Detecting SARS-CoV-2 variants in wastewater and their correlation with circulating variants in the communities

Lin Li; Timsy Uppal; Paul D Hartley; Andrew Gorzalski; Mark Pandori; Michael A Picker; Subhash C Verma; Krishna Pagilla

doi:10.1038/s41598-022-20219-2

Detecting SARS-CoV-2 variants in wastewater and their correlation with circulating variants in the communities

Sci Rep. 2022 Sep 27;12(1):16141. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-20219-2.

Authors

Lin Li¹, Timsy Uppal², Paul D Hartley³, Andrew Gorzalski⁴, Mark Pandori^{4

5}, Michael A Picker⁶, Subhash C Verma⁷, Krishna Pagilla⁸

Affiliations

¹ Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Nevada, MS258, Reno, NV, 89557, USA.
² Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, MS320, Reno, NV, 89557, USA.
³ Nevada Genomics Center, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, 89557, USA.
⁴ Nevada State Public Health Laboratory, Reno, NV, USA.
⁵ Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, Reno, NV, USA.
⁶ Southern Nevada Public Health Laboratory of the Southern Nevada Health District, Las Vegas, NV, USA.
⁷ Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, MS320, Reno, NV, 89557, USA. scverma@med.unr.edu.
⁸ Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Nevada, MS258, Reno, NV, 89557, USA. pagilla@unr.edu.

Abstract

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 viral load in wastewater has been highly informative in estimating the approximate number of infected individuals in the surrounding communities. Recent developments in wastewater monitoring to determine community prevalence of COVID-19 further extends into identifying SARS-CoV-2 variants, including those being monitored for having enhanced transmissibility. We sequenced genomic RNA derived from wastewater to determine the variants of coronaviruses circulating in the communities. Wastewater samples were collected from Truckee Meadows Water Reclamation Facility (TMWRF) from November 2020 to June 2021. SARS-CoV-2 variants resulting from wastewater were compared with the variants detected in infected individuals' clinical specimens (nasal/nasopharyngeal swabs) during the same period and found conclusively in agreement. Therefore, wastewater monitoring for SARS-CoV-2 variants in the community is a feasible strategy as a complementary tool to clinical specimen testing in the latter's absence.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

COVID-19* / diagnosis
COVID-19* / epidemiology
Humans
RNA
RNA, Viral / genetics
SARS-CoV-2* / genetics
Wastewater

Detecting SARS-CoV-2 variants in wastewater and their correlation with circulating variants in the communities

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