{"title":"Inter-institutional laboratory standardization for SARS-CoV-2 surveillance through wastewater-based epidemiology applied to Mexico City","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.ijregi.2024.100429","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><p>Wastewater-based surveillance applied to SARS-CoV-2 viral load quantification for COVID-19 has become one of the most relevant complementary tools in epidemiologic prevention programs worldwide. However, this valuable decision-making tool still requires fine-tuning to produce comparable results between laboratories, especially when applied to the surveillance of megacities.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>Six laboratories across Mexico and one from the United States executed an interlaboratory study to set up a singular standardized protocol considering method cost, installed infrastructure, materials available, and supply availability for SARS-CoV-2 quantification from five Mexico City sampling sites across this megacity.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>Comparable data from processing outcomes in the Mexican laboratories and in the external international laboratory serve as a validating data source. The Bland–Altman comparison showed consistency, with cycle threshold values within ±1.96 SD of SARS-CoV-2 genetic copies for the standard curve quantification, with a mismatch of two laboratories. In addition, MS2 bacteriophage recovery rates varied between 35% and 67% among all participating laboratories. Finally, the efficiency of viral genetic material recovered from all participating laboratories varied between 65% and 93% for the participating laboratories.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>This work lays the foundation for extensive and continuous wastewater-based surveillance application across independent Mexican laboratories in a time- and resource-effective manner.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":73335,"journal":{"name":"IJID regions","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5000,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772707624001000/pdfft?md5=062170e99b8cb842cc8a7a1259eba88d&pid=1-s2.0-S2772707624001000-main.pdf","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"IJID regions","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772707624001000","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q4","JCRName":"INFECTIOUS DISEASES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objectives
Wastewater-based surveillance applied to SARS-CoV-2 viral load quantification for COVID-19 has become one of the most relevant complementary tools in epidemiologic prevention programs worldwide. However, this valuable decision-making tool still requires fine-tuning to produce comparable results between laboratories, especially when applied to the surveillance of megacities.
Methods
Six laboratories across Mexico and one from the United States executed an interlaboratory study to set up a singular standardized protocol considering method cost, installed infrastructure, materials available, and supply availability for SARS-CoV-2 quantification from five Mexico City sampling sites across this megacity.
Results
Comparable data from processing outcomes in the Mexican laboratories and in the external international laboratory serve as a validating data source. The Bland–Altman comparison showed consistency, with cycle threshold values within ±1.96 SD of SARS-CoV-2 genetic copies for the standard curve quantification, with a mismatch of two laboratories. In addition, MS2 bacteriophage recovery rates varied between 35% and 67% among all participating laboratories. Finally, the efficiency of viral genetic material recovered from all participating laboratories varied between 65% and 93% for the participating laboratories.
Conclusion
This work lays the foundation for extensive and continuous wastewater-based surveillance application across independent Mexican laboratories in a time- and resource-effective manner.