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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.
Sec. Synthetic Biology
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2024.1508964
This article is part of the Research Topic Synthetic Biology and Microbiota Therapeutics View all articles

Leveraging Environmental Microbial Indicators in Wastewater for Data-Driven Disease Diagnostics Gayatri Gogoi ad , Sarangthem Dinamani Singh ad , Devpratim Koch ad , Emon Kalyan a , Rashmi

Provisionally accepted
Gayatri Gogoi Gayatri Gogoi SARANGTHEM DINAMANI SINGH SARANGTHEM DINAMANI SINGH Devpratim Koch Devpratim Koch Emon Kalyan Emon Kalyan Rashmi Rani Boro Rashmi Rani Boro Aradhana Devi Aradhana Devi Hridoy Jyoti Mahanta Hridoy Jyoti Mahanta *Pankaj Bharali Pankaj Bharali *
  • North East Institute of Science and Technology (CSIR), Jorhāt, India

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Introduction: Wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) is an emerging tool for monitoring the spread of infectious diseases, such as SARS-CoV-2, in community settings. Environmental factors, including water quality parameters and seasonal variations, may influence the prevalence of viral particles in wastewater. This study aims to explore the relationships between these factors and the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 across 28 monitoring sites, spanning different seasons and water strata. Methods: Samples were collected from 28 sites, accounting for seasonal and spatial (surface and intermediate water layers) variations. Key physicochemical parameters, heavy metals, and minerals were measured, and viral presence was detected using RT-qPCR. After data preprocessing, correlation analyses identified 19 relevant environmental parameters. Unsupervised learning algorithms, including K-means and K-medoid clustering, were employed to categorize the data into four distinct clusters, revealing patterns of viral positivity and environmental conditions. Results: Cluster analysis indicated that seasonal variations and water quality characteristics significantly influenced SARS-CoV-2 positivity rates. The four clusters demonstrated distinct associations between environmental factors and viral prevalence, with certain clusters correlating with higher viral loads in specific seasons. The clustering patterns varied across sample sites, reflecting the diverse environmental conditions and their influence on viral detection. Discussion: The findings underscore the critical role of environmental factors, such as water quality and seasonality, in shaping the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 prevalence in wastewater. These insights provide a deeper understanding of the complex interplay between environmental contexts and disease spread. By utilizing WBS and advanced data analysis techniques, this study offers a robust framework for future research aimed at enhancing public health surveillance and interventions.

    Keywords: SARS-CoV-2, Wastewater-Based Surveillance (WBS), environmental factors, Machine Learning (ML), public healh

    Received: 10 Oct 2024; Accepted: 12 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Gogoi, SINGH, Koch, Kalyan, Boro, Devi, Mahanta and Bharali. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Hridoy Jyoti Mahanta, North East Institute of Science and Technology (CSIR), Jorhāt, India
    Pankaj Bharali, North East Institute of Science and Technology (CSIR), Jorhāt, India

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