A few weeks ago a study was published in Nature that pointed out the importance of the analysis of fecal matter to study the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19.
Now, a group of scientists from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) have developed a new system to track this virus in sewage and wastewater systems. The method could be used to track existing and future outbreaks of the corona virus.
According to those responsible for creating this system, the control of wastewater can be effective when clinical tests are insufficient to determine the infection rate. Sewage can provide better estimates to determine how many are infected but have not been tested and are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms. If the virus is identified in sewage, using population size, researchers can calculate the amount of virus in feces and then extrapolate the number of infected people in a population.
The research team, led by Ariel Kushmaro, has already determined that SARS-CoV-2 is transferred through feces to wastewater, and is now trying to determine if the virus remains contagious in that environment. Previous corona viruses, like SARS, could only survive below 20 ° C for long periods in wastewater. It is now seeking to confirm whether SARS-CoV-2 is still capable of infecting someone or is only present in wastewater and is not contagious.
In 2013, this technology allowed the same BGU team to discover a polio outbreak in the wastewater, so they knew the virus was in the population. For countries like Israel, which reuse wastewater or Spain (Europe's leader in this regard) it is essential to determine if the virus is being transmitted through human excrement and if it continues to have the capacity to infect another.
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