Assessing Urban Ditches for Tracking SARS-CoV-2 in Low Sanitation Areas in Southeastern Brazil

IF 2.4 2区农林科学 Q2 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Food and Environmental Virology Pub Date : 2026-03-06 DOI:10.1007/s12560-026-09687-1

Regina Keller, Gizely Azevedo Costa, Paola de Avelar Carpinetti, Ricardo Franci Gonçalves, Mariane Vedovatti Monfardini Sagrillo, Rodrigo Nunes Oss, Danielsan de Jesus Dias, Isabella Balarini de Azevedo Chaiben, Laila de Oliveira Vaz Oliveira, Rodrigo Pratte, Alice Barros Câmara, Sérvio Túlio Alves Cassini, Daniel Rigo, Diogo Costa Buarque, Liliana Cruz Spano, Sandra Ventorin Von Zeidler, Marize Pereira Miagostovich

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Abstract

Several studies investigated the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in water samples and raw urban wastewater collected from urban sewage treatment plants (STPs) during the COVID-19 pandemic and correlated viral load and epidemiological data. However, limited information is available regarding the potential of urban ditches as sampling sites for epidemiological surveillance. This study aimed to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in urban ditches and evaluate its correlation with epidemiological data. A total of 168 samples were collected from January 2021 to February 2022 in three urban ditches and two STPs in the metropolitan region of Vitória, Espírito Santo (ES). Physicochemical and microbiological water quality parameters were analyzed, and SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected using a TaqMan RT-qPCR system. SARS-CoV-2 was detected in 145/168 of the samples, with 87.2% (75/86) found in the urban ditches and 85.3% (70/82) in the STPs. The viral load in the three urban ditches ranged from 1.59 × 10⁴ to 2.56 × 10⁴ genome copies/litre (GC/L) while in the two STPs, it ranged from 7.79 × 10³ to 1.26 × 10⁴ GC/L. A moderate to strong positive correlation was observed between viral load and confirmed COVID-19 cases, particularly for samples collected from urban ditches (ditch 1, r = 0.58; ditch 2, r = 0.78; ditch 3, r = 0.86). The results indicate greater correlation of SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentration in ditches of low sanitation areas as compared with STPs, showing that ditches could be an important and equivalent sampling point for viral epidemiological studies.

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评估巴西东南部低卫生条件地区城市沟渠追踪SARS-CoV-2的效果

多项研究调查了2019冠状病毒病大流行期间从城市污水处理厂收集的水样和城市污水中是否存在SARS-CoV-2，以及相关的病毒载量和流行病学数据。但是，关于城市沟渠作为流行病学监测取样点的潜力的资料有限。本研究旨在检测城市沟渠中SARS-CoV-2 RNA，并评价其与流行病学资料的相关性。从2021年1月至2022年2月，在Vitória， Espírito Santo （ES）都市地区的3个城市沟渠和2个stp中采集了168份样本。采用TaqMan RT-qPCR检测SARS-CoV-2 RNA，分析理化和微生物水质参数。145/168份样本中检出SARS-CoV-2，其中城市沟渠中检出率为87.2% (75/86)，stp中检出率为85.3%（70/82）。3个城市沟渠的病毒载量为1.59 × 104 ~ 2.56 × 104基因组拷贝/升（GC/L）， 2个城市沟渠的病毒载量为7.79 × 103 ~ 1.26 × 104 GC/L。病毒载量与COVID-19确诊病例之间存在中等至强烈的正相关，特别是从城市沟渠采集的样本（沟渠1，r = 0.58；沟渠2，r = 0.78；沟渠3，r = 0.86）。结果表明，卫生条件较差地区沟渠中SARS-CoV-2 RNA浓度的相关性高于隔离区，表明沟渠可作为病毒流行病学研究的重要和等效采样点。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Food and Environmental Virology ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES-MICROBIOLOGY

CiteScore

6.50

自引率

2.90%

发文量

审稿时长

1 months

期刊介绍： Food and Environmental Virology publishes original articles, notes and review articles on any aspect relating to the transmission of pathogenic viruses via the environment (water, air, soil etc.) and foods. This includes epidemiological studies, identification of novel or emerging pathogens, methods of analysis or characterisation, studies on survival and elimination, and development of procedural controls for industrial processes, e.g. HACCP plans. The journal will cover all aspects of this important area, and encompass studies on any human, animal, and plant pathogenic virus which is capable of transmission via the environment or food.