EU surveys insights: analytical tools, future directions, and the essential requirement for reference materials in wastewater monitoring of SARS-CoV-2, antimicrobial resistance and beyond

Wastewater surveillance (WWS) acts as a vigilant sentinel system for communities, analysing sewage to protect public health by detecting outbreaks and monitoring trends in pathogens and contaminants. To achieve a thorough comprehension of present and upcoming practices and to identify challenges and...

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Published in:	Human genomics Vol. 18; no. 1; pp. 72 - 15
Main Authors:	Paracchini, Valentina, Petrillo, Mauro, Arcot Rajashekar, Anandasagari, Robuch, Piotr, Vincent, Ursula, Corbisier, Philippe, Tavazzi, Simona, Raffael, Barbara, Suffredini, Elisabetta, La Rosa, Giuseppina, Gawlik, Bernd Manfred, Marchini, Antonio
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	England BioMed Central 27-06-2024 BMC
Subjects:	AMR Analytical workflow Antimicrobial agents Antimicrobial resistance Contaminants COVID-19 COVID-19 - epidemiology COVID-19 - prevention & control COVID-19 - virology Disease resistance Disease transmission Drug resistance Drug Resistance, Microbial Europe - epidemiology Health surveillance Humans Laboratories Observatories Pathogens Public health Questionnaires Reference materials SARS-CoV-2 SARS-CoV-2 - drug effects Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 Sewage Sewage - microbiology Sewage - virology Surveys Surveys and Questionnaires Wastewater Wastewater - microbiology Wastewater - virology Wastewater surveillance Europe SARS-CoV-2 Reference materials Wastewater surveillance AMR Analytical workflow Public health Standards
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Summary:	Wastewater surveillance (WWS) acts as a vigilant sentinel system for communities, analysing sewage to protect public health by detecting outbreaks and monitoring trends in pathogens and contaminants. To achieve a thorough comprehension of present and upcoming practices and to identify challenges and opportunities for standardisation and improvement in WWS methodologies, two EU surveys were conducted targeting over 750 WWS laboratories across Europe and other regions. The first survey explored a diverse range of activities currently undertaken or planned by laboratories. The second survey specifically targeted methods and quality controls utilised for SARS-CoV-2 surveillance. The findings of the two surveys provide a comprehensive insight into the procedures and methodologies applied in WWS. In Europe, WWS primarily focuses on SARS-CoV-2 with 99% of the survey participants dedicated to this virus. However, the responses highlighted a lack of standardisation in the methodologies employed for monitoring SARS-CoV-2. The surveillance of other pathogens, including antimicrobial resistance, is currently fragmented and conducted by only a limited number of laboratories. Notably, these activities are anticipated to expand in the future. Survey replies emphasise the collective recognition of the need to enhance the accuracy of results in WWS practices, reflecting a shared commitment to advancing precision and effectiveness in WWS methodologies. These surveys identified a lack of standardised common procedures in WWS practices and the need for quality standards and reference materials to enhance the accuracy and reliability of WWS methods in the future. In addition, it is important to broaden surveillance efforts beyond SARS-CoV-2 to include other emerging pathogens and antimicrobial resistance to ensure a comprehensive approach to protecting public health.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	1479-7364 1473-9542 1479-7364
DOI:	10.1186/s40246-024-00641-5