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Wastewater Monitoring for Infectious Disease: Intentional Relationships between Academia, the Private Sector, and Local Health Departments for Public Health Preparedness

Author

Listed:
  • Jeffrey L. Ram

    (Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201, USA
    Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201, USA)

  • William Shuster

    (College of Engineering, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202, USA)

  • Lance Gable

    (Law School, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202, USA)

  • Carrie L. Turner

    (LimnoTech, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, USA)

  • James Hartrick

    (LimnoTech, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, USA)

  • Adrian A. Vasquez

    (Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201, USA)

  • Nicholas W. West

    (Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201, USA)

  • Azadeh Bahmani

    (Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201, USA)

  • Randy E. David

    (Detroit Health Department, Detroit, MI 48201, USA
    Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201, USA)

Abstract

The public health emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic stimulated stakeholders from diverse disciplines and institutions to establish new collaborations to produce informed public health responses to the disease. Wastewater-based epidemiology for COVID-19 grew quickly during the pandemic and required the rapid implementation of such collaborations. The objective of this article is to describe the challenges and results of new relationships developed in Detroit, MI, USA among a medical school and an engineering college at an academic institution (Wayne State University), the local health department (Detroit Health Department), and an environmental services company (LimnoTech) to utilize markers of the COVID-19 virus, SARS-CoV-2, in wastewater for the goal of managing COVID-19 outbreaks. Our collaborative team resolved questions related to sewershed selection, communication of results, and public health responses and addressed technical challenges that included ground-truthing the sewer maps, overcoming supply chain issues, improving the speed and sensitivity of measurements, and training new personnel to deal with a new disease under pandemic conditions. Recognition of our complementary roles and clear communication among the partners enabled city-wide wastewater data to inform public health responses within a few months of the availability of funding in 2020, and to make improvements in sensitivity and understanding to be made as the pandemic progressed and evolved. As a result, the outbreaks of COVID-19 in Detroit in fall and winter 2021–2022 (corresponding to Delta and Omicron variant outbreaks) were tracked in 20 sewersheds. Data comparing community- and hospital-associated sewersheds indicate a one- to two-week advance warning in the community of subsequent peaks in viral markers in hospital sewersheds. The new institutional relationships impelled by the pandemic provide a good basis for continuing collaborations to utilize wastewater-based human and pathogen data for improving the public health in the future.

Suggested Citation

  • Jeffrey L. Ram & William Shuster & Lance Gable & Carrie L. Turner & James Hartrick & Adrian A. Vasquez & Nicholas W. West & Azadeh Bahmani & Randy E. David, 2023. "Wastewater Monitoring for Infectious Disease: Intentional Relationships between Academia, the Private Sector, and Local Health Departments for Public Health Preparedness," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(17), pages 1-21, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:17:p:6651-:d:1225615
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Sasha Harris-Lovett & Kara L. Nelson & Paloma Beamer & Heather N. Bischel & Aaron Bivins & Andrea Bruder & Caitlyn Butler & Todd D. Camenisch & Susan K. De Long & Smruthi Karthikeyan & David A. Larsen, 2021. "Wastewater Surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 on College Campuses: Initial Efforts, Lessons Learned, and Research Needs," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-20, April.
    2. Geurts, Amber & Geerdink, Tara & Sprenkeling, Marit, 2022. "Accelerated innovation in crises: The role of collaboration in the development of alternative ventilators during the COVID-19 pandemic," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    3. Renée Street & Angela Mathee & Noluxabiso Mangwana & Stephanie Dias & Jyoti Rajan Sharma & Pritika Ramharack & Johan Louw & Tarylee Reddy & Ludwig Brocker & Swastika Surujlal-Naicker & Natacha Berkowi, 2021. "Spatial and Temporal Trends of SARS-CoV-2 RNA from Wastewater Treatment Plants over 6 Weeks in Cape Town, South Africa," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(22), pages 1-9, November.
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