Wastewater monitoring could warn of a potential epidemic. The work of a team of researchers from the Universities of Bangor and Bath, together with the UK’s Health Security Agency, showed the ability of routine monitoring operations during wastewater treatment to give a pre-emptive warning of an epidemic. The study showed the ability of routine monitoring operations during wastewater treatment to provide a preemptive warning of an epidemic.
INDICE
Sampling to identify different viruses
The study is pioneering in the UK context. The researchers analyzed wastewater samples from ten different cities in order to find different contaminants. Among the chemical and biological markers of health were pesticides and different types of viruses.
The sampling lasted nine days. Samples were taken at one-hour intervals every twenty-four hours. The analysis also looked for genetic material of viruses such as SARS-CoV-2. Once the different samples were collected, they were accumulated and subsequently analyzed using mass spectrometry techniques.
The analysis also looked for genetic material of viruses such as SARS-CoV-2.
The sensitivity of the analysis determines the quality of the result
The high sensitivity of the chemical analysis made it possible to distinguish between similar markers. In this way, the researchers were able to conclude whether the pharmaceutical derivatives had been processed by the human body. In addition, a particularity they observed was that it was possible to tell whether the particle was the result of a food intake or whether it had reached the wastewater from farmland.
The marker levels were conditioned by different factors. As the researchers were able to observe, parameters such as the population size of the sample location influenced the differences between the levels of chemical markers. On the other hand, outliers were also observed. One city showed a higher concentration of ibuprofen, which points to direct disposal of industrial waste.
There are various parameters, such as population, that influence the analysis.
Fuente: Kasprzyk-Hordern, B., Sims, N., Jagadeesan, K., Proctor, K., Wade, M. J., & Jones, D. L. (2023). Wastewater-based epidemiology for comprehensive community health diagnostics in a national surveillance study: Mining biochemical markers in wastewater.
Prevention and early detection
Covid-19 was detected. Along with localized outbreaks of influenza and norovirus, the researchers found SARS-CoV-2 virus in the water. In addition, a link could be inferred between the detected outbreaks with peaks in the use of painkillers such as paracetamol. In the conclusions of the study, the research team explained how such an analysis can be the key to detecting epidemics at an early stage.
Identify increased illness before you go to the hospital. As Barbara Kasprzyk-Horden points out, for the most part, people try to treat their illnesses at home using acetaminophen. Therefore, identifying peaks in paracetamol use could be the key to providing early warning of infectious diseases.
Identifying peaks in paracetamol use could be key to early detection
Covid-19 and seasonal flu
The study opens the door to identifying chemical exposure. In Kasprzyk-Hordern’s words, it is also possible to look for the link between poor health and chemical exposure.
All it takes is ten samples from ten wastewater treatment plants. As the researcher points out, ten is the number of samples needed from ten treatment plants to obtain data on the health of seven million people. Therefore, the research shows the capacity the researchers have observed for public health knowledge.
With ten daily samples from ten treatment plants, conclusions about the health of 7 million people are obtained.
Covid-19 is a problem in addition to seasonal flu. Researcher Davey Jones, a member of the study, points out that every winter the same situation repeats itself: the flu overwhelms hospitals. However, this virus is joined by the Covid-19 virus. Therefore, says Jones, the study demonstrates the ability of epidemiology in the field of wastewater to provide early warning. In this way, measures can be taken in response to local outbreaks.
Conclusion
Wastewater surveillance can be key to preventing virus outbreaks. The recent Covid-19 pandemic has alerted us to the importance of early detection of virus outbreaks. By early warning of the presence of health anomalies, a more effective response is possible.
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