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2021-03

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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/175917

Time-evolution of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater during the first pandemic wave of COVID-19 in the metropolitan area of Barcelona

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https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.02750-20

Abstract

Two large wastewater treatment plants (WWTP), covering around 2.7 M inhabitants, which represents around 85% of the metropolitan area of Barcelona, were sampled before, during and after the implementation of a complete lockdown. Five one-step RT-qPCR assays, targeting the polymerase (IP2 and IP4), the envelope E and the nucleoprotein (N1 and N2) genome regions, were employed for SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection in 24-h composite wastewater samples concentrated by polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitation. SARS-CoV-2 was detected in a sewage sample collected 41 days ahead of the declaration of the first COVID-19 case. The evolution of SARS-CoV-2 genome copies in wastewater evidenced the validity of water-based epidemiology to anticipate COVID-19 outbreaks, to evaluate the impact of control measures and even to estimate the burden of shedders, including presymptomatic, asymptomatic, symptomatic and undiagnosed cases. For this latter objective, a model was applied for the estimation of the total number of shedders, evidencing a high proportion of asymptomatic infected individuals. In this way, an infection prevalence of 2.0-6.5% was figured. On the other hand, a proportion of around 0.12% and 0.09% of the total population was determined to be required for positive detection in the two WWTPs. At the end of the lockdown, SARS-CoV-2 RNA apparently disappeared in the WWTPs but could still be detected in grab samples from four urban sewers. Sewer monitoring allowed for location of specific hot spots of COVID-19, enabling the rapid adoption of appropriate mitigation measures.

Subject

SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, Aigües residuals, Barcelona (Catalunya : Àrea metropolitana)

Subject (English)

SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, Sewage, Barcelona (Catalonia : Metropolitan area)

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Articles publicats en revistes (Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística)

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CHAVARRIA MIRÓ, Gemma, et al. Time-evolution of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater during the first pandemic wave of COVID-19 in the metropolitan area of Barcelona. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 2021. Vol. 87, num. 7, pags. e02750. ISSN 0099-2240. [consulted: 19 of August of 2026]. Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/175917

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