@article{5b28785f8fb84c8e8608de7bcd7053ac,
title = "Municipal and neighbourhood level wastewater surveillance and subtyping of an influenza virus outbreak",
abstract = "Recurrent influenza epidemics and pandemic potential are significant risks to global health. Public health authorities use clinical surveillance to locate and monitor influenza and influenza-like cases and outbreaks to mitigate hospitalizations and deaths. Currently, global integration of clinical surveillance is the only reliable method for reporting influenza types and subtypes to warn of emergent pandemic strains. The utility of wastewater surveillance (WWS) during the COVID-19 pandemic as a less resource intensive replacement or complement for clinical surveillance has been predicated on analyzing viral fragments in wastewater. We show here that influenza virus targets are stable in wastewater and partitions favorably to the solids fraction. By quantifying, typing, and subtyping the virus in municipal wastewater and primary sludge during a community outbreak, we forecasted a citywide flu outbreak with a 17-day lead time and provided population-level viral subtyping in near real-time to show the feasibility of influenza virus WWS at the municipal and neighbourhood levels in near real time using minimal resources and infrastructure.",
author = "Elisabeth Mercier and D{\textquoteright}Aoust, {Patrick M.} and Ocean Thakali and Nada Hegazy and Jia, {Jian Jun} and Zhihao Zhang and Walaa Eid and Julio Plaza-Diaz and Kabir, {Md Pervez} and Wanting Fang and Aaron Cowan and Stephenson, {Sean E.} and Lakshmi Pisharody and MacKenzie, {Alex E.} and Graber, {Tyson E.} and Shen Wan and Robert Delatolla",
note = "Funding Information: This research was supported by the Province of Ontario{\textquoteright}s Wastewater Surveillance Initiative (WSI), as well as a CHEO (Children{\textquoteright}s Hospital of Eastern Ontario) CHAMO (Children{\textquoteright}s Hospital Academic Medical Organization) grant that was awarded to Dr. Alex E. MacKenzie. Funding Information: We acknowledge the help and assistance of the University of Ottawa, the Ottawa Hospital, the Children{\textquoteright}s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, the Children{\textquoteright}s Hospital of Eastern Ontario{\textquoteright}s Research Institute, Public Health Ontario, and all of their employees who were involved with this project. We also thank Dr. Earl Brown for providing the influenza virus stock. The time, facilities, resources, and feedback given to this study was greatly appreciated. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022, The Author(s).",
year = "2022",
month = dec,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1038/s41598-022-20076-z",
language = "English",
volume = "12",
journal = "Scientific Reports",
issn = "2045-2322",
publisher = "Nature Publishing Group",
number = "1",
}
