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Home > Biblio > Optimization and Application of a Multiplex Digital PCR Assay for the Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern in Belgian Influent Wastewater.

Optimization and Application of a Multiplex Digital PCR Assay for the Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern in Belgian Influent Wastewater.

Health and disease monitoring  
[1]
Download 1.8 MB [1]

Public Access

Published

Peer reviewed scientific article

English

DOI : https://doi.org/10.3390/v14030610 [2]

Authors

Tim Boogaerts [3]; Siel Van den Bogaert [4]; Laura Van Poelvoorde [5]; Diala El Masri [6]; Naomi De Roeck [7]; Nancy Roosens [8]; Marie Lesenfants [9]; Lies Lahousse [10]; Koenraad Van Hoorde [11]; Alexander L N van Nuijs [12]; Peter Delputte [13]

Keywords

  1. Belgium [14]
  2. COVID-19 [15]
  3. Humans [16]
  4. Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction [17]
  5. Pandemics [18]
  6. RNA, Viral [19]
  7. SARS-CoV-2 [20]
  8. Waste water [21]
Article written during project(s) : 
CoVWWSurv National wastewater-based epidemiological surveillance [22]

Abstract:

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) of SARS-CoV-2 has been used as a complementary indicator to follow up on the trends in the COVID-19 spread in Belgium and in many other countries. To further develop the use of WBE, a multiplex digital polymerase chain reaction (dPCR) assay was optimized, validated and applied for the measurement of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC) in influent wastewater (IWW) samples. Key mutations were targeted in the different VOC strains, including SΔ69/70 deletion, N501Y, SΔ241 and SΔ157. The presented bi…
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Abstract

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) of SARS-CoV-2 has been used as a complementary indicator to follow up on the trends in the COVID-19 spread in Belgium and in many other countries. To further develop the use of WBE, a multiplex digital polymerase chain reaction (dPCR) assay was optimized, validated and applied for the measurement of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC) in influent wastewater (IWW) samples. Key mutations were targeted in the different VOC strains, including SΔ69/70 deletion, N501Y, SΔ241 and SΔ157. The presented bioanalytical method was able to distinguish between SARS-CoV-2 RNA originating from the wild-type and B.1.1.7, B.1.351 and B.1.617.2 variants. The dPCR assay proved to be sensitive enough to detect low concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in IWW since the limit of detection of the different targets ranged between 0.3 and 2.9 copies/µL. This developed WBE approach was applied to IWW samples originating from different Belgian locations and was able to monitor spatio-temporal changes in the presence of targeted VOC strains in the investigated communities. The present dPCR assay developments were realized to bring added-value to the current national WBE of COVID-19 by also having the spatio-temporal proportions of the VoC in presence in the wastewaters.

Associated health topics:

Health and disease monitoring [23]

Source URL:https://www.sciensano.be/en/biblio/optimization-and-application-a-multiplex-digital-pcr-assay-detection-sars-cov-2-variants-concern

Links
[1] https://www.sciensano.be/sites/default/files/viruses-14-00610.pdf [2] https://doi.org/10.3390/v14030610 [3] https://www.sciensano.be/en/biblio?f%5Bauthor%5D=179720&f%5Bsearch%5D=Tim%20Boogaerts [4] https://www.sciensano.be/en/biblio?f%5Bauthor%5D=179721&f%5Bsearch%5D=Siel%20Van%20den%20Bogaert [5] https://www.sciensano.be/en/people/laura-van-poelvoorde/biblio [6] https://www.sciensano.be/en/biblio?f%5Bauthor%5D=179723&f%5Bsearch%5D=Diala%20El%20Masri [7] https://www.sciensano.be/en/biblio?f%5Bauthor%5D=179724&f%5Bsearch%5D=Naomi%20De%20Roeck [8] https://www.sciensano.be/en/people/nancy-roosens/biblio [9] https://www.sciensano.be/en/people/marie-lesenfants/biblio [10] https://www.sciensano.be/en/biblio?f%5Bauthor%5D=179726&f%5Bsearch%5D=Lies%20Lahousse [11] https://www.sciensano.be/en/people/koenraad-van-hoorde/biblio [12] https://www.sciensano.be/en/biblio?f%5Bauthor%5D=179728&f%5Bsearch%5D=Alexander%20L%20N%20van%20Nuijs [13] https://www.sciensano.be/en/biblio?f%5Bauthor%5D=179729&f%5Bsearch%5D=Peter%20Delputte [14] https://www.sciensano.be/en/biblio?f%5Bkeyword%5D=444&f%5Bsearch%5D=Belgium [15] https://www.sciensano.be/en/biblio?f%5Bkeyword%5D=36336&f%5Bsearch%5D=COVID-19 [16] https://www.sciensano.be/en/biblio?f%5Bkeyword%5D=648&f%5Bsearch%5D=Humans [17] https://www.sciensano.be/en/biblio?f%5Bkeyword%5D=32394&f%5Bsearch%5D=Multiplex%20Polymerase%20Chain%20Reaction [18] https://www.sciensano.be/en/biblio?f%5Bkeyword%5D=2940&f%5Bsearch%5D=Pandemics [19] https://www.sciensano.be/en/biblio?f%5Bkeyword%5D=468&f%5Bsearch%5D=RNA%2C%20Viral [20] https://www.sciensano.be/en/biblio?f%5Bkeyword%5D=36379&f%5Bsearch%5D=SARS-CoV-2 [21] https://www.sciensano.be/en/biblio?f%5Bkeyword%5D=27588&f%5Bsearch%5D=Waste%20water [22] https://www.sciensano.be/en/projects/national-wastewater-based-epidemiological-surveillance [23] https://www.sciensano.be/en/health-topics/health-and-disease-monitoring