Post-lockdown detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the wastewater of Montpellier, France
Julie Trottier,
Regis Darques,
Nassim Ait Mouheb,
Emma Partiot,
William Bakhache,
Maika S. Deffieu,
Raphael Gaudin
Affiliations
Julie Trottier
CNRS, ART-Dev, Site Saint-Charles, Rue du Professeur Henri Serre, 34090 Montpellier, France; Corresponding author.
Regis Darques
CNRS, ART-Dev, Site Saint-Charles, Rue du Professeur Henri Serre, 34090 Montpellier, France
Nassim Ait Mouheb
Université de Montpellier, 163 Rue Auguste Broussonnet, 34090 Montpellier, France; INRAE, UMR G-eau, 361 Rue Jean-François Breton, 34196 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
Emma Partiot
Université de Montpellier, 163 Rue Auguste Broussonnet, 34090 Montpellier, France; CNRS, Institut de Recherche en Infectiologie de Montpellier (IRIM), 1919 Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier, France
William Bakhache
CNRS, Institut de Recherche en Infectiologie de Montpellier (IRIM), 1919 Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier, France
Maika S. Deffieu
Université de Montpellier, 163 Rue Auguste Broussonnet, 34090 Montpellier, France; CNRS, Institut de Recherche en Infectiologie de Montpellier (IRIM), 1919 Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier, France
Raphael Gaudin
Université de Montpellier, 163 Rue Auguste Broussonnet, 34090 Montpellier, France; CNRS, Institut de Recherche en Infectiologie de Montpellier (IRIM), 1919 Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier, France; Corresponding author at: CNRS, Institut de Recherche en Infectiologie de Montpellier (IRIM), 1919 Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier, France.
The evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic can be monitored through the detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in sewage. Here, we measured the amount of SARS-CoV-2 RNA at the inflow point of the main waste water treatment plant (WWTP) of Montpellier, France. We collected samples 4 days before the end of lockdown and up to 70 days post-lockdown. We detected increased amounts of SARS-CoV-2 RNA at the WWTP from mid-June on, whereas the number of new COVID-19 cases in the area started increasing a couple of weeks later. Future epidemiologic investigations shall explain such asynchronous finding.
