Abstract

The outbreak of coronavirus infectious disease-2019 (COVID-19), caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has rapidly spread throughout the world. Several studies have shown that detecting SARS-CoV-2 in untreated wastewater can be a useful tool to identify new outbreaks, establish outbreak trends, and assess the prevalence of infections. On 06 May 2021, over a year into the pandemic, we conducted a scoping review aiming to summarize research data on SARS-CoV-2 in sewage. Papers dealing with raw sewage collected at wastewater treatment plants, sewer networks, septic tanks, and sludge treatment facilities were included in this review. We also reviewed studies on sewage collected in community settings such as private or municipal hospitals, healthcare facilities, nursing homes, dormitories, campuses, airports, aircraft, and cruise ships. The literature search was conducted using the electronic databases PubMed, EMBASE, and Web Science Core Collection. This comprehensive research yielded 1090 results, 66 of which met the inclusion criteria and are discussed in this review. Studies from 26 countries worldwide have investigated the occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 in sewage of different origin. The percentage of positive samples in sewage ranged from 11.6 to 100%, with viral concentrations ranging from ˂LOD to 4.6 × 10⁸ genome copies/L. This review outlines the evidence currently available on wastewater surveillance: (i) as an early warning system capable of predicting COVID-19 outbreaks days or weeks before clinical cases; (ii) as a tool capable of establishing trends in current outbreaks; (iii) estimating the prevalence of infections; and (iv) studying SARS-CoV-2 genetic diversity. In conclusion, as a cost-effective, rapid, and reliable source of information on the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants in the population, wastewater surveillance can enhance genomic and epidemiological surveillance with independent and complementary data to inform public health decision-making during the ongoing pandemic.

Graphic Abstract

中文翻译：

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对污水中 SARS-CoV-2 的最新范围界定审查，重点关注废水监测在监测 COVID-19 大流行中的潜力

摘要

由严重急性呼吸系统综合症冠状病毒 2 (SARS-CoV-2) 引起的 2019 年冠状病毒传染病 (COVID-19) 的爆发已在全球迅速蔓延。多项研究表明，在未经处理的废水中检测 SARS-CoV-2 可以成为识别新疫情、确定疫情趋势和评估感染流行率的有用工具。2021 年 5 月 6 日，即大流行一年多后，我们进行了范围界定审查，旨在总结污水中 SARS-CoV-2 的研究数据。涉及在废水处理厂、下水道网络、化粪池和污泥处理设施收集的原污水的论文被纳入本综述。我们还审查了关于在社区环境中收集的污水的研究，例如私人或市政医院、医疗机构、疗养院、宿舍、校园、机场、飞机、邮轮。使用电子数据库 PubMed、EMBASE 和 Web Science Core Collection 进行文献检索。这项综合研究产生了 1090 个结果，其中 66 个符合纳入标准，并在本综述中进行了讨论。来自全球 26 个国家的研究调查了 SARS-CoV-2 在不同来源的污水中的发生情况。污水中阳性样本的百分比范围为 11.6 至 100%，病毒浓度范围为 ˂LOD 至 4.6 × 10 来自全球 26 个国家的研究调查了 SARS-CoV-2 在不同来源的污水中的发生情况。污水中阳性样本的百分比范围为 11.6 至 100%，病毒浓度范围为 ˂LOD 至 4.6 × 10 来自全球 26 个国家的研究调查了 SARS-CoV-2 在不同来源的污水中的发生情况。污水中阳性样本的百分比范围为 11.6 至 100%，病毒浓度范围为 ˂LOD 至 4.6 × 10⁸个基因组拷贝/L。本综述概述了目前有关废水监测的证据：(i) 作为一种早期预警系统，能够在临床病例发生前几天或几周预测 COVID-19 的爆发；(ii) 作为能够确定当前疫情趋势的工具；(iii) 估计感染流行率；(iv) 研究 SARS-CoV-2 遗传多样性。总之，作为有关 SARS-CoV-2 及其变体在人群中传播的一种具有成本效益、快速和可靠的信息来源，废水监测可以通过独立和互补的数据加强基因组和流行病学监测，为公共卫生决策提供信息-在持续的大流行期间制作。

图形摘要