A new study found that compounds in wastewater can help gauge different aspects of public health. This includes narcotics usage, antibiotic resistance, and even the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

According to the study, published in the journal ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology, a sensitive approach to evaluate coronavirus spread is to measure the viral load in settled solids from sewage treatment plants. This could be more viable than wastewater flowing into the facilities.

The researchers stated in their study that the SARS-CoV-2 genes are present in the feces of infected people but they are yet to figure out whether they are capable of infecting others.

Earlier studies have also examined the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 genes in influent, which is the raw wastewater flowing into the plants.

However, in the new study, the researchers intended to explore if the virus might be easier to detect in the settled solids.

Methodology

For the study, the researchers collected and analysed influent and settled solids from two sewage treatment plants in California over several days in March and April 2020.

They found that the solids contained 100-1,000 times higher concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 genes than the wastewater influent on a per mass basis. This could make the detection more sensitive and accurate for the solid samples.

They also found that the concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 genes on different days correlated with the number of new cases reported on those days in the community served by the treatment plant.

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