Issue 4, 2023

Evaluation of intra- and inter-lab variability in quantifying SARS-CoV-2 in a state-wide wastewater monitoring network

Abstract

In December 2019, SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019, was first reported and subsequently triggered a global pandemic. Wastewater monitoring, a strategy for quantifying viral gene concentrations from wastewater influents within a community, has served as an early warning and management tool for the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in a community. Ohio built a collaborative statewide wastewater monitoring network that is supported by eight labs (university, government, and commercial laboratories) with unique sample processing workflows. Consequently, we sought to characterize the variability in wastewater monitoring results for network labs. Across seven trials between October 2020 and November 2021, eight participating labs successfully quantified two SARS-CoV-2 RNA targets and human fecal indicator virus targets in wastewater sample aliquots with reproducible results, although recovery efficiencies of spiked surrogates ranged from 3 to 75%. When SARS-CoV-2 gene fragment concentrations were adjusted for recovery efficiency and flow, the proportion of variance between laboratories was minimized, serving as the best model to account for between-lab variance. Another adjustment factor (alone and in different combinations with the above factors) considered to account for sample and measurement variability includes fecal marker normalization. Genetic quantification variability can be attributed to many factors, including the methods, individual samples, and water quality parameters. In addition, statistically significant correlations were observed between SARS-CoV-2 RNA and COVID-19 case numbers, supporting the notion that wastewater surveillance continues to serve as an effective monitoring tool. This study serves as a real-time example of multi-laboratory collaboration for public health preparedness for infectious diseases.

Graphical abstract: Evaluation of intra- and inter-lab variability in quantifying SARS-CoV-2 in a state-wide wastewater monitoring network

Associated articles

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
22 Sep 2022
Accepted
26 Feb 2023
First published
02 Mac 2023

Environ. Sci.: Water Res. Technol., 2023,9, 1053-1068

Evaluation of intra- and inter-lab variability in quantifying SARS-CoV-2 in a state-wide wastewater monitoring network

A. Davis, S. P. Keely, N. E. Brinkman, Z. Bohrer, Y. Ai, X. Mou, S. Chattopadhyay, O. Hershey, J. Senko, N. Hull, E. Lytmer, A. Quintero and J. Lee, Environ. Sci.: Water Res. Technol., 2023, 9, 1053 DOI: 10.1039/D2EW00737A

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements