Wastewater-Based Epidemiology

Dear Colleagues,

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is a growing field within public health surveillance that has produced many informative research studies during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. It is gaining momentum due to its ability to capture virus presence and diversity at a population level (i.e., in both symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals) in a timely manner and at reduced (both monetary and time) cost—hence alerting of virus presence and circulation in populations before cases show up on case-based surveillance networks. In addition to SARS-CoV-2, prior work has focused on enteric viruses such as enterovirus, norovirus, rotavirus, hepatitis E virus and human adenoviruses, among others, which are shed in feces in large quantities and are consequently found in wastewater in copious quantities. When combined with nucleotide sequencing technologies, WBE also enables detection of variants ahead of their detection in clinical cases, thus guiding public health interventions in a manner that is both timely and cost effective.

In this Topic, we welcome studies focused on the use of wastewater-based epidemiology for surveillance of pathogenic human and animal viruses. Studies including nucleotide sequencing (both sanger and high throughput) strategies for virus detection and diversity profiling in wastewater are also welcome.

Dr. Matthew Scotch
Dr. Arvind Varsani
Dr. Crystal Marie Hepp
Topic Editors