homehome Home chatchat Notifications


Yet another study suggests sewage water could be used to predict COVID-19 outbreaks

A growing body of evidence suggests that sewage water could be used as an alarm signal for emerging outbreak hotspots.

Mihai Andrei
September 21, 2020 @ 8:07 am

share Share

Previous studies have suggested that sewage water could serve as a coronavirus alarm system — a new study adds more weight to that approach.

Our latest ally against the coronavirus? Sewage water.

When researchers found that COVID-19 is transmitted in poop, they were initially concerned — here was another possible means of transmission for an already contagious virus. Luckily, this doesn’t seem to be a major risk of transmission, and instead, it could offer an intriguing opportunity.

If the virus survives flushing then it might mean we could pick it up down the line, in sewage water. This has already been demonstrated as a proof-of-concept before, and now, a team found more evidence to support this idea.

The team of researchers led by Gertjan Medema, Professor of Water & Health at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, wanted to see if they can detect the virus in the domestic wastewater of cities in the early stages of the pandemic in the Netherlands, and if the virus level in sewage correlates to the severity of the outbreak. They collected samples from six cities in the Netherlands

According to the analysis, the virus was undetectable in sewage before the first reported case — but as the outbreak progressed, the concentration started to increase, correlating with the number of reported COVID-19 cases.

It’s not a perfect correlation, but it’s enough to tell the number of cases is growing, researchers say.

Concentration of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in sewage correlated with an increase in the number of confirmed cases.

The problem is that we don’t know how much virus material each infected person eliminates through poop, and how much of this virus survives the entire process, so the detection can only be approximate — but even so, any indication can be useful.

For instance, once a baseline level is established in a community, a growth could alert authorities that an outbreak is brewing. More tests could be carried out in that community, or if the growth is severe, a temporary lockdown could be enforced.

In addition to offering an indication of upcoming outbreaks, sewage water can also help us track the disease’s evolution. A recent study found evidence of the virus in sewage water in Italy in December, so the method can also help us understand when the disease entered a community.

Although more research is needed to see exactly how this method could be deployed reliably, sewage water seems to have the potential to serve as a warning system. With the coronavirus threat still looming, we need all the help we can get.

The researchers conclude:

“The detection of the virus RNA in sewage, even when the COVID-19 prevalence is low, and the correlation between concentration in sewage and reported prevalence of COVID-19, indicate that sewage surveillance could be a sensitive tool to monitor the circulation of the virus in the population.”

You can read the entire study here.

share Share

Evolution just keeps creating the same deep-ocean mutation

Creatures at the bottom of the ocean evolve the same mutation — and carry the scars of human pollution

Scientists Found a 380-Million-Year-Old Trick in Velvet Worm Slime That Could Lead To Recyclable Bioplastic

Velvet worm slime could offer a solution to our plastic waste problem.

Beetles Conquered Earth by Evolving a Tiny Chemical Factory

There are around 66,000 species of rove beetles and one researcher proposes it's because of one special gland.

These researchers counted the trees in China using lasers

The answer is 142 billion. Plus or minus a few, of course.

New Diagnostic Breakthrough Identifies Bacteria With Almost 100% Precision in Hours, Not Days

A new method identifies deadly pathogens with nearly perfect accuracy in just three hours.

This Tamagotchi Vape Dies If You Don’t Keep Puffing

Yes. You read that correctly. The Stupid Hackathon is an event like no other.

Wild Chimps Build Flexible Tools with Impressive Engineering Skills

Chimpanzees select and engineer tools with surprising mechanical precision to extract termites.

Archaeologists in Egypt discovered a 3,600-Year-Old pharaoh. But we have no idea who he is

An ancient royal tomb deep beneath the Egyptian desert reveals more questions than answers.

Researchers create a new type of "time crystal" inside a diamond

“It’s an entirely new phase of matter.”

Strong Arguments Matter More Than Grammar in English Essays as a Second Language

Grammar takes a backseat to argumentation, a new study from Japan suggests.