• FluTrackers.com Inc. does not provide medical advice. Information on this web site is collected from various internet resources, and the FluTrackers board of directors makes no warranty to the safety, efficacy, correctness or completeness of the information posted on this site by any author or poster. The information collated here is for instructional and/or discussion purposes only and is NOT intended to diagnose or treat any disease, illness, or other medical condition. Every individual reader or poster should seek advice from their personal physician/healthcare practitioner before considering or using any interventions that are discussed on this website. By continuing to access this website you agree to consult your personal physican before using any interventions posted on this website, and you agree to hold harmless FluTrackers.com Inc., the board of directors, the members, and all authors and posters for any effects from use of any medication, supplement, vitamin or other substance, device, intervention, etc. mentioned in posts on this website, or other internet venues referenced in posts on this website.
  • We are not asking for any donations. Do not donate to any entity who says they are raising funds for us.

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int . Environmental monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 in the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul (RS), Brazil

tetano

Editor, Senior Moderator
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int


. 2023 Dec 6.
doi: 10.1007/s11356-023-31081-8. Online ahead of print. Environmental monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 in the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul (RS), Brazil

Leticia Batista Dutra[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Janaína Francieli Stein[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Bruna Seixas da Rocha[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Andresa Berger[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Beatriz Andrade de Souza[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Bruno Aschidamini Prandi[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Arthur Tonietto Mangini[SUP] 3 [/SUP], André Jarenkow[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Aline Alves Scarpellini Campos[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Fernando Mainardi Fan[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Maria Cristina de Almeida Silva[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Katia Helena Lipp-Nissinen[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Manuel Rodrigues Loncan[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Matheus Ribeiro Augusto[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Ana Cláudia Franco[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Rodrigo de Freitas Bueno[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Caroline Rigotto[SUP] 7 [/SUP]



Affiliations
Abstract

Since starts the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic identified the presence of genomic fragments of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in various environmental matrices: domestic sewage, surface waters, and contaminated freshwater. Environmental monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 is a tool for evaluating trend curves over the months, compared to several clinical cases of the disease. The objective of this study was to monitor the SARS-CoV-2 in environmental samples collected in different sites in a metropolitan area of Porto Alegre, Southern Brazil. During 10 months from 2020 to 2021, 300 samples were collected weekly and biweekly from nine points located in 3 cities: one point from a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in São Leopoldo (fortnightly collection), two points in Dilúvio Stream in Porto Alegre (fortnightly collection), two points in Pampa and Luiz Rau Streams (weekly collection), and two points in public fountains (fortnightly collection) in Novo Hamburgo. After collection, samples were concentrated by ultracentrifugation, and viral nucleic acids were extracted using MagMax® Core Nucleic Acid Purifications kits and submitted to RT-qPCR, using E, N1, and N2 gene targets of SARS-CoV-2. Only 7% (3/41) samples from public fountains were positive, with a mean viral load (VL) of SARS-CoV-2 RNA of 5.02 × 10[SUP]1[/SUP] gc/l (2.41~8.59 × 10[SUP]1[/SUP] gc/l), while the streams had average VL of 7.43 × 10[SUP]5[/SUP] gc/l (Pampa), 7.06 × 10[SUP]5[/SUP] gc/l (Luiz Rau), 2.01 × 10[SUP]5[/SUP] gc/l (Dilúvio), and 4.46 × 10[SUP]5[/SUP] cg/l (WWTP). The results showed varying levels of viral presence in different sample types, with a demonstrated correlation between environmental viral load and clinical COVID-19 cases. These findings contribute to understanding virus persistence and transmission pathways in the environment. Continuous monitoring, especially in less developed regions, is crucial for early detection of vaccine resistance, new variants, and potential COVID-19 resurgence.

Keywords: COVID-19; Coronavirus; Sewage; Surface water; WBE.

 
Back
Top Bottom