Passive Sampling of SARS-CoV-2 for Wastewater Surveillance

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Public Health
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) relies on monitoring pathogen shedding in sewage.
• Current WBE methods using large treatment plants lack timely data for small-scale public health actions.
• Traditional sampling methods are unsuitable for rapid, high-resolution WBE at smaller scales.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a cost-effective, easily deployable passive sampler for WBE.
• To assess the sampler's ability to detect SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater from low-prevalence populations.
• To compare the performance of passive samplers against traditional wastewater sampling methods.

Main Methods:

• Development of a passive sampler using readily available consumables.
• Deployment of passive samplers alongside traditional sampling methods for side-by-side evaluation.
• Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater samples using established molecular techniques.

Main Results:

• Passive samplers successfully detected SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater from populations with low infection prevalence (0.034-0.34 per 10,000).
• Samplers demonstrated sensitivity, detecting SARS-CoV-2 when concentrations were below the quantification limit of traditional methods.
• A statistically significant positive correlation was found between SARS-CoV-2 levels in wastewater and those detected on passive samplers.

Conclusions:

• Passive samplers are a viable tool for sensitive SARS-CoV-2 detection in WBE, especially for early detection at small scales.
• The low cost and ease of deployment make these samplers highly feasible for widespread WBE applications.
• Further research into laboratory methods and varied deployment settings will optimize passive samplers for semi-quantitative WBE surveillance.