Journal of Environmental Health and Sustainable Development
مجله بهداشت محیط و توسعه پایدار
J Environ Health Sustain Dev
Medical Sciences
http://jehsd.ssu.ac.ir
1
admin
2476-6267
2476-7433
en
jalali
1404
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gregorian
2025
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Hospital Wastewater Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 RNA: Association With COVID-19 Cases and Insights into Environmental Persistence
Environmental microbiology
Original articles
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif""><b><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="color:black">Introduction:</span></span></span></span></i></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="color:black"> Analyzing municipal wastewater for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA serves as a cost-effective and timely tool for epidemiological surveillance to mitigate virus-related health risks. Therefore, this study assessed the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in untreated hospital wastewater and its correlation with COVID-19 case numbers over six months at Shahidzadeh Hospital in southwest Iran. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br>
<span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif""><b><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="color:black">Materials and Methods:</span></span></span></span></i></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="color:black"> In this analytical investigation, a total of 24 grab samples of untreated hospital wastewater were systematically collected over six months, spanning from September 2020 to February 2021. Each sample was subsequently processed and analyzed using a reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) approach, with specific amplification targeting both the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) gene and the nucleocapsid (N) gene of SARS-CoV-2.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br>
<span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif""><b><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="color:black">Results:</span></span></span></span></i></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="color:black"> All 24 wastewater samples tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Concentrations ranged between 130 to 490 gene copies/100 mL, with mean values increasing from 247 (September) to 425 (February). RNA levels were strongly correlated with hospitalized COVID-19 cases (Spearman’s p < 0.05, R² = 0.87). </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br>
<span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif""><b><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="color:black">Conclusion:</span></span></span></span></i></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="color:black"> These findings highlight the value of hospital wastewater surveillance as a cost-effective epidemiological tool, particularly in settings with limited diagnostic capacity. Future research should investigate viral viability and optimize disinfection strategies to reduce potential environmental risk.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br>
</div>
Covid 19, SARS-CoV-2, Hospital, Wastewater, Health Monitoring
2734
2745
http://jehsd.ssu.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-1051-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1
Rozhan
Feizi
rozhanfeizi@gmail.com