Format
Webinar On-Demand
Detecting COVID-19 Variants in Wastewater
IWA Task Force on COVID-19
COVID-19Target Audience
Public health, water and sanitation professionals; water utilities; science councils; consultants; universities; research, commercial and pathology laboratories
Description
The tracking of RNA material from the SARS-CoV-2 virus in wastewater has been proposed worldwide as an epidemiological tool and early warning system to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Wastewater-based epidemiology aims to complement other COVID-19 surveillance data, including clinical testing, by providing pooled data for a specific area including symptomatic and asymptomatic patients, and to provide data where COVID-19 clinical testing is limited.
The emergence of more virulent SARS-CoV-2 strains worldwide has increased the need to keep track of variants and their abundance. Limited published research has shown the presence of variants of SARS-CoV-2 in the sewershed. Tracking of these variants and their abundance in the sewershed could provide an early warning system for more virulent strains.
This webinar will present the latest and most appropriate methodologies, research and findings with respect to detecting SARS-CoV-2 variants in wastewater. The event is open to all interested parties to understand how wastewater-based epidemiology can be used to support public health decisions and identify the genetic diversity and prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 variants in a given population.
Learning objectives
Following this webinar, participants will be able to:
- Understand the methodologies associated with SARS-CoV-2 variant detection;
- Appreciate the usefulness of the wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) approach to support clinical data on evolving SARS CoV 2 variants;
- Identify the steps required to monitor variants in a sewershed and keep track of which variants are becoming virulent through their abundance.
Presentation Slides and Q&A Report
- To view the Presentation Slides from the webinar, please click here.
- To view the Q&A Report from the webinar, please click here.
- To visit the IWA COVID-19 Task Force interest group page on IWA Connect, please click here.
Webinar Resources
Here are some resources recommended by the webinar panelists:
- Papers
- Rapid screening for SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in clinical and environmental samples using nested RT-PCR assays targeting key mutations of the spike protein; G. La Rosa, P. Mancini, G. Bonanno Ferraro, C. Veneri, M. Iaconelli, L. Lucentini, L. Bonadonna, S. Brusaferro, D. Brandtner, A. Fasanella, L. Pace, A. Parisi, D. Galante, E. Suffredini; Water Research; 2021 (Open Access)
- Preprints
- Droplet Digital RT-PCR to detect SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in wastewater; L. Heijnen, G. Elsinga, M. de Graaf, R. Molenkamp, M.P.G. Koopmans, G. Medema; medRxiv; 2021 (Open Access)
- Detection of SARS-CoV-2 variants in Switzerland by genomic analysis of wastewater samples; K. Jahn, D. Dreifuss, I. Topolsky, A. Kull, P. Ganesanandamoorthy, X. Fernandez-Cassi, C. Bänziger, E. Stachler, L. Fuhrmann, K.P. Jablonski, C. Chen, C. Aquino, T. Stadler, C. Ort, T. Kohn, T.R. Julian, N. Beerenwinkel; medRxiv; 2021 (Open Access)
- Monitoring SARS-CoV-2 circulation and diversity through community wastewater sequencing; R. Izquierdo-Lara, G. Elsinga, L. Heijnen, B.B.O. Munnink, C.M.E. Schapendonk, D. Nieuwenhuijse, M. Kon, L. Lu, F.M. Aarestrup, S. Lycett, G. Medema, M.P.G. Koopmans, M. de Graaf; medRxiv; 2020 (Open Access)
- Websites
- SARS-CoV-2 in Wastewater; Eawag (Open Access)
- V-pipe: A bioinformatics pipeline for viral sequencing data; Github (Open Access)
- COJAC – CoOccurrence adJusted Analysis and Calling; Github (Open Access)
Panelists
Gertjan Medema
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gertjanmedema/
– KWR, Netherlands
Tamar Kohn
https://people.epfl.ch/tamar.kohn
– Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, Switzerland
Niko Beerenwinkel
https://bsse.ethz.ch/department/people/detail-person.MTQ5NDE3.TGlzdC8yNjY5LDEwNjI4NTM0MDk=.html
– Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
Giuseppina La Rosa
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Giuseppina-Rosa
– Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Italy
Elisabetta Suffredini
https://www.linkedin.com/in/elisabetta-suffredini-83a23987/
– Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Italy
Joan Rose
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joan-rose-1bbb626
(Webinar Moderator) – Michigan State University, USA
Banu Örmeci
https://www.linkedin.com/in/banu-ormeci-2074b5128/
(Webinar Organiser) – Global Water Institute, Carleton University, Canada