Wastewater is a robust proxy for monitoring circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants

Nat Biotechnol. 2022 Dec;40(12):1768-1769. doi: 10.1038/s41587-022-01388-x.

Abstract

Genomic surveillance is important for pandemic preparedness. By deep sequencing of wastewater samples, we monitored the genetic dynamics of circulating SARS-CoV-2 virus variants in Austria from December 2020 to February 2022. We show how wastewater-based epidemiology enables robust quantification of viral spatiotemporal dynamics as well as the detection of emergent new variants.

MeSH terms

  • COVID-19*
  • Humans
  • RNA, Viral
  • SARS-CoV-2* / genetics
  • Wastewater

Substances

  • Wastewater
  • RNA, Viral

Supplementary concepts

  • SARS-CoV-2 variants