Optimization and performance evaluation of an automated filtration method for the recovery of SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses in wastewater

• Published in: The Science of the total environment Vol. 882; p. 163487
• Main Authors: Angga, Made Sandhyana, Malla, Bikash, Raya, Sunayana, Kitajima, Masaaki, Haramoto, Eiji
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 15.07.2023; The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V
• Subjects: COVID-19; CP select; Enteric virus; Enterovirus; Humans; Norovirus; RNA, Viral; SARS-CoV-2; Virus concentration; Viruses; Wastewater; Wastewater-based epidemiology; Virus concentration; CP select; SARS-CoV-2; Enteric virus; Wastewater-based epidemiology
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163487

A rapid virus concentration method is needed to get high throughput. Reliable results of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) detection in wastewater are necessary for applications in wastewater-based epidemiology. In this study, an automated filtration method using a concentrating pipette (CP Select; Innovaprep) was applied to detect SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater samples with several modifications to increase its sensitivity and throughput. The performance of the CP Select method was compared to other concentration methods (polyethylene glycol precipitation and direct capture using silica column) to evaluate its applicability to SARS-CoV-2 detection in wastewater. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was successfully detected in six of eight wastewater samples using the CP Select method, whereas other methods could detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in all wastewater samples. Enteric viruses, such as noroviruses of genogroups I (NoVs-GI) and II (NoVs-GII) and enteroviruses, were tested, resulting in 100 % NoVs-GII detection using all concentration methods. As for NoVs-GI and enteroviruses, all methods gave comparable number of detected samples in wastewater samples. This study showed that the optimized CP Select method was less sensitive in SARS-CoV-2 detection in wastewater than other methods, whereas all methods were applicable to detect or recover other viruses in wastewater. [Display omitted] •Testing CP Select automated filtration method for virus detection in wastewater•The addition of protease solution increased SARS-CoV-2 recovery from wastewater.•Higher performance was achieved using 0.05 μm PS hollow fiber filter tips.•SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in 75 % samples using the optimized CP Select protocol.•Comparable sensitivity of enteric virus detection was observed with other methods.