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National Scale Real-Time Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 Variants Dynamics by Wastewater Monitoring in Israel

Authors :
Itay Bar-Or
Victoria Indenbaum
Merav Weil
Michal Elul
Nofar Levi
Irina Aguvaev
Zvi Cohen
Virginia Levy
Roberto Azar
Batya Mannasse
Rachel Shirazi
Efrat Bucris
Orna Mor
Alin Sela Brown
Danit Sofer
Neta S. Zuckerman
Ella Mendelson
Oran Erster
Source :
Viruses, Vol 14, Iss 6, p 1229 (2022)
Publication Year :
2022
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2022.

Abstract

In this report, we describe a national-scale monitoring of the SARS-CoV-2 (SC-2) variant dynamics in Israel, using multiple-time sampling of 13 wastewater treatment plants. We used a combination of inclusive and selective quantitative PCR assays that specifically identify variants A19/A20 or B.1.1.7 and tested each sample for the presence and relative viral RNA load of each variant. We show that between December 2020 and March 2021, a complete shift in the SC-2 variant circulation was observed, where the B.1.1.7 replaced the A19 in all examined test points. We further show that the normalized viral load (NVL) values and the average new cases per week reached a peak in January 2021 and then decreased gradually in almost all test points, in parallel with the progression of the national vaccination campaign, during February–March 2021. This study demonstrates the importance of monitoring SC-2 variant by using a combination of inclusive and selective PCR tests on a national scale through wastewater sampling, which is far more amendable for high-throughput monitoring compared with sequencing. This approach may be useful for real-time dynamics surveillance of current and future variants, such as the Omicron (BA.1, BA.2) and other variants.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
19994915
Volume :
14
Issue :
6
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Viruses
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.7b3b0b5714284ef8aa4c5a1df7a46ace
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/v14061229