Wastewater-based epidemiology successfully monitored Enterovirus D68 dynamics, showing a clear correlation with the 7% (33/472) positivity rate observed in pediatric clinical cases.
Observational (n=472)
Does wastewater-based epidemiology correlate with clinical surveillance for monitoring Enterovirus D68 outbreaks?
Wastewater-based epidemiology correlates with clinical cases and can serve as an effective tool for continuous surveillance of Enterovirus D68 outbreaks.
Enterovirus D68 (EVD68) was recently identified as an important cause of respiratory illness and acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), mostly in children. Here, we examined 472 pediatric patients diagnosed with severe respiratory illness and screened for EVD68 between April and October 2021. In parallel, samples collected from a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) covering the residential area of the hospitalized patients were also tested for EVD68. Of the 472 clinical samples evaluated, 33 (7%) patients were positive for EVD68 RNA. All wastewater samples were positive for EVD68, with varying viral genome copy loads. Calculated EVD68 genome copies increased from the end of May until July 2021 and dramatically decreased at the beginning of August. A similar trend was observed in both clinical and wastewater samples during the period tested. Sequence analysis of EVD68-positive samples indicated that all samples originated from the same branch of subclade B3. This study is the first to use wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) to monitor EVD68 dynamics by quantitative detection and shows a clear correlation with clinically diagnosed cases. These findings highlight the potential of WBE as an important tool for continuous surveillance of EVD68 and other enteroviruses.
Erster et al. (Mon,) conducted a observational in Severe respiratory illness (n=472). Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) vs. Clinical surveillance was evaluated on EVD68 RNA positivity. Wastewater-based epidemiology successfully monitored Enterovirus D68 dynamics, showing a clear correlation with the 7% (33/472) positivity rate observed in pediatric clinical cases.