Studying sewage may help detect coronavirus outbreaks, according to German scientists

• German scientists are working on a system to use sewage as an early warning for a coronavirus outbreak.
• The Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research is currently testing human stool in sewage samples to detect spikes in concentrations of the virus.
• The measurements could help direct health authorities to the location at risk of an outbreak and start testing.

The sewage system might offer a way to detect new waves of the coronavirus outbreak, according to German scientists.

The Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research is currently testing human stool in sewage samples to detect remnants of the virus, according to a CNN report.

The scientific trials involve sampling sewage from plants in the biggest urban areas to detect spikes in concentrations of the virus.

Early detection can allow health authorities to quickly respond with testing in the specified area.

One of the leaders of the study, microbiologist Hauke Harms, told CNN, “It would be the first test line.” Harms said that their measurements could help direct authorities to the location at risk of an outbreak and start testing.

The study aims to install such early-warning systems in almost all sewage plants to help track the spread of the deadly disease.

In Germany, the sewage plants in the eastern city of Leipzig are among those taking part in the study.

Ulrich Meyer, technical director of Leipzig’s waterworks, told CNN, “If it would be possible to have an idea of the concentration of coronavirus in the wastewater, we can calculate the number of infected people in Leipzig and this would be very interesting in the coronavirus strategies.”

The research team acknowledges that the study has its limitations.

Rene Kallies, a virologist working on the research, told CNN that it is indeed “a challenge to find the traces of the virus” in such high volumes of wastewater.

“So we have liters and we have to scale it down to microliters to get a sufficient amount for RNA extraction and that’s the challenge,” Kallies continued.

A single infected person could also skew test results.

Harms explained, “You may have heard about these super spreaders and there are also super excreters, for instance. People who excrete much more virus than others and of course this gives you a wrong idea about the number of infected people.”

Other countries are also trying to use sewage as an early warning system.

In February, the Dutch KWR Water Research Institute has developed a method to monitor the presence of the virus in sewage.

KWR declared, “Whereas the testing of individuals requires individual tests, testing in sewage can give an early indication of the contamination within a whole population.”

The German team still has to polish their methods, but they aim to have an operational system by the latter half of 2020.

Harms estimated, “I think we can offer something before the next wave. So if the next wave is coming in fall or early winter or so, then we should have something.”

Source: New York Post