WWEM - Abstract

Abstract Information :

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE)has emerged as a powerful tool for early warning public health. However, it remains challenging for analysis of wastewater in particular for rapid and on-site detection, which is a highly demand for track down the infections. Rapid sensors are of significant importance for both chemicals (e.g. illicit drugs) and microbial analysis in wastewater (e.g. infection including SARS-CoV-2 for early warning of a pandemic). Here we present a low-cost, deployable paper-based biosensor device for rapid analysis of chemicals and pathogens for WBE. Following the demonstration of the paper-based device for field-testing of infectious in Indian local farm and for malaria testing in a primary school in Uganda in Africa, we will further show this device for the rapid analysis of pathogen in water and wastewater in a low resource setting (e.g., in quarantine hotel around London Heathrow airport). The device utilised a paper microfluidic for sample preparation and extract nucleic acid from various wastewater samples, followed by isothermal amplification for species-specific pathogen detection with a visual dye for rapid readout. This enables to capture images with a mobile phone camera for a semi-quantification. This device is currently developing to trace the source of SARS-CoV-2 in a local treatment plant and other near source tracking for early warning of the pandemic, within the frame of a UK national wastewater epidemiology surveillance programme (N-WESP) for COVID-19.