Simultaneous detection of multiple viral pathogens in vacuumed dust from different building types

Area of Science:

• Environmental science
• Virology
• Public health

Background:

• Environmental monitoring of viral pathogens is crucial for pandemic prevention and disease control.
• Current methods like PCR target individual viruses, limiting efficiency and simultaneous detection.
• Monitoring viruses in building dust is an emerging approach for environmental surveillance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a whole-genome, hybrid-capture based high-throughput sequencing approach for measuring viral pathogens in building dust.
• To assess the efficiency and utility of this method for simultaneous and semi-quantitative viral detection.
• To identify viruses present in diverse building environments.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Illumina Viral Surveillance Panel v2 for targeted amplification of viral nucleic acid.
• Sequenced 27 samples from school, university, and professional settings.
• Compared sequencing data with traditional quantitative PCR (qPCR) for SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A.

Main Results:

• Identified 54 viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, influenza, adenovirus, and rhinovirus.
• Found three childhood infection-associated viruses were more prevalent in child-associated settings (fdr p<0.05).
• 85% of samples contained rhinovirus; sequencing data correlated with qPCR for SARS-CoV-2 (R=0.76) and influenza A (R=0.42).

Conclusions:

• Demonstrated a novel environmental surveillance technique using building dust for simultaneous, semi-quantitative measurement of multiple viral pathogens.
• This method enhances understanding of viral spread and can inform public health policy.
• Highlights the potential of building dust as a source for comprehensive viral surveillance.