Respiratory Viruses in Wastewater Compared with Clinical Samples, Leuven, Belgium
Annabel Rector, Mandy Bloemen, Marijn Thijssen, Bram Pussig, Kurt Beuselinck, Marc Van Ranst, Elke Wollants
Abstract
In a 2-year study in Leuven, Belgium, we investigated the use of wastewater sampling to assess community spread of respiratory viruses. Comparison with the number of positive clinical samples demonstrated that wastewater data reflected circulation levels of typical seasonal respiratory viruses, such as influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, and enterovirus D68.
Topics & Concepts
WastewaterRespiratory systemEnterovirusVirologyVirusBiologyRhinovirusMicrobiologyMedicineEnvironmental scienceInternal medicineEnvironmental engineeringRespiratory viral infections researchSARS-CoV-2 detection and testingViral gastroenteritis research and epidemiology