Sewage surveillance system using urological wastewater: Key to COVID-19 monitoring?

Florus C de Jong; Corine H GeurtsvanKessel; Richard Molenkamp; Chris H Bangma; Tahlita C M Zuiverloon

doi:10.1016/j.urolonc.2020.10.008

Sewage surveillance system using urological wastewater: Key to COVID-19 monitoring?

Urol Oncol. 2023 Feb;41(2):70-75. doi: 10.1016/j.urolonc.2020.10.008. Epub 2020 Oct 13.

Authors

Florus C de Jong¹, Corine H GeurtsvanKessel², Richard Molenkamp², Chris H Bangma¹, Tahlita C M Zuiverloon³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Urology, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
² Department of Viroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
³ Department of Urology, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: t.zuiverloon@erasmusmc.nl.

Abstract

Since December 2019, the emergence of a new Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome- coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has led to a global coronavirus pandemic disease (COVID-19), with devastating consequences for all healthcare worldwide, including urological care. COVID-19 has led to concern among urological healthcare workers about viral presence, detection and routes of transmission during routine clinical practice. The potential presence of (active) virus in bodily fluids of COVID-19 patients remains a continuing topic of debate. Therefore, we highlight viral detection methods and review the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in urine, feces, and semen. Finally, we discuss how excretion of virus particles through urological bodily fluids might be pivotal to epidemiologic monitoring and control of the disease.

Keywords: COVID-19; Coronavirus; Feces; Oncology; SARS-CoV-2; Semen; Urine; Urology.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

COVID-19*
Feces
Humans
SARS-CoV-2
Wastewater
Wastewater-Based Epidemiological Monitoring

Substances

Wastewater