Coronavirus found in Paris sewage points to early warning system
Christa Lesté-Lasserre
Abstract
By sampling sewage across greater Paris for more than 1 month, researchers have detected a rise and fall in novel coronavirus concentrations that correspond to the shape of the COVID-19 outbreak in the region, where a lockdown is now suppressing spread of the disease Although several research groups have reported detecting coronavirus in wastewater, the researchers say the new study is the first to show that the technique can pick up a sharp rise in viral concentrations in sewage before cases explode in the clinic That points to its potential as a cheap, noninvasive tool to warn against outbreaks, they say
Topics & Concepts
OutbreakCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)SewageCoronavirusSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)2019-20 coronavirus outbreakWarning systemSampling (signal processing)Environmental scienceWastewaterEarly warning systemVirologyGeographyMedicineComputer scienceDiseaseEnvironmental engineeringInfectious disease (medical specialty)TelecommunicationsPathologyDetectorCOVID-19 diagnosis using AI