Not a waste: Wastewater surveillance to enhance public health

Anna Gitter, Jeremiah Oghuan, Anuja Rajendra Godbole, Carlos A. Chavarria, Carlos Monserrat, Tao Hu, Yun Wang, Anthony W. Maresso, Blake M. Hanson, Kristina D. Mena, Fuqing Wu

Research output: Contribution to journalShort surveypeer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

Domestic wastewater, when collected and evaluated appropriately, can provide valuable health-related information for a community. As a relatively unbiased and non-invasive approach, wastewater surveillance may complement current practices towards mitigating risks and protecting population health. Spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, wastewater programs are now widely implemented to monitor viral infection trends in sewersheds and inform public health decision-making. This review summarizes recent developments in wastewater-based epidemiology for detecting and monitoring communicable infectious diseases, dissemination of antimicrobial resistance, and illicit drug consumption. Wastewater surveillance, a quickly advancing Frontier in environmental science, is becoming a new tool to enhance public health, improve disease prevention, and respond to future epidemics and pandemics.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number1112876
JournalFrontiers in Chemical Engineering
Volume4
DOIs
StatePublished - 2022

Keywords

  • antimicrobial resistance
  • illicit drugs
  • infectious diseases
  • public health
  • viruses
  • wastewater-based epidemiology

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Catalysis
  • Bioengineering
  • Chemical Engineering (miscellaneous)

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