Monitoring SARS-CoV-2 in the wastewater and rivers of Tapachula, a migratory hub in southern Mexico
The COVID-19 pandemic has been monitored by applying diferent strategies, including SARS-CoV-2 detection with clinical testing or through wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE). We used the latter approach to follow SARS-CoV-2 dispersion in Tapachula city, located in Mexico’s tropical southern border region. Tapachula is a dynamic entry point for people seeking asylum in Mexico or traveling to the USA. Clinical testing facilities for SARS-CoV-2 monitoring are limited in the city. A total of eighty water samples were collected from urban and suburban rivers and sewage and a wastewater treatment plant over 4 months in Tapachula. We concentrated viral particles with a PEG-8000-based method, performed RNA extraction, and detected SARS-CoV-2 particles through RT-PCR. We considered the pepper mild mottle virus as a fecal water pollu tion biomarker and analytical control. SARS-CoV-2 viral loads (N1 and N2 markers) were quantifed and correlated with ofcial regional statistics of COVID-19 bed occupancy and confrmed cases (r>91%). Our results concluded that WBE proved a valuable tool for tracing and tracking the COVID-19 pandemic in tropical countries with similar water temperatures (21–29 °C). Monitoring SARS-CoV-2 through urban and suburban river water sampling would be helpful in places lacking a wastewater treatment plant or water bodies with sewage discharges.
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Texto biblioteca |
| Language: | eng |
| Subjects: | SARS-CoV-2, Infecciones por coronavirus, Aguas residuales, Ríos, Monitoreo ambiental, Pandemia, Artfrosur, |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1007/s12560-022-09523-2 |
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| Summary: | The COVID-19 pandemic has been monitored by applying diferent strategies, including SARS-CoV-2 detection with clinical testing or through wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE). We used the latter approach to follow SARS-CoV-2 dispersion in Tapachula city, located in Mexico’s tropical southern border region. Tapachula is a dynamic entry point for people seeking asylum in Mexico or traveling to the USA. Clinical testing facilities for SARS-CoV-2 monitoring are limited in the city. A total of eighty water samples were collected from urban and suburban rivers and sewage and a wastewater treatment plant over 4 months in Tapachula. We concentrated viral particles with a PEG-8000-based method, performed RNA extraction, and detected SARS-CoV-2 particles through RT-PCR. We considered the pepper mild mottle virus as a fecal water pollu tion biomarker and analytical control. SARS-CoV-2 viral loads (N1 and N2 markers) were quantifed and correlated with ofcial regional statistics of COVID-19 bed occupancy and confrmed cases (r>91%). Our results concluded that WBE proved a valuable tool for tracing and tracking the COVID-19 pandemic in tropical countries with similar water temperatures (21–29 °C). Monitoring SARS-CoV-2 through urban and suburban river water sampling would be helpful in places lacking a wastewater treatment plant or water bodies with sewage discharges. |
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