Exploiting the Power of Wastewater Surveillance to Prevent Outbreaks of Respiratory Infections
Standing
Undergraduate
Type of Proposal
Oral Research Presentation
Challenges Theme
Open Challenge
Faculty Sponsor
R. Michael McKay
Proposal
Wastewater surveillance has gained traction during the COVID-19 pandemic as an effective and non-biased means to track community infection of respiratory diseases. Quantification of viral material deposited into the sewershed and collected at wastewater treatment plants provides a non-biased measure of community infection rates. However, wastewater surveillance is more actionable when samples are collected “upstream†of wastewater treatment facilities where mitigation of transmission is possible. This project targeted residence halls at the University of Windsor aimed at preventing outbreak escalation by mitigating community spread. Passive sampling devices were deployed in sewer laterals originating from residence halls for 24 hours at a frequency of twice weekly during fall 2021 as the Delta variant of concern continued to circulate across North America. Reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was then used to measure the concentration of SARS-CoV-2 RNA within wastewater. A positive detection as part of routine sampling in late November 2021 triggered daily monitoring and further isolated the signal to a single wing of one residence hall. Detection of SARS-CoV-2 within the wastewater over a period of 3 consecutive days led to a coordinated rapid antigen testing campaign targeting the residence hall occupants and the isolation of infected individuals, thereby preventing transmission. These results reinforce the efficacy of wastewater surveillance as an early indicator of infection in congregate living settings. Detections can trigger public health measures ranging from enhanced communications to targeted coordinated testing and quarantine.
Grand Challenges
Viable, Healthy and Safe Communities
Exploiting the Power of Wastewater Surveillance to Prevent Outbreaks of Respiratory Infections
Wastewater surveillance has gained traction during the COVID-19 pandemic as an effective and non-biased means to track community infection of respiratory diseases. Quantification of viral material deposited into the sewershed and collected at wastewater treatment plants provides a non-biased measure of community infection rates. However, wastewater surveillance is more actionable when samples are collected “upstream†of wastewater treatment facilities where mitigation of transmission is possible. This project targeted residence halls at the University of Windsor aimed at preventing outbreak escalation by mitigating community spread. Passive sampling devices were deployed in sewer laterals originating from residence halls for 24 hours at a frequency of twice weekly during fall 2021 as the Delta variant of concern continued to circulate across North America. Reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was then used to measure the concentration of SARS-CoV-2 RNA within wastewater. A positive detection as part of routine sampling in late November 2021 triggered daily monitoring and further isolated the signal to a single wing of one residence hall. Detection of SARS-CoV-2 within the wastewater over a period of 3 consecutive days led to a coordinated rapid antigen testing campaign targeting the residence hall occupants and the isolation of infected individuals, thereby preventing transmission. These results reinforce the efficacy of wastewater surveillance as an early indicator of infection in congregate living settings. Detections can trigger public health measures ranging from enhanced communications to targeted coordinated testing and quarantine.