TY - JOUR
T1 - Scaling of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in settled solids from multiple wastewater treatment plants to compare incidence rates of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 in their sewersheds
AU - Wolfe, Marlene K.
AU - Archana, Anand
AU - Catoe, David
AU - Coffman, Mhara M.
AU - Dorevich, Samuel
AU - Graham, Katherine E.
AU - Kim, Sooyeol
AU - Grijalva, Lorelay Mendoza
AU - Roldan-Hernandez, Laura
AU - Silverman, Andrea I.
AU - Sinnott-Armstrong, Nasa
AU - Vugia, Duc J.
AU - Yu, Alexander T.
AU - Zambrana, Winnie
AU - Wigginton, Krista R.
AU - Boehm, Alexandria B.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 American Chemical Society.
PY - 2021/5/11
Y1 - 2021/5/11
N2 - Published and unpublished reports show that SARSCoV- 2 RNA in publicly owned treatment work (POTW) wastewater influent and solids is associated with new COVID-19 cases or incidence in associated sewersheds, but methods for comparing data collected from diverse POTWs to infer information about the relative incidence of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases, and scaling to allow such comparisons, have not been previously established. Here, we show that SARS-CoV-2 N1 and N2 concentrations in solids normalized by concentrations of PMMoV RNA in solids can be used to compare incidence of laboratory confirmed new COVID-19 cases across POTWs. Using data collected at seven POTWs along the United States West Coast, Midwest, and East Coast serving ∼3% of the U.S. population (9 million people), we show that a 1 log change in N gene/PMMoV is associated with a 0.24 (range 0.19 to 0.29) log10 change in incidence of laboratory confirmed COVID-19. Scaling of N1 and N2 by PMMoV is consistent, conceptually, with a mass balance model relating SARS-CoV-2 RNA to the number of infected individuals shedding virus in their stool. This information should support the application of wastewater-based epidemiology to inform the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and potentially future viral pandemics.
AB - Published and unpublished reports show that SARSCoV- 2 RNA in publicly owned treatment work (POTW) wastewater influent and solids is associated with new COVID-19 cases or incidence in associated sewersheds, but methods for comparing data collected from diverse POTWs to infer information about the relative incidence of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases, and scaling to allow such comparisons, have not been previously established. Here, we show that SARS-CoV-2 N1 and N2 concentrations in solids normalized by concentrations of PMMoV RNA in solids can be used to compare incidence of laboratory confirmed new COVID-19 cases across POTWs. Using data collected at seven POTWs along the United States West Coast, Midwest, and East Coast serving ∼3% of the U.S. population (9 million people), we show that a 1 log change in N gene/PMMoV is associated with a 0.24 (range 0.19 to 0.29) log10 change in incidence of laboratory confirmed COVID-19. Scaling of N1 and N2 by PMMoV is consistent, conceptually, with a mass balance model relating SARS-CoV-2 RNA to the number of infected individuals shedding virus in their stool. This information should support the application of wastewater-based epidemiology to inform the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and potentially future viral pandemics.
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U2 - 10.1021/acs.estlett.1c00184
DO - 10.1021/acs.estlett.1c00184
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85105078746
SN - 2328-8930
VL - 8
SP - 398
EP - 404
JO - Environmental Science and Technology Letters
JF - Environmental Science and Technology Letters
IS - 5
ER -