ArticleThe Science of the total environment2022
The rapid spread of SARS-COV-2 Omicron variant in Italy reflected early through wastewater surveillance.
Article in The Science of the total environment, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 41 papers.
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41 citing papers in PubMed, 73 citations in OpenAlex.
- Long-Term Wastewater Genomic Surveillance Reveals SARS-CoV-2 Variant Dynamics in Italy from 2021 to 2025.Food and environmental virology · 2026Article
- Wastewater-Based Assessment of Antimicrobial Resistance and Bacterial Communities in Urban and Rural Areas in the Province of Trento (Italy).MicrobiologyOpen · 2026Article
- Multidimensional Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in Nine Sites Located in Campania Region, Italy.Microorganisms · 2026Article
- Rotavirus Quantification and Genotyping in Wastewater: A Molecular Surveillance Study in Italy (2024-2025).Microorganisms · 2025Article
- Novel (d)PCR assays for influenza A(H5Nx) viruses clade 2.3.4.4b surveillance.Euro surveillance : bulletin Europeen sur les maladies transmissibles = European communicable disease bulletin · 2025Article
- Detection of Dengue virus RNA in Wastewater during a Local Epidemic in Central Italy (August-October 2024).Food and environmental virology · 2025Article
- One-Year Monitoring of the Evolution of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Subvariants Through Wastewater Analysis (Central Italy, August 2023-July 2024).Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Article
- Evaluating Interlaboratory Variability in Wastewater-Based COVID-19 Surveillance.Microorganisms · 2025Article
- Wastewater Surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 in Northern Italy: An Evaluation of Three Different Gene Targets.Microorganisms · 2025Article
- Eight Years of Norovirus Surveillance in Urban Wastewater: Insights from Next-Generation.Viruses · 2025Article
- Evaluation of Trends in Influenza A and B Viruses in Wastewater and Human Surveillance Data: Insights from the 2022-2023 Season in Italy.Food and environmental virology · 2024Article
- Tracking the Spread of the BA.2.86 Lineage in Italy Through Wastewater Analysis.Food and environmental virology · 2024Article
- 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.Human genomics · 2024Article
- Wastewater-Based Epidemiology for SARS-CoV-2 in Northern Italy: A Spatiotemporal Model.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Article
- Environmental surveillance for COVID-19 using SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentration in wastewater - a study in District East, Karachi, Pakistan.The Lancet regional health. Southeast Asia · 2024Article
- Metagenomics analysis of sewage for surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in South Africa.PloS one · 2024Article
- Detection of influenza virus in urban wastewater during the season 2022/2023 in Sicily, Italy.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- SARS-CoV-2 presence in recreational seawater and evaluation of intestine permeability: experimental evidence of low impact on public health.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- SARS-CoV-2 in Animal Companions: A Serosurvey in Three Regions of Southern Italy.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
12 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
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Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant emerged in South Africa in November 2021, and has later been identified worldwide, raising serious concerns. A real-time RT-PCR assay was designed for the rapid screening of the Omicron variant, targeting characteristic mutations of the spike gene. The assay was used to test 737 sewage samples collected throughout Italy (19/21 Regions) between 11 November and 25 December 2021, with the aim of assessing the spread of the Omicron variant in the country. Positive samples were also tested with a real-time RT-PCR developed by the European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), and through nested RT-PCR followed by Sanger sequencing. Overall, 115 samples tested positive for Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant. The first occurrence was detected on 7 December, in Veneto, North Italy. Later on, the variant spread extremely fast in three weeks, with prevalence of positive wastewater samples rising from 1.0% (1/104 samples) in the week 5-11 December, to 17.5% (25/143 samples) in the week 12-18, to 65.9% (89/135 samples) in the week 19-25, in line with the increase in cases of infection with the Omicron variant observed during December in Italy. Similarly, the number of Regions/Autonomous Provinces in which the variant was detected increased from one in the first week, to 11 in the second, and to 17 in the last one. The presence of the Omicron variant was confirmed by the JRC real-time RT-PCR in 79.1% (91/115) of the positive samples, and by Sanger sequencing in 66% (64/97) of PCR amplicons. In conclusion, we designed an RT-qPCR assay capable to detect the Omicron variant, which can be successfully used for the purpose of wastewater-based epidemiology. We also described the history of the introduction and diffusion of the Omicron variant in the Italian population and territory, confirming the effectiveness of sewage monitoring as a powerful surveillance tool.
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