Rooney, C.M., Moura, I.B. orcid.org/0000-0002-3019-7196 and Wilcox, M.H. orcid.org/0000-0002-4565-2868 (2021) Tracking COVID-19 via sewage. Current Opinion in Gastroenterology, 37 (1). pp. 4-8. ISSN: 0267-1379
Abstract
Purpose of review We discuss the potential role of the faecal chain in COVID-19 and highlight recent studies using waste water-based epidemiology (WBE) to track severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
Recent findings WBE has been suggested as an adjunct to improve disease surveillance and aid early detection of circulating disease. SARS-CoV-2, the aetiological agent of COVID-19, is an enveloped virus, and as such, typically not associated with the waste water environment, given high susceptibility to degradation in aqueous conditions. A review of the current literature supports the ability to detect of SARS-CoV-2 in waste water and suggests methods to predict community prevalence based on viral quantification.
Summary The summary of current practices shows that while the isolation of SARS-CoV-2 is possible from waste water, issues remain regarding the efficacy of virial concentration and subsequent quantification and alignment with epidemiological data.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2020 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. This is an author produced version of an article published in Current Opinion in Gastroenterology, made available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Keywords: | faecal chain, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, sewage, waste water-based epidemiology |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Medicine and Health (Leeds) > School of Medicine (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 16 Sep 2025 10:37 |
Last Modified: | 19 Sep 2025 09:09 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins |
Identification Number: | 10.1097/mog.0000000000000692 |
Related URLs: | |
Sustainable Development Goals: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:231359 |