AUTHOR=Li Ye , Ash K. T. , Joyner Dominique C. , Williams Daniel E. , Alamilla I. , McKay P. J. , Iler C. , Green B. M. , Kara-Murdoch F. , Swift C. M. , Hazen Terry C. 

TITLE=Decay of enveloped SARS-CoV-2 and non-enveloped PMMoV RNA in raw sewage from university dormitories

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=14

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1144026

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2023.1144026

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Introduction</title><p>Although severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA has been frequently detected in sewage from many university dormitories to inform public health decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic, a clear understanding of SARS-CoV-2 RNA persistence in site-specific raw sewage is still lacking. To investigate the SARS-CoV-2 RNA persistence, a field trial was conducted in the University of Tennessee dormitories raw sewage, similar to municipal wastewater.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>The decay of enveloped SARS-CoV-2 RNA and non-enveloped Pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) RNA was investigated by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) in raw sewage at 4°C and 20°C.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>Temperature, followed by the concentration level of SARS-CoV-2 RNA, was the most significant factors that influenced the first-order decay rate constants (<italic>k</italic>) of SARS-CoV-2 RNA. The mean <italic>k</italic> values of SARS-CoV-2 RNA were 0.094 day<sup>−1</sup> at 4°C and 0.261 day<sup>−1</sup> at 20°C. At high-, medium-, and low-concentration levels of SARS-CoV-2 RNA, the mean <italic>k</italic> values were 0.367, 0.169, and 0.091 day<sup>−1</sup>, respectively. Furthermore, there was a statistical difference between the decay of enveloped SARS-CoV-2 and non-enveloped PMMoV RNA at different temperature conditions.</p></sec><sec><title>Discussion</title><p>The first decay rates for both temperatures were statistically comparable for SARS-CoV-2 RNA, which showed sensitivity to elevated temperatures but not for PMMoV RNA. This study provides evidence for the persistence of viral RNA in site-specific raw sewage at different temperature conditions and concentration levels.</p></sec>