Centralized and decentralized wastewater-based epidemiology to infer COVID-19 transmission – A brief review
José Gonçalves,
Andrés Torres-Franco,
Elisa Rodriguéz,
Israel Diaz,
Tom Koritnik,
Priscilla Gomes da Silva,
João R. Mesquita,
Marija Trkov,
Metka Paragi,
Raúl Muñoz,
Pedro A. García-Encina
Affiliations
José Gonçalves
Institute of Sustainable Processes, Valladolid University, Dr. Mergelina s/n, Valladolid 47011, Spain; Department of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology, University of Valladolid, Dr. Mergelina s/n, Valladolid 47011, Spain; Corresponding author at: Institute of Sustainable Processes, Valladolid University, Dr. Mergelina s/n, Valladolid 47011, Spain.
Andrés Torres-Franco
Institute of Sustainable Processes, Valladolid University, Dr. Mergelina s/n, Valladolid 47011, Spain; Department of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology, University of Valladolid, Dr. Mergelina s/n, Valladolid 47011, Spain
Elisa Rodriguéz
Institute of Sustainable Processes, Valladolid University, Dr. Mergelina s/n, Valladolid 47011, Spain; Department of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology, University of Valladolid, Dr. Mergelina s/n, Valladolid 47011, Spain
Israel Diaz
Institute of Sustainable Processes, Valladolid University, Dr. Mergelina s/n, Valladolid 47011, Spain; Department of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology, University of Valladolid, Dr. Mergelina s/n, Valladolid 47011, Spain
Tom Koritnik
Department for Public Health Microbiology, National Laboratory of Health, Environment and Food, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Priscilla Gomes da Silva
ICBAS – School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Porto University, Porto, Portugal; Epidemiology Research Unit (EPIUnit), Instituto de Saúde Pública da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal; Laboratório para a Investigação Integrativa e Translacional em Saúde Populacional (ITR), Porto, Portugal
João R. Mesquita
ICBAS – School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Porto University, Porto, Portugal
Marija Trkov
Department for Public Health Microbiology, National Laboratory of Health, Environment and Food, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Metka Paragi
Department for Public Health Microbiology, National Laboratory of Health, Environment and Food, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Raúl Muñoz
Institute of Sustainable Processes, Valladolid University, Dr. Mergelina s/n, Valladolid 47011, Spain; Department of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology, University of Valladolid, Dr. Mergelina s/n, Valladolid 47011, Spain
Pedro A. García-Encina
Institute of Sustainable Processes, Valladolid University, Dr. Mergelina s/n, Valladolid 47011, Spain; Department of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology, University of Valladolid, Dr. Mergelina s/n, Valladolid 47011, Spain
Wastewater-based epidemiology has shown to be a promising and innovative approach to measure a wide variety of illicit drugs that are consumed in the communities. In the same way as for illicit drugs, wastewater-based epidemiology is a promising approach to understand the prevalence of viruses in a community-level.The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic created an unprecedented burden on public health and diagnostic laboratories all over the world because of the need for massive laboratory testing. Many studies have shown the applicability of a centralized wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) approach, where samples are collected at WWTPs. A more recent concept is a decentralized approach for WBE where samples are collected at different points of the sewer system and at polluted water bodies. The second being particularly important in countries where there are insufficient connections from houses to municipal sewage pipelines and thus untreated wastewater is discharged directly in environmental waters.A decentralized approach can be used to focus the value of diagnostic tests in what we call targeted-WBE, by monitoring wastewater in parts of the population where an outbreak is likely to happen, such as student dorms, retirement homes and hospitals. A combination of centralized and decentralized WBE should be considered for an affordable, sustainable, and successful WBE implementation in high-, middle- and low-income countries.
