Survey of Sars-Cov-2 Genetic Material Reduction During a Traditional Wastewater Treatment Technology

Abstract

The transmission of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 in a community can be monitored by a wastewater-based epidemiological approach due to fecal shedding. Although sewage surveillance has gained a considerable amount of attention over the last 16 months, an indirect issue within the topic is whether traditional wastewater treatment technologies are sufficiently efficient to eliminate the genetic material of SARS-CoV-2. Samples were taken from the Wastewater Treatment Plant in Nagykanizsa before the virus was concentrated, nucleic acid extracted and SARS-CoV-2 detected by RT-qPCR (Quantitative reverse transcription PCR). The influent and primary treated samples tested positive, while after the secondary treatment, all the results were negative. Consequently, the activated sludge process proved to be efficient in terms of the removal of SARS-CoV-2.