Monitoring occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 in school populations: a wastewater-based approach

Castro-Gutierrez, Victor; Hassard, Francis; Vu, Milan; Leitao, Rodrigo; Burczynska, Beata; Wildeboer, Dirk; Stanton, Isobel ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2700-2407; Rahimzadeh, Shadi; Baio, Gianluca; Garelick, Hemda; Hofman, Jan; Kasprzyk-Hordern, Barbara; Kwiatkowska, Rachel; Majeed, Azeem; Priest, Sally; Grimsley, Jasmine; Lundy, Lian; Singer, Andrew C. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4705-6063; Di Cesare, Mariachiara. 2022 Monitoring occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 in school populations: a wastewater-based approach. PLoS ONE, 17 (6), e0270168. 15, pp. 10.1371/journal.pone.0270168

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Abstract/Summary

Clinical testing of children in schools is challenging, with economic implications limiting its frequent use as a monitoring tool of the risks assumed by children and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, a wastewater-based epidemiology approach has been used to monitor 16 schools (10 primary, 5 secondary and 1 post-16 and further education) in England. A total of 296 samples over 9 weeks have been analysed for N1 and E genes using qPCR methods. Of the samples returned, 47.3% were positive for one or both genes with a detection frequency in line with the respective local community. WBE offers a low cost, non-invasive approach for supplementing clinical testing and can provide longitudinal insights that are impractical with traditional clinical testing.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	10.1371/journal.pone.0270168
UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:	Pollution (Science Area 2017-)
ISSN:	1932-6203
Additional Information. Not used in RCUK Gateway to Research.:	Open Access paper - full text available via Official URL link.
NORA Subject Terms:	Health
Date made live:	24 Jun 2022 15:53 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/532799

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