Evaluating the sensitivity of droplet digital PCR for the quantification of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater

• Verfasst von: Cruz Barron, Magali de la [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Kneis, David [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Geissler, Michael [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Dumke, Roger [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Dalpke, Alexander [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Berendonk, Thomas U. [VerfasserIn]
• Titel: Evaluating the sensitivity of droplet digital PCR for the quantification of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater
• Verf.angabe: Magali de la Cruz Barron, David Kneis, Michael Geissler, Roger Dumke, Alexander Dalpke and Thomas U. Berendonk
• E-Jahr: 2023
• Jahr: Dec 27 2023
• Umfang: 7 S.
• Fussnoten: Gesehen am 08.05.2024
• Titel Quelle: Enthalten in: Frontiers in Public Health
• Ort Quelle: Lausanne : Frontiers Media, 2013
• Jahr Quelle: 2023
• Band/Heft Quelle: 11(2023) vom: Dez., Artikel-ID 1271594, Seite 1-7
• ISSN Quelle: 2296-2565
• DOI: doi:10.3389/fpubh.2023.1271594
• Datenträger: Online-Ressource
• Sprache: eng
• Sach-SW: Droplet-digital PCR1
• Sach-SW: RTqPCR2
• Sach-SW: SARS-CoV-23
• Sach-SW: sensitivity4
• Sach-SW: Wastewater surveillance5
• K10plus-PPN: 1888130970

Abstract

Wastewater surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 has been demonstrated to be a valuable tool in monitoring community-level virus circulation and assessing new outbreaks. It may become a useful tool in the early detection and response to future pandemics, enabling public health authorities to implement timely interventions and mitigate the spread of infectious diseases with the fecal excretion of their agents. It also offers a chance for cost-effective surveillance. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RTqPCR) is the most commonly used method for viral RNA detection in wastewater due to its sensitivity, reliability, and widespread availability. However, recent studies have indicated that reverse transcription droplet digital PCR (RTddPCR) has the potential to offer improved sensitivity and accuracy for quantifying SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater samples. In this study, we compared the performance of RTqPCR and RTddPCR approaches for SARS-CoV-2 detection and quantification on wastewater samples collected during the third epidemic wave in Saxony, Germany, characterized by low-incidence infection periods. The determined limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) were within the same order of magnitude, and no significant differences were observed between the PCR approaches with respect to the number of positive or quantifiable samples. Our results indicate that both RTqPCR and RTddPCR are highly sensitive methods for detecting SARS-CoV-2. Consequently, the actual gain in sensitivity associated with ddPCR lags behind theoretical expectations. Hence, the choice between the two PCR methods in further environmental surveillance programs is rather a matter of available resources and throughput requirements.