| Abstract Title: | Automated wet chemical analysis for wastewater surveillance of COVID19 |
| Presenter Name: | Dr James Hannan |
| Co-authors/Co-presenters: | Ms Gemma Ellison |
| Company/Organisation: | Thermo Fisher Scientific |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
Abstract Information :
Wastewater based epidemiology WBE programs can be an invaluable additional predictive tool for addressing the COVID19 pandemic. Virus quantification by RTqPCR, together with other biomarkers like phosphorus, total nitrogen and pH play an important role in sewage water analysis in WBE programs, and sewage water treatment. Creatinine and Urea in sewage water are used as endogenous population size markers. Analysis of chemical and physiochemical reference parameters such as pH and conductivity, ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, total organic nitrogen, orthophosphate, and other ions such as chloride and sulfate in sewage water are important for matrix recovery control also called a process control to understand the amount of virus lost during sample processing. Determination of these chemical reference parameters and population size markers by traditional methods are tedious, time consuming and error prone. Using the high throughput discrete analyzer platform enables laboratories to simplify the sewage water and wastewater surveillance for COVID19 testing with dual benefitstime and cost savings. All necessary analysis steps are automated. Parallel determination of multiple analytes from a single sample as well as the presence of several automated features ensures analytical efficiency as implemented in government laboratories in the United Kingdom.
