Monitoramento de patógenos virais por meio de epidemiologia baseada em águas residuárias

Abstract

Outbreaks, endemics, and pandemics caused by viral agents pose a global challenge to public health. Recently, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in millions of deaths worldwide. In parallel, epidemics of arboviral diseases remain a serious health problem, especially in tropical countries such as Brazil. In this context, wastewater based epidemiology (WBE) has emerged as a promising tool for the detection and monitoring of viral pathogens at the population level. This study monitored viral pathogens—specifically the coronavirus (SARS-CoV2) and the arboviruses dengue (DENV), Zika (ZIKV), and chikungunya (CHIKV)—through WBE. Samples were collected between January and August 2021 and between January and December 2023 at the Dr. Hélio de Seixo Britto Wastewater Treatment Plant, located in Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil, which serves more than 700,000 inhabitants. Viral detection involved concentration with polyethylene glycol (PEG6000), extraction of nucleic acids, and subsequent analysis by real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). For SARS-CoV 2, two genomic regions, N1 and N2, were monitored over 30 weeks in 2021. Results indicated that 43.63% of the samples were positive, with no significant difference between detection using primers N1 (mean 3.23 log10 genome copies/L; SD = 0.23) and N2 (mean 2.95 log10 genome copies/L; SD = 0.29). Molecular data were compared with official clinical records. Regarding arboviruses, viral RNA from nonstructural proteins was detected in 36 of the 39 monitored weeks in 2023 (92%) for at least one of the three viruses (DENV, ZIKV, or CHIKV). Additionally, a web application—“pySewage”—was developed to automate the prediction of the number of infected individuals. It is expected that the proposed experimental protocol, combined with the web interface, will enhance the capacity for predicting and monitoring viral pathogens in wastewater, providing strategic support for epidemiological surveillance efforts.