Researchers have developed a system for predicting the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) via wastewater, which can be used to estimate the number of potential cases as well as possibly foresee epidemics up to three weeks in advance.
The research paper titled "Early Warning and Predicting System for Covid-19 Outbreaks Using Wastewater-based Epidemiology" was co-conducted by a team of nine researchers.
They comprise the Chulabhorn Research Institute's Kwanrawee Sirikanchana, Skorn Mongkolsuk and Montakarn Sresung; Surapong Rattanakul from King Mongkut's University of Technology Thon Buri (KMUTT); Chulalongkorn University's Jatuwat Sangsanont, Yong Poovorawan and Nasamon Wanlapakorn; and Walailak University's Prasert Makkaew and Nopadol Precha.
Mr Surapong said the research was initiated in 2021 when Covid-19 was spreading rapidly all over the world.
The team has expertise in detecting viruses in water, so it started developing a system to measure the detectable amount of the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 in wastewater among different communities in Bangkok, he said.
He said the virus can be found in the faeces, urine or secretions of someone who is infected, whether they are showing symptoms or not. The waste finally goes to communities' sewage dumps or wastewater treatment plants.
"The first stage of the research [January-April 2022] involved field operations to collect wastewater from 19 treatment plants in Bangkok to measure the amount of coronavirus using the method we developed," he said.
"The measurements of coronavirus in wastewater collected from each treatment plant were then analysed to predict which area was likely to have more Covid-19 cases."
He said this method takes only eight hours to produce results, which can be used to estimate the number of cases.
It can also be used to predict the spread of the coronavirus up to three weeks in advance before people start showing symptoms, he added.
He said his team went on to conduct a second stage of the research, and the success of this resulted in it being published in internationally recognised academic journals. The research also won an award.
The team has applied the same method to other research into the detection of bacteria and viruses in wastewater, Mr Surapong said.