COVID-19 spatiotemporal spread on the campus, and consequently, contain it before high morbidity levels develop. Of the 523 sewage samples analysed, 87.4% were negative for SARS-CoV-2 while 11.5% were positive, corroborating morbidity information the COVID-19 task force had. For 7.6% of the SARS-CoV-2 positive samples, the task force had no information about positive resident/s. In these events, new cases were identified after the relevant residents were clinically surge tested for COVID-19. Hence, in these instances, wastewater surveillance provided early warning helping to secure the health of the campus residents by minimising COVID-19 spread. The inflammation biomarker ferritin levels in SARS-CoV-2 positive sewage samples were significantly higher than in negative ones. This may indicate that in the future, ferritin (and other biomarkers) concentrations in wastewater could serve as indicators of infectious and inflammatory disease outbreaks.",

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author = "Y. Sharaby and Y. Gilboa and Y. Alfiya and S. Sabach and U. Cheruti and Eran Friedler",

note = "Funding Information: The authors wish to thank the following people: Mr O. Nagar, Ms N. Cohen, Mr T. Shmaya, and Mr M. Qasum for their support in sampling, maintenance, and laboratory analyses; Prof. E. Meyron Holtz, Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering – Technion, for providing ferritin from human sources and a protocol for its quantification; Dr Oran Erster from Central Virology Laboratory, Israel Ministry of Health for providing synthetic E-gene used for SARS-CoV-2 RNA copy number quantification and for his advice. The Technion COVID-19 task force for their cooperation and support, especially to Prof. J. Rubinstein the Technion Vice President for Research. Funding Information: Financial support of the Milner Foundation and the Corona Research Fund, Technion is greatly acknowledged. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023 The Authors.",

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AU - Friedler, Eran

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Whole campus wastewater surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 for COVID-19 outbreak management

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

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