Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33842875›Full record

ArticleWater research X2021

Co-quantification of crAssphage increases confidence in wastewater-based epidemiology for SARS-CoV-2 in low prevalence areas.

Maxwell L Wilder, Frank Middleton, David A Larsen, Qian Du, Ariana Fenty, Teng Zeng, Tabassum Insaf, Pruthvi Kilaru, Mary Collins, Brittany Kmush and 1 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Water research X, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 68 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
68citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
8.4field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

68 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 136 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  9. Wastewater Surveillance for Group APathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025
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8 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Maxwell L WilderDepartment of Environmental and Forest Biology, SUNY-ESF, Syracuse, NY 13210.
Frank MiddletonDepartment of Neuroscience and Physiology, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210.
David A LarsenDepartment of Public Health, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244.
Qian DuQuadrant Biosciences, Syracuse, NY 13210.
Ariana FentyDepartment of Environmental and Forest Biology, SUNY-ESF, Syracuse, NY 13210.
Teng ZengDepartment of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244.
Tabassum InsafBureau of Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology, New York State Department of Health, Albany, NY 12337.
Pruthvi KilaruDepartment of Public Health, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244.
Mary CollinsDepartment of Environmental Studies, SUNY-ESF, Syracuse, NY 13210.
Brittany KmushDepartment of Public Health, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244.
Hyatt C GreenDepartment of Environmental and Forest Biology, SUNY-ESF, Syracuse, NY 13210.
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry · USSyracuse University · USNew York State Department of Health · USSUNY Upstate Medical University · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Wastewater surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 RNA is increasingly being incorporated into public health efforts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to obtain the maximum benefit from these efforts, approaches to wastewater monitoring need to be rapid, sensitive, and relatable to relevant epidemiological parameters. In this study, we present an ultracentrifugation-based method for the concentration of SARS-CoV-2 wastewater RNA and use crAssphage, a bacteriophage specific to the human gut, to help account for RNA loss during transit in the wastewater system and sample processing. With these methods, we were able to detect, and sometimes quantify, SARS-CoV-2 RNA from 20 mL wastewater samples within as little as 4.5 hours. Using known concentrations of bovine coronavirus RNA and deactivated SARS-CoV-2, we estimate recovery rates of approximately 7-12% of viral RNA using our method. Results from 24 sewersheds across Upstate New York during the spring and summer of 2020 suggested that stronger signals of SARS-CoV-2 RNA from wastewater may be indicative of greater COVID-19 incidence in the represented service area approximately one week in advance. SARS-CoV-2 wastewater RNA was quantifiable in some service areas with daily positives tests of less than 1 per 10,000 people or when weekly positive test rates within a sewershed were as low as 1.7%. crAssphage DNA concentrations were significantly lower during periods of high flow in almost all areas studied. After accounting for flow rate and population served, crAssphage levels per capita were estimated to be about 1.35 × 10

Indexed as

Cross-assembly phageSARS-CoV-2Viral concentrationWastewater-based epidemiology

Identifiers

PMID33842875
PMCPMC8021452
OpenAlexW3152400995

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.