Researchers from the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology and the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag) have developed a bioinformatics tool to detect genetic mutations of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater. The results of their research have been published in the journal Nature Microbiology.
This technique has the advantage of requiring fewer samples than clinical sampling. In addition, the detection of variants is earlier than traditional detection, as in the case of the Delta variant, detected 118 days in Lausanne before the first clinical case occurred.
"It is clear that new variants will continue to emerge, says Tim Julian, an environmental microbiologist at Eawag. Right now, there is interest in BA.2.75, for example. The most recent emerging variants are associated with increased transmissibility. Luckily, we have not seen dramatic increases in severity of disease, but we cannot rule out this possibility in the future."
"As our paper shows, wastewater is helpful for early detection of emerging variants and can inform transmission fitness. Wastewater offers a lower cost approach to help bolster – but certainly not replace – clinical surveillance," the researcher concluded.
See an account of the highlights of the paper in a post on the Eawag website »
