After surpassing the peak of the 19th crisis, the World Health Organization marks the end of a global health emergency. However, as there are still a large number of deaths, it is still crucial to monitor the virus. This necessity has allowed researchers to explore wastewater monitoring as a more accurate, comprehensive and predictive method to track the presence and changes of the virus in emergencies.
A groundbreaking study led by Dr. Kristine Dye of Stetson University and her 10 students, including Bryan Sanchez Jimenez, Trinity Sterling, Austin Brown, Austin Brown, Brian Modica, Kaylee Gibson, Hannah Collins, Carolyn Koch and Tyler Schwarz, The effect of the analysis was demonstrated to understand the spread of the virus. Over a series of months, the team measured and determined the genetic makeup of the Covid-19 virus in wastewater to study the expected increase in cases in the cold months. Contrary to expectations, the study shows that the virus spreads less than humans in the fall of 2022, challenging the idea that SARS-COV-2 will spread more in the winter.
Dr. Dye stressed the proactive nature of wastewater surveillance and noted: “Wastewater surveillance can detect slight changes in virus levels over 30 to 46 days in clinical diagnostic tests, and can be done early preparation and response even at low baseline levels. Make early preparations and reactions. Potential trends”.
Additionally, Dr. Dye found that wastewater monitoring of SARS-COV-2 allowed researchers to identify mutations that might be found in future variants. Because these mutations may not be detected by current clinical sample sequencing methods, wastewater sequencing provides a new way to predict future variants that may be able to infect more people and/or avoid treatment. “Our wastewater sequencing analysis allows us to visualize the strong evolutionary pressure of the virus, resulting in a large number of mutations that allow the virus to escape the immune system,” explains Dr. Dye.
The ability to identify changes for nearly a month and a half, namely, advance location wastewater surveillance, is a promising early warning system to achieve a potential future increase in virus cases. Furthermore, the process of examining genetic material in wastewater not only confirms the presence of known virus variants, but also helps to discover changes that may indicate the emergence of new variants. This is crucial for timely updates to vaccines and treatments.
All in all, research by Dr. Dye and her team at Stetson University shows that wastewater surveillance after emergencies is an essential tool. It provides a more complete understanding of the existence and evolution of SARS-COV-2, which may be possible to guide global health strategies in the ongoing struggle against the COVID-19-19 pandemic.
Journal Reference:
Bryan Sanchez Jimenez, Trinity Sterling, Austin Brown, Kristine N.Dye, etc. 2023. After wastewater surveillance in COVID-19, an emergency pandemic period: A promising approach to monitoring and predicting SARS-COV-2 trends and evolution. Heliyon. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e22356.
About the Author
Dr. Christine DyeAssistant Professor of Health Sciences and Biology at Stetson University, received his Ph.D. PhD in Pathology Biology from the University of Washington. In her PhD working at Dr. Denise Galloway from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Dr. Dye studied the mechanisms that oncogenic viruses lead to transformation and tumorigenesis. More specifically, Dye Dr. investigated the mechanism by which Merkel cell polyomavirus leads to the development of Merkel cell carcinoma. Since joining Stetson University, Dr. Dye has continued to study on oncogenic virology and has expanded its coverage to include other studies, including viral evolution and pandemic tracing.
Bryan Sanchez Jimenez Graduated from Stetson University’s Bachelor of Health Sciences. Initially, as an undergraduate, Bryan planned to pursue a medical degree after graduating from Stetson University; however, he was associated with Dr. Dye’s wastewater surveillance study on SARS-COV-2 during his undergraduate years. , his interest in pursuing the potential of research and attending graduate school reached its peak. Bryan is currently attending New York Medical School and is earning a master’s degree in microbiology and immunology while working with Dr. Paul Michael Arnaboldi, helping with the development of a mucosal vaccine against Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
