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Wastewater-Based Epidemiology (WBE) Research

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water and One Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 May 2024) | Viewed by 14246

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Peng Du

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
Interests: wastewater-based epidemiology; illicit drugs; emerging contaminants; health risk assessments; biomarkers
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Phong K. Thai

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor
Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Interests: new biomarkers for WBE; new application of WBE; method uncertainties; COVID-19; pathogens
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE), through analysing relevant biomarkers in wastewater, can provide near-real-time information on the level of consumption or exposure of the population living in the target catchment boundaries to a range of chemicals and pathogens. The approach has been developed and applied for more than a decade, starting with the monitoring of illicit drug use around the world. WBE has been adopted by authorities as evidence or a tool for policy makers to formulate drug control strategies.

In recent years, particularly since 2020, WBE has been advancing to expand both in risk assessments of consumption, use, exposure, or release of chemicals and early warning of infectious disease spread and antibiotic resistance to the community level. There have been thousands of WBE studies on COVID-19 monitoring published in the last 2 years. Despite this success, many challenges remain until WBE can reach its full potential as a complementary monitoring tool for epidemiological studies in human health. This Special Issue welcomes both original research papers as well as systematic reviews on various aspects of WBE, from the application of the approach in new area with special demographics to exploratory studies advancing the science of the field. We encourage the submission of interdisciplinary work and collaborative research on identifying new biomarkers for WBE and triangulating WBE data with other data sources. We also encourage the submission of manuscripts that focus on COVID-19 and other pathogens.

Dr. Peng Du
Dr. Phong K. Thai
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • new biomarkers for WBE
  • new applications of WBE
  • early warning of infectious disease
  • monitoring substances of abuse
  • method uncertainties
  • health risk assessments

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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23 pages, 466 KiB  
Article
Direct-Injection UHPLC-MS/MS Method for Simultaneous Determination of 78 Illegal Drugs and Psychoactive Substances in Domestic Wastewater
by Kan Li, Yiling Hu, Yuke Jiang, Xing Han, Xin Liu and Mingluo Du
Water 2024, 16(9), 1315; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16091315 - 6 May 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1554
Abstract
The determination of illegal drugs and psychoactive substances in wastewater is increasingly being used to monitor the use of both by populations in specific areas. This article describes a method for the simultaneous determination of 78 illegal drugs and psychoactive substances in wastewater [...] Read more.
The determination of illegal drugs and psychoactive substances in wastewater is increasingly being used to monitor the use of both by populations in specific areas. This article describes a method for the simultaneous determination of 78 illegal drugs and psychoactive substances in wastewater using direct-injection ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). This method includes the analysis of stimulants, opioids, antidepressants, antipsychotic drugs, anti-anxiety drugs, and hallucinogens. The method was validated in terms of the selectivity, calibration range, recovery, matrix effects, accuracy, precision, limit of detection (LOD), and limit of quantification (LOQ). The correlation coefficients were higher than 0.99 for all analytes, and the calibration range was from 0.2 to 500 ng/L. The LOD and LOQ of this method were 0.1–1 ng/L and 0.2–5 ng/L, respectively. The intra- and inter-day precisions were <9.3% and 11.4%, respectively, and the recovery ranged from 81.3% to 117.7%. The method was applied to real domestic wastewater collected from wastewater treatment plants, and the results showed that morphine, codeine, and ephedrine were detected in all samples. Some samples also contained other illegal drugs and psychoactive substances (such as etomidate, methamphetamine, ketamine, and tramadol). This indicates that the direct-injection UHPLC-MS/MS method can be used for the rapid determination of illegal drugs and psychoactive substances in wastewater. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wastewater-Based Epidemiology (WBE) Research)
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19 pages, 4291 KiB  
Article
Wastewater-Based Epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 and Other Respiratory Viruses: Bibliometric Tracking of the Last Decade and Emerging Research Directions
by Hassan Waseem, Rameesha Abid, Jafar Ali, Claire J. Oswald and Kimberley A. Gilbride
Water 2023, 15(19), 3460; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15193460 - 30 Sep 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2436
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted an overwhelming surge in research investigating different aspects of the disease and its causative agent. In this study, we aim to discern research themes and trends in the field of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory [...] Read more.
The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted an overwhelming surge in research investigating different aspects of the disease and its causative agent. In this study, we aim to discern research themes and trends in the field of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses over the past decade. We examined 904 papers in the field authored by researchers from 87 countries. Despite the low reported incidence of COVID-19 in 2023, researchers are still interested in the application of WBE to SARS-CoV-2. Based on network visualization mapping of 189 keyword co-occurrences, method optimization, source, transmission, survival, surveillance or early-warning detection systems, and variants of concern in wastewater were found to be the topics of greatest interest among WBE researchers. A trend toward evaluations of the utility of new technologies such as digital PCR and WBE for other respiratory viruses, particularly influenza, was observed. The USA emerged as the leading country in terms of research publications, citations, and international collaborations. Additionally, Science of the Total Environment stood out as the journal with the highest number of publications and citations. The study highlighted areas for further research, including data normalization and biosensor-based data collection, and emphasized the need for international collaboration and standardized methodology for WBE in future research directions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wastewater-Based Epidemiology (WBE) Research)
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20 pages, 2034 KiB  
Article
SARS-CoV-2 Wastewater Surveillance in Ten Cities from Mexico
by Astrid Schilmann, Andrés Sánchez-Pájaro, Marbella T. Ovilla-Muñoz, Juan Téllez-Sosa, Sugey Bravo-Romero, Sara Yuvisela Bahena-Reyes, Margarita Lobato, Jesús Martínez-Barnetche, Celia Mercedes Alpuche-Aranda, Héctor Lamadrid-Figueroa and Tonatiuh Barrientos-Gutiérrez
Water 2023, 15(4), 799; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15040799 - 17 Feb 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3383
Abstract
We aimed to estimate the lead time and infection prevalence from SARS-CoV-2 wastewater (WW) monitoring compared with clinical surveillance data in Mexico to generate evidence about the feasibility of a large-scale WW surveillance system. We selected 10 WW treatment plants (WWTP) and 5 [...] Read more.
We aimed to estimate the lead time and infection prevalence from SARS-CoV-2 wastewater (WW) monitoring compared with clinical surveillance data in Mexico to generate evidence about the feasibility of a large-scale WW surveillance system. We selected 10 WW treatment plants (WWTP) and 5 COVID-19 hospitals in major urban conglomerates in Mexico and collected biweekly 24-h flow-adjusted composite samples during October–November 2020. We concentrated WW samples by polyethylene glycol precipitation and employed quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) assays, targeting the nucleoprotein (N1 and N2) genes. We detected and quantified SARS-CoV-2 RNA in 88% and 58% of the raw WW samples from WWTPs and COVID-19 hospitals, respectively. The WW RNA daily loads lead the active cases by more than one month in large and medium WWTP sites. WW estimated that cases were 2 to 20-fold higher than registered active cases. Developing a continuous monitoring surveillance system for SARS-CoV-2 community transmission through WW is feasible, informative, and recognizes three main challenges: (1) WW system data (catchment area, population served), (2) capacity to maintain the cold-chain and process samples, and (3) supplies and personnel to ensure standardized procedures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wastewater-Based Epidemiology (WBE) Research)
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Review

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16 pages, 1644 KiB  
Review
Wastewater-Based Epidemiology: Assessing Illicit Drug Usage and Impact through an Innovative Approach
by Rongnan Yi, Taotao Zeng, Junhao Chen, Dongxian Liu, Xiaojing Yang, Mingming Zhao and Zeyan Zhou
Water 2023, 15(23), 4192; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15234192 - 4 Dec 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3483
Abstract
The abuse of illicit drugs, which is usually associated with violent crimes and public health issues, has evolved into a significant problem that the whole of society must address collectively. With the benefits of high productivity, convenience, objectivity, and semi-real time, wastewater-based epidemiology [...] Read more.
The abuse of illicit drugs, which is usually associated with violent crimes and public health issues, has evolved into a significant problem that the whole of society must address collectively. With the benefits of high productivity, convenience, objectivity, and semi-real time, wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has been demonstrated to be a powerful tool and has been utilized on a global scale for monitoring illicit drug use. In this review, we briefly introduce the development and application of WBE. Then, the stability of biomarkers is summarized, and methods to improve stability are introduced. We highlight recent advances in analytical techniques, from three aspects of chromatography–mass spectrometry, optical methods, and electrochemical strategies. The research progress of illicit drug abuse assessment based on WBE is summarized. Finally, we summarize the research hotspots and challenges on illicit drug abuse assessment based on WBE. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wastewater-Based Epidemiology (WBE) Research)
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Other

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22 pages, 1643 KiB  
Systematic Review
Precision and Accuracy Limits of Wastewater-Based Epidemiology—Lessons Learned from SARS-CoV-2: A Scoping Review
by Juris Laicans, Brigita Dejus, Sandis Dejus and Talis Juhna
Water 2024, 16(9), 1220; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16091220 - 25 Apr 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1988
Abstract
Background: Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has become crucial for early microbial outbreak detection and public health surveillance globally, underscored by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, despite advancements in sampling and analyses, interpreting results and estimating infection rates pose challenges. Enhancements in sewer system engineering, understanding [...] Read more.
Background: Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has become crucial for early microbial outbreak detection and public health surveillance globally, underscored by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, despite advancements in sampling and analyses, interpreting results and estimating infection rates pose challenges. Enhancements in sewer system engineering, understanding the wastewater environment, and addressing the impact of the environment on the accuracy of results are needed. Objective: This scoping review aims to identify engineering knowledge gaps in WBE to guide future study designs. Design: Research on “wastewater-based epidemiology” involving “engineering”, published between 2015 and 2023, was extracted from the Scopus database. Results: This scoping review examines elements influencing WBE’s precision and reliability, especially in identifying and measuring SARS-CoV-2 RNA. It identifies significant effects of engineering, analytical practices, and the wastewater’s composition on WBE performance. Conclusions: This review calls for further investigation into economical evaluation methods of these factors to enhance WBE data normalization and interpretation, utilizing existing wastewater treatment plant data used for treatment control, which could be a cost-effective approach over more expensive population biomarkers. This approach, aside from SARS-CoV-2, holds potential for application to a broader number and types of diseases, as well as population consumption habits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wastewater-Based Epidemiology (WBE) Research)
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