The first detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the wastewater of Tehran, Iran

Tanhaei, Mohammad; Mohebbi, Seyed Reza; Hosseini, Seyed Masoud; Rafieepoor, Maedeh; Kazemian, Shabnam; Ghaemi, Amir; Shamloei, Sharareh; Mirjalali, Hamed; Asadzadeh Aghdaei, Hamid; Zali, Mohammad Reza

The first detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the wastewater of Tehran, Iran

2021

Following the official announcement of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) worldwide pandemic spread by WHO on March 11, 2020, more than 300,000 COVID-19 cases reported in Iran resulting in approximately 17,000 deaths as of August 2, 2020. In the present survey, we investigated the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in raw and treated wastewater samples in Tehran, Iran. Untreated and treated wastewater samples were gathered from four wastewater treatment plants over a month period from June to July 2020. Firstly, an adsorption-elution concentration method was tested using an avian coronavirus (infectious bronchitis virus, IBV). Then, the method was effectively employed to survey the presence of SARS-CoV-2 genome in influent and effluent wastewater samples. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was found in 8 out of 10 treated wastewater samples utilizing a reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) test to detect ORF1ab and N genes. Moreover, the rate of positivity in wastewater samples increased in last sample collection that shows circulation of SARS-CoV-2 was increased among the population. In addition, the high values detected in effluent wastewater from local wastewater treatment plants have several implications in health and ecology that should be further assessed.

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