Number of COVID-19 cases required in a population to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater in the province of Alberta, Canada:Sensitivity assessment  

作　　者：Qiaozhi Li Bonita E.Lee Tiejun Gao Yuanyuan Qiu Erik Ellehoj Jiaao Yu Mathew Diggle Graham Tipples Rasha Maal-Bared Deena Hinshaw Christopher Sikora Nicholas J.Ashbolt James Talbot Steve E.Hrudey Xiaoli Pang 

机构地区：[1]School of Public Health,University of Alberta,Edmonton,AB T6G 2R3,Canada [2]Department of Pediatrics,University of Alberta,Edmonton,AB T6G 1C9,Canada [3]Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology,University of Alberta,Edmonton,AB T6G 2B7,Canada [4]University of Alberta Central Receiving,Edmonton,Alberta,T6G 2R3,Canada [5]Provincial Laboratory for Public Health,Edmonton,Alberta,Canada [6]EPCOR,Edmonton,AB T5H 0E8,Canada [7]Department of Medicine,University of Alberta,Edmonton,AB T6G 2G3,Canada [8]Faculty of Science and Engineering,Southern Cross University,East Lismore NSW 2480,Australia

出　　处：《Journal of Environmental Sciences》2023年第3期843-850,共8页环境科学学报（英文版）

基　　金：supported by research grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research [grant number VR5-172701, 2020];Alberta Innovates and Alberta Health [grant number RES0051047, 2020]。

摘　　要：With a unique and large size of testing results of 1,842 samples collected from 12 wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) for 14 months through from low to high prevalence of COVID-19,the sensitivity of RT-qPCR detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater that correspond to the communities was computed by using Probit analysis.This study determined the number of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population required to detect SARS-CoV-2RNA in wastewater at defined probabilities and provided an evidence-based framework of wastewater-based epidemiology surveillance (WBE).Input data were positive and negative test results of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater samples and the corresponding new COVID-19 case rates per 100,000 population served by each WWTP.The analyses determined that RT-qPCR-based SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection threshold at 50%,80%and 99%probability required a median of 8 (range:4-19),18 (9-43),and 38 (17-97) of new COVID-19 cases/100,000,respectively.Namely,the positive detection rate at 50%,80%and 99%probability were 0.01%,0.02%,and 0.04%averagely for new cases in the population.This study improves understanding of the performance of WBE SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection using the large datasets and prolonged study period.Estimated COVID-19 burden at a community level that would result in a positive detection of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater is critical to support WBE application as a supplementary warning/monitoring system for COVID-19 prevention and control.

关 键 词：SARS-CoV-2 COVID-19 cases WASTEWATER Probit analysis Probability Detection sensitivity 

分 类 号：X832[环境科学与工程—环境工程] R123.1[医药卫生—环境卫生学]