Research needs for optimising wastewater-based epidemiology monitoring for public health protection

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is an unobtrusive method used to observe patterns in illicit drug use, poliovirus, and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). The pandemic and need for surveillance measures have led to the rapid acceleration of WBE research and development...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of water and health 2022-09, Vol.20 (9), p.1284-1313
Main Authors: Robins, Katie, Leonard, Anne F C, Farkas, Kata, Graham, David W, Jones, David L, Kasprzyk-Hordern, Barbara, Bunce, Joshua T, Grimsley, Jasmine M S, Wade, Matthew J, Zealand, Andrew M, McIntyre-Nolan, Shannon
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anti-Infective Agents
Antimicrobial resistance
Chemical pollutants
Chemical pollution
chemicals
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
COVID-19 - epidemiology
Decision making
Environmental factors
Environmental Pollutants
Epidemiology
Health surveillance
Humans
Illicit Drugs
Influenza
metabolites
Methods
Pandemics
Pathogens
Pharmaceutical Preparations
Protection
Public Health
public health wastewater-based epidemiology
R&D
Research & development
Respiration
SARS-CoV-2
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Storage
Viral diseases
Viruses
Wastewater
Wastewater-Based Epidemiological Monitoring
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Summary:Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is an unobtrusive method used to observe patterns in illicit drug use, poliovirus, and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). The pandemic and need for surveillance measures have led to the rapid acceleration of WBE research and development globally. With the infrastructure available to monitor SARS-CoV-2 from wastewater in 58 countries globally, there is potential to expand targets and applications for public health protection, such as other viral pathogens, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), pharmaceutical consumption, or exposure to chemical pollutants. Some applications have been explored in academic research but are not used to inform public health decision-making. We reflect on the current knowledge of WBE for these applications and identify barriers and opportunities for expanding beyond SARS-CoV-2. This paper critically reviews the applications of WBE for public health and identifies the important research gaps for WBE to be a useful tool in public health. It considers possible uses for pathogenic viruses, AMR, and chemicals. It summarises the current evidence on the following: (1) the presence of markers in stool and urine; (2) environmental factors influencing persistence of markers in wastewater; (3) methods for sample collection and storage; (4) prospective methods for detection and quantification; (5) reducing uncertainties; and (6) further considerations for public health use.
ISSN:1477-8920
1996-7829
DOI:10.2166/wh.2022.026