Wastewater surveillance and an automated robot: effectively tracking SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the post-epidemic era

Ou，Guanyong1,3; Tang，Yuxuan2; Niu，Shiyu1,3; Wu，Liwen1,3; Li，Shaxi1; Yang，Yang1; Wang，Jun1; Peng，Yun1; Huang，Chuanfu4; Hu，Wei4; Hu，Qinghua5; Li，Yinghui6; Ping，Yang7; Lin，Chao8; Yu，Boping9; Han，Qi10,11; Hao，Yabin12; Luo，Zhiguang13; Tian，Wende14; Zhang，Han2; Liu，Yingxia1

2023-06-01

10.1093/nsr/nwad089

National Science Review   Impact Factor & Quartile

2095-5138

2053-714X

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has exhibited great utility in the early and rapid identification of SARS-CoV-2. However, the efficacy of wastewater surveillance under China’s previous strict epidemic prevention policy remains to be described. We collected the WBE data of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in the Third People’s Hospital of Shenzhen and several communities to determine the significant effectiveness of routine wastewater surveillance in monitoring the local spread of SARS-CoV-2 under tight containment of the epidemic. The results of 1 month of continuous wastewater surveillance showed that positive signals for SARS-CoV-2 RNA were detected in the wastewater samples, and a significant positive correlation was observed between the virus concentration and the number of daily cases. In addition, the community’s domestic wastewater surveillance results were confirmed even 3 days before, or simultaneously with, the infected patient being confirmed as having the virus. Meanwhile, an automated sewage virus detection robot, ShenNong No.1 robot, was developed, showing a high degree of agreement with experimental data, offering the possibility of large-scale multi-point surveillance. Overall, our results illustrated the clear indicative role of wastewater surveillance in combating COVID-19 and provided a practical basis for rapidly expanding the feasibility and value of routine wastewater surveillance for future emerging infectious diseases.

automated robot SARS-CoV-2 wastewater surveillance wastewater-based epidemiology WWTP

SCI

English

First ; Corresponding

Science and Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship Special Foundation of Shenzhen[JSGG20220226090203006] ; State Key Research Development Program of China[2019YFB2203503] ; National Natural Science Foundation of China[61875138] ; Science and Technology Innovation Commission of Shenzhen["GJHZ20180928160209731","KQJSCX20180321164801762","JCYJ20200109105608771"] ; Science and Technology Innovation Leading Talents Program of Guangdong Province[2019TX05C343] ; Taipei University of Technology-Shenzhen University Joint Research Program[2021008]

Science & Technology - Other Topics

Multidisciplinary Sciences

WOS:000978653500001

OXFORD UNIV PRESS

2-s2.0-85162233585

Scopus

1.National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Disease,State Key Discipline of Infectious Disease,The Third People’s Hospital of Shenzhen,Second Hospital Affiliated to Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,518112,China
2.International Collaborative Laboratory of 2D Materials for Optoelectronics Science and Technology of Ministry of Education,Institute of Microscale Optoelectronics,College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering,Shenzhen University,Shenzhen,518060,China
3.School of Medicine,Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,518055,China
4.Shenzhen Longhua Drainage Co.,Ltd.,Shenzhen,518060,China
5.Shenzhen Center for Disease Control and Prevention,Shenzhen,518055,China
6.Microbiology Laboratory,Shenzhen Center for Disease Control and Prevention,Shenzhen,518055,China
7.Power China Eco-Environmental Group Co.,Ltd.,Shenzhen,518102,China
8.Shenzhen Water Planning & Design Institute Co.,Ltd.,Shenzhen,518022,China
9.Shenzhen Academy of Environmental Sciences,Shenzhen,518001,China
10.School of Civil and Environmental Engineering,Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen),Shenzhen,518055,China
11.Institute of Solid Wastes and Physical Environment Research,Shenzhen Academy of Environmental Sciences,Shenzhen,518001,China
12.Shenzhen Metasensing Technology Co.,Ltd.,Shenzhen,518000,China
13.Zhongmin (Shenzhen) Intelligent Ecology Co.,Ltd.,Shenzhen,518055,China
14.Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing,100085,China

Ou，Guanyong,Tang，Yuxuan,Niu，Shiyu,et al. Wastewater surveillance and an automated robot: effectively tracking SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the post-epidemic era[J]. National Science Review,2023,10(6).

Ou，Guanyong.,Tang，Yuxuan.,Niu，Shiyu.,Wu，Liwen.,Li，Shaxi.,...&Liu，Yingxia.(2023).Wastewater surveillance and an automated robot: effectively tracking SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the post-epidemic era.National Science Review,10(6).

Ou，Guanyong,et al."Wastewater surveillance and an automated robot: effectively tracking SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the post-epidemic era".National Science Review 10.6(2023).