Co-incidence of BA.1 and BA.2 at the start of Singapore's Omicron wave revealed by Community and University Campus wastewater surveillance

Chua, Feng Jun Desmond; Kim, S.Y.; Hill, E.; Cai, Jing; Lee, W.L.; Gu, Xiaoqiong; Afri, S.A.A.; Kwok, Wee Chiew; Ng, W.J.; Leifels, Mats; Armas, Federica; Chandra, Franciscus; Chen, H.J.; Alm, Eric J.; Tay, Matthew Zirui; Wong, C.C.J.; Ng, Lee Ching; Wuertz, Stefan; Thompson, Janelle R.

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162611

Cited by 13 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…Two VOCs, namely, Delta and Omicron, were rampant in Singapore and dominated the campus wastewater from August to December 2021 and after first January 2022 respectively. 50 The first SARS-CoV-2 wastewater signal was detected on campus in late August 2021, as confirmed by the positive clinical test results of two infected residents. Similar trends were also observed in other countries 51 generally preceding SARS-CoV-2 variants' occurrence in Singapore.…”

Section: ■ Discussionmentioning

confidence: 83%

“…Since the first COVID-19 infection in Wuhan in December 2019, SARS-CoV-2 has rapidly mutated and spawned several different VOCs and lineages. Two VOCs, namely, Delta and Omicron, were rampant in Singapore and dominated the campus wastewater from August to December 2021 and after first January 2022 respectively . The first SARS-CoV-2 wastewater signal was detected on campus in late August 2021, as confirmed by the positive clinical test results of two infected residents.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

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Longitudinal Wastewater-Based Surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 in High-Density Student Dormitories in Singapore

Ng,

Kwok,

Hill

et al. 2024

ACS EST Water

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Environmental surveillance of wastewater from student dormitories was carried out over an academic year at a university campus in Singapore. From August 2021 to May 2022, SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations were quantified from concentrated 24-h composite wastewater samples collected twice weekly at 45 locations with sewer sheds serving between 400 and 1200 students. Two pilot studies using proxies for viral loading within the sanitary network were performed to determine the composite timings of the study. During the surveillance period, SARS-CoV-2 trends in campus wastewater levels closely resembled Singapore's combined national wastewater levels and clinical COVID-19 cases. In the examined sewer sheds, larger student populations significantly increased both the odds and duration of detecting SARS-CoV-2 RNA (p-value < 0.001 for both measures). However, the type of building corridor did not have a statistically significant impact on either the duration of detection (p-value = 0.716) or the odds of detecting the virus (p-value = 0.067). This study exemplifies the use of a decentralized and high-resolution surveillance system for the twice-weekly detection of viral shedding in high-density living conditions to support public health decisions and management.

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Section: ■ Discussionmentioning

confidence: 83%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Longitudinal Wastewater-Based Surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 in High-Density Student Dormitories in Singapore

Ng,

Kwok,

Hill

et al. 2024

ACS EST Water

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Wastewater surveillance is an emerging tool for public health surveillance and has been used to complement clinical surveillance in the monitoring of infectious diseases trends [17][18][19]. It has been used to track the circulation of SARS-CoV-2, as well as other respiratory [20], gastrointestinal [21], and other infectious diseases [22,23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Monitoring multi-pathogens and SARS-CoV-2 variants in aircraft and airport wastewater

Tay,

Lee,

Ismail

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Background As global travel resumed in COVID-19 endemicity, the potential of aircraft wastewater monitoring to provide early warning of disease trends for SARS-CoV-2 variants and other infectious diseases, particularly at international air travel hubs, was recognized. We therefore assessed and compared the feasibility of testing wastewater from inbound aircraft and airport terminals for 18 pathogens including SARS-CoV-2 in Singapore, a popular travel hub in Asia. Methods Wastewater samples collected from inbound medium- and long-haul flights and airport terminals were tested for SARS-CoV-2. Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) was carried out on positive samples to identify SARS-CoV-2 variants. Airport and aircraft samples were further tested for 17 other pathogens through quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Results The proportion of SARS-CoV-2-positive samples and the average virus load was higher for wastewater samples from aircraft as compared to airport terminals. Cross-correlation analyses indicated that viral load trends from airport wastewater led local COVID-19 case trends by two to five days. A total of ten variants (44 sub-lineages) were successfully identified from aircraft wastewater and airport terminals, and four variants of interest (VOIs) and one variant under monitoring (VUM) were detected in aircraft and airport wastewater 18-31 days prior to detection in local clinical cases. The detection of five respiratory and four enteric viruses in aircraft wastewater samples further underscores the potential to expand aircraft wastewater to monitoring pathogens beyond SARS-CoV-2. Conclusion Our findings demonstrate the feasibility of aircraft wastewater testing for monitoring infectious diseases threats, potentially detecting signals before clinical cases are reported. The triangulation of similar datapoints from aircraft wastewater of international travel nodes could therefore serve as a useful early warning system for global health threats.

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“…Wastewater surveillance became an important public health tool during the COVID-19 pandemic. Wastewater surveillance programs identified outbreaks within communities and individual buildings and it is increasingly being used to detect variants of concern (Anderson-Coughlin et al, 2022;Betancourt et al, 2021;Chua et al, 2023;Corchis-Scott et al, 2021;Gibas et al, 2021;Jarvie et al, 2022;Pico-Tomàs et al, 2023;Rondeau et al, 2023;Scott et al, 2021;Vo et al, 2023;Wong et al, 2021). The goal of wastewater surveillance is to provide data to public health agencies so that they may make informed decisions regarding mitigation strategies such as physical distancing, masking, business closures, and distribution of resources such as prophylactic vaccines.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chronic Shedding of a SARS-CoV-2 Alpha Variant Lineage Q.3/Q.4 in Wastewater

Conway,

Yang,

Revord

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Central Michigan University (CMU) participated in a state-wide SARS-CoV-2 wastewater monitoring program since 2021. Wastewater samples were collected from on-campus sites and nine off-campus wastewater treatment plants servicing small metropolitan and rural communities. SARS-CoV-2 genome copies were quantified using droplet digital PCR and results were reported to the health department. One rural, off-campus site consistently produced higher concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 genome copies. Samples from this site were sequenced and initially contained predominately Alpha variant lineage Q.3, which transitioned to lineage Q.4. Alpha variant lineage Q.3/Q.4 was detected at this site beginning in fall 2021 and continued until summer 2023. Mutational analysis of reconstructed genes revealed divergence from the Alpha variant lineage Q.3 clinical sequence over time, including numerous mutations in the surface glycoprotein RBD and NTD. We discuss the possibility that a chronic SARS-CoV-2 infection accumulated adaptive mutations that promoted long-term infection. This study reveals that small wastewater treatment plants can enhance resolution of rare events and facilitate reconstruction of viral genomes due to the relative lack of contaminating sequences.

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Co-incidence of BA.1 and BA.2 at the start of Singapore's Omicron wave revealed by Community and University Campus wastewater surveillance

Cited by 13 publications

References 41 publications

Longitudinal Wastewater-Based Surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 in High-Density Student Dormitories in Singapore

Longitudinal Wastewater-Based Surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 in High-Density Student Dormitories in Singapore

Monitoring multi-pathogens and SARS-CoV-2 variants in aircraft and airport wastewater

Chronic Shedding of a SARS-CoV-2 Alpha Variant Lineage Q.3/Q.4 in Wastewater

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