Comparison of gene targets and sampling regimes for SARS-CoV-2 quantification for wastewater epidemiology in UK prisons

Autor: Kelly Jobling, Marcos Quintela-Baluja, Francis Hassard, Panagiota Adamou, Adrian Blackburn, Term Research Team, Shannon McIntyre-Nolan, Oscar O'Mara, Jesus L. Romalde, Mariachiara Di Cesare, David W. Graham
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Zdroj: Journal of Water and Health, Vol 22, Iss 1, Pp 64-76 (2024)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1477-8920
1996-7829
DOI: 10.2166/wh.2023.093
Popis: Prisons are high-risk settings for infectious disease transmission, due to their enclosed and semi-enclosed environments. The proximity between prisoners and staff, and the diversity of prisons reduces the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventions, such as social distancing. Therefore, alternative health monitoring methods, such as wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE), are needed to track pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2. This pilot study assessed WBE to quantify SARS-CoV-2 prevalence in prison wastewater to determine its utility within a health protection system for residents. The study analysed 266 samples from six prisons in England over a 12-week period for nucleoprotein 1 (N1 gene) and envelope protein (E gene) using quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Both gene assays successfully detected SARS-CoV-2 fragments in wastewater samples, with both genes significantly correlating with COVID-19 case numbers across the prisons (p < 0.01). However, in 25% of the SARS-positive samples, only one gene target was detected, suggesting that both genes be used to reduce false-negative results. No significant differences were observed between 14- and 2-h composite samples, although 2-h samples showed greater signal variance. Population normalisation did not improve correlations between the N1 and E genes and COVID-19 case data. Overall, WBE shows considerable promise for health protection in prison settings. HIGHLIGHTS Wastewater epidemiology is effective in flagging COVID-19 cases in prison settings.; SARS-CoV-2 levels were quantified using N1 and E gene targets.; Both targets should be used in routine analysis to reduce false negatives.; COVID-19 case numbers significantly correlated with both wastewater gene targets across all samples.; Each prison is different – local activities are important when designing sampling programmes.;
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals
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