Is SARS-CoV-2 a concern in the largest wastewater treatment plant in middle east?
Hasan Pasalari,
Angila Ataei-Pirkooh,
Mitra Gholami,
Iman Rezaei Azhar,
Cheng Yan,
Atefeh Kachooei,
Mahdi Farzadkia
Affiliations
Hasan Pasalari
Research Center for Environmental Health Technology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Angila Ataei-Pirkooh
Department of Virology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Mitra Gholami
Research Center for Environmental Health Technology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Iman Rezaei Azhar
Research Center for Clinical Virology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Cheng Yan
School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China
Atefeh Kachooei
Department of Virology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Mahdi Farzadkia
Research Center for Environmental Health Technology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Corresponding author. Research Center for Environmental Health Technology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
The surveillance of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) as the end point of SARS-CoV-2 shed from infected people arise a speculation on transmission of this virus of concern from WWTP in epidemic period. To this end, the present study was developed to comprehensively investigate the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in raw wastewater, effluent and air inhaled by workers and employee in the largest WWTP in Tehran for one-year study period. The monthly raw wastewater, effluent and air samples of WWTP were taken and the SARS-CoV-2 RNA were detected using QIAamp Viral RNA Mini Kit and real-time RT-PCR assay. According to results, the speculation on the presence of SARS-CoV-2 was proved in WWTP by detection this virus in raw wastewater. However, no SARS-CoV-2 was found in both effluent and air of WWTP; this presents the low or no infection for workers and employee in WWTP. Furthermore, further research are needed for detection the SARS-CoV-2 in solid and biomass produced from WWTP processes due to flaks formation, followed by sedimentation in order to better understand the wastewater-based epidemiology and preventive measurement for other epidemics probably encountered in the future.
