Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36146683›Full record

ArticleViruses2022

Early Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 in German Wastewater.

Alexander Wilhelm, Shelesh Agrawal, Jens Schoth, Christina Meinert-Berning, Daniel Bastian, Laura Orschler, Sandra Ciesek, Burkhard Teichgräber, Thomas Wintgens, Susanne Lackner and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Viruses, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
11citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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

11 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Wastewater Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in Zambia: An Early Warning Tool.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024
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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

12 authors.

Alexander WilhelmInstitute for Medical Virology, University Hospital, Goethe University Frankfurt, Paul-Ehrlich-Str. 40, D-60596 Frankfurt, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-0904-3376
Shelesh AgrawalInstitute IWAR, Water and Environmental Biotechnology, Technical University of Darmstadt, Franziska-Braun-Str. 7, D-64287 Darmstadt, Germany.
Jens SchothEmschergenossenschaft/Lippeverband, Kronprinzenstraße 24, D-45128 Essen, Germany.
Christina Meinert-BerningRuhrverband, Kronprinzenstraße 37, D-45128 Essen, Germany.
Daniel BastianFiW e.V., Research Institute for Water Management and Climate Future at RWTH Aachen University, Kackertstraße 15-17, D-52056 Aachen, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-1564-1583
Laura OrschlerInstitute IWAR, Water and Environmental Biotechnology, Technical University of Darmstadt, Franziska-Braun-Str. 7, D-64287 Darmstadt, Germany.
Sandra CiesekInstitute for Medical Virology, University Hospital, Goethe University Frankfurt, Paul-Ehrlich-Str. 40, D-60596 Frankfurt, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-1802-7565
Burkhard TeichgräberEmschergenossenschaft/Lippeverband, Kronprinzenstraße 24, D-45128 Essen, Germany.
Thomas WintgensFiW e.V., Research Institute for Water Management and Climate Future at RWTH Aachen University, Kackertstraße 15-17, D-52056 Aachen, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-5160-1805
Susanne LacknerInstitute IWAR, Water and Environmental Biotechnology, Technical University of Darmstadt, Franziska-Braun-Str. 7, D-64287 Darmstadt, Germany.
Frank-Andreas WeberFiW e.V., Research Institute for Water Management and Climate Future at RWTH Aachen University, Kackertstraße 15-17, D-52056 Aachen, Germany.
Marek WideraInstitute for Medical Virology, University Hospital, Goethe University Frankfurt, Paul-Ehrlich-Str. 40, D-60596 Frankfurt, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-5417-9307

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Wastewater-based SARS-CoV-2 epidemiology (WBE) has been established as an important tool to support individual testing strategies. The Omicron sub-variants BA.4/BA.5 have spread globally, displacing the preceding variants. Due to the severe transmissibility and immune escape potential of BA.4/BA.5, early monitoring was required to assess and implement countermeasures in time. In this study, we monitored the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 BA.4/BA.5 at six municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW, Germany) in May and June 2022. Initially, L452R-specific primers/probes originally designed for SARS-CoV-2 Delta detection were validated using inactivated authentic viruses and evaluated for their suitability for detecting BA.4/BA.5. Subsequently, the assay was used for RT-qPCR analysis of RNA purified from wastewater obtained twice a week at six WWTPs. The occurrence of L452R carrying RNA was detected in early May 2022, and the presence of BA.4/BA.5 was confirmed by variant-specific single nucleotide polymorphism PCR (SNP-PCR) targeting E484A/F486V and NGS sequencing. Finally, the mutant fractions were quantitatively monitored by digital PCR, confirming BA.4/BA.5 as the majority variant by 5 June 2022. In conclusion, the successive workflow using RT-qPCR, variant-specific SNP-PCR, and RT-dPCR demonstrates the strength of WBE as a versatile tool to rapidly monitor variants spreading independently of individual test capacities.

Indexed as

COVID-19SARS-CoV-2HumansReal-Time Polymerase Chain ReactionRNA, ViralWastewaterRNA, ViralWastewaterBA.4BA.5COVID-19 surveillanceOmicronSARS-CoV-2 monitoringvariant of concernwastewater-based epidemiology (WBE)

Identifiers

PMID36146683
PMCPMC9503272

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.