Epidemiologia do esgoto como estratégia para monitoramento comunitário, mapeamento de focos emergentes e elaboração de sistemas de alerta rápido para COVID-19

The ability to monitor the spread of diseases is essential for prevention, intervention and control practices. In this context, wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has been applied to empirically evaluate the exposure of populations to chemical substances and pathogens of emerging concern in near re...

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Main Authors: Sodré, Fernando Fabriz, Brandão, Cristina Célia Silveira, Vizzotto, Carla Simone, Maldaner, Adriano Otávio
Format: Artigo
Language: Português
Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Química 2020
Subjects:
Online Access: https://repositorio.unb.br/handle/10482/38375
https://doi.org/10.21577/0100-4042.20170545
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7697-8492
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Summary: The ability to monitor the spread of diseases is essential for prevention, intervention and control practices. In this context, wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has been applied to empirically evaluate the exposure of populations to chemical substances and pathogens of emerging concern in near real time. During the current COVID-19 pandemic, WBE remains an innovative epidemiological tool, with the potential to complement infectious disease surveillance systems. Recent studies on WBE and COVID-19 are based on the monitoring of viral RNA fragments as target biomarkers for SARS-CoV-2 via RT-qPCR and allied techniques. Literature results have been shown the potential of WBE as an innovative tool to monitor viral spread in large communities, map contagion curves and hotspots, identify the contribution of asymptomatic individuals, and subsidize early warning systems for disease outbreaks. WBE can offer less expensive responses for monitoring large populations compared to individual clinical tests which are not feasible on large scales. This aspect is important in terms of health surveillance and associated public policies, notably where clinical tests are scarce or underestimated and in less developed regions with inadequate sanitation conditions.