Wastewater epidemiology can guide local clinical decisions on circulating viruses Epidemiology Coronavirus Disease COVID Bronchiolitis Influenza Pneumonia Rhinovirus RNA SARSCoV2 RSV medrxivpreprint Stanford EmoryUniversity verilylifesci
Study: Wastewater surveillance of human influenza, metapneumovirus, parainfluenza, respiratory syncytial virus , rhinovirus, and seasonal coronaviruses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Image Credit: Daniel Jedzura / Shutterstock
Many ARIs resolve spontaneously, and their management may not necessitate diagnostic testing. This limits the recording of precise disease incidence based on the causative agent, knowledge of the circulating respiratory diseases, and understanding of the disease epidemiology, disease interference, and co-infections.
The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic prompted WBE application for documenting respiratory diseases. The accuracy of this method of recording disease incidence was proven during the period of widely accessible clinical testing for COVID-19. Results Related StoriesQuality analysis showed consistent fecal strength and RNA extraction efficiency. RNAs were detected from all tested viruses in wastewater samples. Median Influenza A, influenza B, and RSV A were non-detect while viral RNA from these viruses was detected in 28%, 6%, and 14% of the samples, respectively
Almost all human coronavirus RNAs were of OC43––in seven of the nine samples tested––preceding April 2022. Thereafter, the OC43 RNA concentrations declined, accounting for only 20-30% of human coronavirus infections. Meanwhile, 229E and HKU-1 increased from 50% and 20% to 30%, respectively. Among the human coronaviruses, OC43 exhibited the highest positivity. While among human parainfluenza viruses, the HPIV 3 dominated in positivity rates. HPIV 2 and 4 had lower positivity rates, whereas HPIV 1 was rare in clinical specimens.