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. 2022 May 10:820:153290.
doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153290. Epub 2022 Jan 20.

Factors influencing SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations in wastewater up to the sampling stage: A systematic review

Xander Bertels  1 , Phaedra Demeyer  2 , Siel Van den Bogaert  3 , Tim Boogaerts  4 , Alexander L N van Nuijs  5 , Peter Delputte  6 , Lies Lahousse  7
Affiliations

Factors influencing SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations in wastewater up to the sampling stage: A systematic review

Xander Bertels et al. Sci Total Environ. .

Abstract

Wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) for SARS-CoV-2 RNA is a promising complementary approach to monitor community viral circulation. A myriad of factors, however, can influence RNA concentrations in wastewater, impeding its epidemiological value. This article aims to provide an overview and discussion of factors up to the sampling stage that impact SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentration estimates in wastewater. To this end, a systematic review was performed in three databases (MEDLINE, Web of Science and Embase) and two preprint servers (MedRxiv and BioRxiv). Two authors independently screened and selected articles published between January 1, 2019 and May 4, 2021. A total of 22 eligible articles were included in this systematic review. The following factors up to sampling were identified to have an influence on SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations in wastewater and its interpretation: (i) shedding-related factors, including faecal shedding parameters (i.e. shedding pattern, recovery, rate, and load distribution), (ii) population size, (iii) in-sewer factors, including solid particles, organic load, travel time, flow rate, wastewater pH and temperature, and (iv) sampling strategy. In conclusion, factors influencing SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentration estimates in wastewater were identified and research gaps were discussed. The identification of these factors supports the need for further research on WBS for COVID-19.

Keywords: COVID-19; Epidemiology; Public health; Sewage; Wastewater-based surveillance.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

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Graphical abstract
Fig. 1
Fig. 1
PRISMA flowchart of the systematic review (Page et al., 2021).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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