Quantitative detection of viral RNA in Wastewater

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Currently, in Austria two projects are carried out for the observation of the COVID pandemics in wastewater:
  • School location monitoring (Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research – started 1.9.2021)
    In this monitoring project 109 wastewater treatment plants connected with school locations are sampled 2 times a week. It lasts until the end of the school year 2021/22 and is headed by Prof. Dr. Heribert Insam (University of Innsbruck). The measurements of the Tirolean wastewater plants are conducted by the Institute of Legal Medicine (GMI), Medical University of Innsbruck (Univ.-Prof. Dr. Herbert Oberacher).

  • National SARS-CoV-2 wastewater monitoring programme (Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection – started 17.1.2022)
    Based on the “Recommendation on monitoring COVID-19 and its variants in wastewaters in the EU” EU (2021/1925) Austria established a national reference centre for SARS-CoV-2 wastewater monitoring. Under the direction of Prof. Dr. Richard Scheithauer (Head of Institute) the programme started in January 2022. It comprises the 24 largest wasterwater treatment plants and covers more than 50% of the Austrian population.

The data collections in these projects are coordinated and are directed in a common database. Measurements are carried out for the viral load (gene copies) as well as for variants and mutations. The results are reported to crisis units on the federal and the regional level.

further reports:


Wastewater surveillance indicates the abundance of
SARS-CoV-2 in the population

The "Coronavirus Disease 2019" (COVID-19) has developed into a global pandemic. In times of crisis, politicians and authorities need reliable and comprehensive information on the prevalence of the disease. The aim of this surveillance is to supplement the repertoire of epidemiological methods and resources with data derived from wastewater.

Updated 2021-11-18
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Aims

The BMBWF school location monitoring is a continuation of the Coron-A project with the following goals:

  • Implementation of a decentralized capacity building for SARS-CoV analysis in wastewater
  • Further development of a highly sensitive, selective and reliable analysis method for the detection of SARS-CoV-2-RNA in wastewater.
  • Quantification of SARS-CoV-2-RNA in the sewage treatment plant inflow of 108 sewage treatment plants in the catchment area of important school locations.
  • Comprehensive national surveillance program to assess the development of the pandemic.
  • Creation of a freely accessible database for research.
  • Development of statistical forecasting systems.
  • Monitoring of emerging Variants of Concern (VOC) and Variants of Interest (VOI) through whole genome sequencing and variant screening.
  • Evaluation of the monitoring plan by comparison with other epidemiological methods.
  • Development of plans for the use of wastewater monitoring to surveil the current pandemic and as an early warning system for future crises.

Updated 2021-11-18

Publications

Aberi P, Arabzadeh R, Insam H, Markt R, Mayr M, Kreuzinger N, Rauch W. Quest for Optimal Regression Models in SARS-CoV-2 Wastewater Based Epidemiology.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021; 18(20):10778.
doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182010778

Arabzadeh R, Grünbacher DM, Insam H, Kreuzinger N, Markt R, Rauch W; Data filtering methods for SARS-CoV-2 wastewater surveillance.
Water Sci Technol, 2021; 84 (6): 1324–1339.
doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wst.2021.343

Markt R, Mayr M, Peer E, Wagner AO, Lackner N, Insam H. Detection and Stability of SARS-CoV-2 Fragments in Wastewater: Impact of Storage Temperature.
Pathogens. 2021; 10(9):1215.
doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens10091215

R. Markt; L. Endler; F. Amman; A. Schedl; T. Penz; M. Büchel-Marxer; D. Grünbacher; M. Mayr; E. Peer; M. Pedrazzini W. Rauch; A. O. Wagner; F. Allerberger; A. Bergthaler; H. Insam. Detection and abundance of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater in Liechtenstein, and the estimation of prevalence and impact of the B.1.1.7 variant.
Journal of Water and Health, in press,
doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wh.2021.180

Rauch W, Arabzadeh R, Grünbacher D, Insam H, Markt R, Scheffknecht C, Kreuzinger N. Datenbehandlung in der SARS-CoV-2-Abwasserepidemiologie,
KA - Korrespondenz Abwasser, 68 (2021), 7; 547- 554.

Amman F, R Markt, L Endler, S Hupfauf, B Agerer, A Schedl, L Richter, M Zechmeister, M Bicher, G Heiler, P Triska, M Thornton, T Penz, M Senekowitsch, J Laine, Z Keszei, B Daleiden, M Steinlechner, H Niederstätter, C Scheffknecht, G Vogl, G Weichlinger, A Wagner, K Slipko, A Masseron, E Radu, F Allerberger, N Popper, C Bock, D Schmid, H Oberacher, N Kreuzinger, H Insam, A Bergthaler (2021)
National-scale surveillance of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants in wastewater.
Submitted to Nature Biotechnology, submitted

Updated 2021.12.07 -

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Updated 2021.12.07