Monitoring emergence of SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 Variant through the Spanish National SARSCoV-2 Wastewater Surveillance System (VATar COVID-19) from December 2020 to March 2021

Since its first identification in the United Kingdom in late 2020, the highly transmissible B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2 has become dominant in several countries raising great concern. We developed a duplex real-time RT-qPCR assay to detect, discriminate, and quantitate SARS-CoV-2 variants containi...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Carcereny, Albert, Martínez-Velázquez, Adán, Bosch, Albert, Allende, Anna, Truchado, Pilar, Cascales, Jenifer, Romalde, Jesús, Lois, Marta, Polo, David, Sánchez, Gloria, Pérez-Cataluña, Alba, Díaz-Reolid, Azahara, Antón, Andrés, Gregor, Josep, Garcia-Cehic, Damir, Quer, Josep, Palau, Margarita, González Ruano, Cristina, Pintó Solé, Rosa María, Guix, Susana
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión aceptada para publicación
Fecha de publicación:2021
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Barcelona
Repositorio:Dipòsit Digital de la UB
OAI Identifier:oai:diposit.ub.edu:2445/193482
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2445/193482
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:SARS-CoV-2
COVID-19
Epidemiologia
Epidemiology
Descripción
Sumario:Since its first identification in the United Kingdom in late 2020, the highly transmissible B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2 has become dominant in several countries raising great concern. We developed a duplex real-time RT-qPCR assay to detect, discriminate, and quantitate SARS-CoV-2 variants containing one of its mutation signatures, the ΔHV69/70 deletion, and used it to trace the community circulation of the B.1.1.7 variant in Spain through the Spanish National SARS-CoV-2 Wastewater Surveillance System (VATar COVID-19). The B.1.1.7 variant was detected earlier than clinical epidemiological reporting by the local authorities, first in the southern city of Málaga (Andalucía) in week 20_52 (year_week), and multiple introductions during Christmas holidays were inferred in different parts of the country. Wastewater-based B.1.1.7 tracking showed a good correlation with clinical data and provided information at the local level. Data from wastewater treatment plants, which reached B.1.1.7 prevalences higher than 90% for ≥2 consecutive weeks showed that 8.1 ± 2.0 weeks were required for B.1.1.7 to become dominant. The study highlights the applicability of RT-qPCR-based strategies to track specific mutations of variants of concern as soon as they are identified by clinical sequencing and their integration into existing wastewater surveillance programs, as a cost-effective approach to complement clinical testing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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