TY - JOUR
T1 - Stabilization of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater via rapid RNA extraction
AU - Torabi, Soroosh
AU - Amirsoleimani, Atena
AU - Dehghan Banadaki, Mohammad
AU - Strike, William Dalton
AU - Rockward, Alexus
AU - Noble, Ann
AU - Liversedge, Matthew
AU - Keck, James W.
AU - Berry, Scott M.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2023/6/20
Y1 - 2023/6/20
N2 - Wastewater-based Epidemiology (WBE) has contributed to surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in communities across the world. Both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients with COVID-19 can shed the virus through the gastrointestinal tract, enabling the quantification of the virus in stool and ultimately in wastewater (WW). Unfortunately, instability of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater limits the utility of WBE programs, particularly in remote/rural regions where reliable cold storage and/or rapid shipping may be unavailable. This study examined whether rapid SARS-CoV-2 RNA extraction on the day of sample collection could minimize degradation. Importantly, the extraction technology used in these experiments, termed exclusion-based sample preparation (ESP), is lightweight, portable, and electricity-free, making it suitable for implementation in remote settings. We demonstrated that immediate RNA extraction followed by ambient storage significantly increased the RNA half-life compared to raw wastewater samples stored at both 4 °C or ambient temperature. Given that RNA degradation negatively impacts both the sensitivity and precision of WBE measurements, efforts must be made to mitigate degradation in order to maximize the potential impact of WBE on public health.
AB - Wastewater-based Epidemiology (WBE) has contributed to surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in communities across the world. Both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients with COVID-19 can shed the virus through the gastrointestinal tract, enabling the quantification of the virus in stool and ultimately in wastewater (WW). Unfortunately, instability of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater limits the utility of WBE programs, particularly in remote/rural regions where reliable cold storage and/or rapid shipping may be unavailable. This study examined whether rapid SARS-CoV-2 RNA extraction on the day of sample collection could minimize degradation. Importantly, the extraction technology used in these experiments, termed exclusion-based sample preparation (ESP), is lightweight, portable, and electricity-free, making it suitable for implementation in remote settings. We demonstrated that immediate RNA extraction followed by ambient storage significantly increased the RNA half-life compared to raw wastewater samples stored at both 4 °C or ambient temperature. Given that RNA degradation negatively impacts both the sensitivity and precision of WBE measurements, efforts must be made to mitigate degradation in order to maximize the potential impact of WBE on public health.
KW - COVID-19
KW - Degradation
KW - RNA stabilization
KW - Temperature
KW - Wastewater
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U2 - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162992
DO - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162992
M3 - Article
C2 - 36948314
AN - SCOPUS:85151013065
SN - 0048-9697
VL - 878
JO - Science of the Total Environment
JF - Science of the Total Environment
M1 - 162992
ER -