The Catalan Surveillance Network of SARS-CoV-2 in Sewage: design, implementation, and performance

Identifier:  imarina:9282476

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/imarina9282476

Authors:  Guerrero-Latorre, Laura; Collado, Neus; Abasolo, Nerea; Anzaldi, Gabriel; Bofill-Mas, Silvia; Bosch, Albert; Bosch, Lluis; Busquets, Silvia; Caimari, Antoni; Canela, Nuria; Carcereny, Albert; Chacon, Carme; Ciruela, Pilar; Corbella, Irene; Domingo, Xavier; Escote, Xavier; Espineira, Yaimara; Fores, Eva; Gandullo-Sarro, Isabel; Garcia-Pedemonte, David; Girones, Rosina; Guix, Susana; Hundesa, Ayalkibet; Itarte, Marta; Marine-Casado, Roger; Martinez, Anna; Martinez-Puchol, Sandra; Mas-Capdevila, Anna; Mejias-Molina, Cristina; Rafa, Marc Moliner, I; Munne, Antoni; Maria Pinto, Rosa; Pueyo-Ros, Josep; Robuste-Cartro, Jordi; Rusinol, Marta; Sanfeliu, Robert; Teichenne, Joan; Torrell, Helena; Corominas, Lluis; Borrego, Carles M

Abstract:
Wastewater-based epidemiology has shown to be an efficient tool to track the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 in communities assisted by wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The challenge comes when this approach is employed to help Health authorities in their decision-making. Here, we describe the roadmap for the design and deployment of SARSAIGUA, the Catalan Surveillance Network of SARS-CoV-2 in Sewage. The network monitors, weekly or biweekly, 56 WWTPs evenly distributed across the territory and serving 6 M inhabitants (80% of the Catalan population). Each week, samples from 45 WWTPs are collected, analyzed, results reported to Health authorities, and finally published within less than 72 h in an online dashboard ( https://sarsaigua.icra.cat ). After 20 months of monitoring (July 20-March 22), the standardized viral load (gene copies/day) in all the WWTPs monitored fairly matched the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases along the successive pandemic waves, showing a good fit with the diagnosed cases in the served municipalities (Spearman Rho = 0.69). Here we describe the roadmap of the design and deployment of SARSAIGUA while providing several open-access tools for the management and visualization of the surveillance data.© 2022. The Author(s).