SARS-CoV-2 Wastewater Test

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SARS-CoV-2 Wastewater Test

Wastewater Testing for COVID-19

Why use wastewater testing as a COVID-19 surveillance strategy?

In response to the widespread concern over public health, Microbac is proud to introduce wastewater testing for the Coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2.

Testing for SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater can be used to:

Monitor populations at scale at a low cost
Provide better data to track the prevalence of the virus and the spread of infection
Predict COVID-19 outbreaks before clinic diagnoses occur
Account for individuals who have not been tested or have mild to no symptoms

Advantages of Wastewater Testing in the Fight Against the COVID-19 Pandemic

Get Ahead

SARS-CoV-2 RNA can be detected in feces a few days to a week before symptoms are visible. Wastewater surveillance can predict COVID-19 outbreaks even before clinical testing and hospital admissions.

Bigger Picture

Thousands of people can be monitored through merely one wastewater sample. This population-wide data can be particularly informative to regions with low clinical COVID-19 testing rates.

Save Money

Clinical testing can be expensive. Instead of individually testing thousands of patients, wastewater samples are less invasive and much more cost-efficient for getting a grip on COVID-19 in a community.

Measure Trends

By utilizing wastewater testing, community leaders can establish trends in current outbreaks, identify newoutbreaks, understand the prevalence of infections and get ahead of the virus.

Wastewater Epidemiology

Microbac has been at the forefront of accredited analytical testing for more than 50 years. In fact, this type of surveillance is not new to us. Epidemiology has been used by our specialists for pharmaceuticals, industrial waste, drugs, viruses and more. Now, Microbac is using this low-cost solution to help leaders make informed decisions for their communities in regard to COVID-19.

The SARS-CoV-2 Wastewater Samples Are Tested Using the Four Step RT-PCR Method Below:

Step 1:

Viral Concentration

Virus may be present in low numbers in wastewater samples so it’s important to perform a concentration step before further sample processing.

Step 2:

Extraction

This step draws out and purifies the viral RNA by removing extraneous biological and other material that could inhibit further analyses.

Step 3:

Reverse Transcription (RT)

The process of converting viral RNA into a complementary DNA (cDNA) molecule that can then be analyzed by PCR.

Step 4:

Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)

Otherwise known as PCR, this method used to amplify or copy the cDNA in order to detect specific viral targets of interest.

COMPLETE QUALITY CONTROL AT EVERY STEP

The Microbac difference is our rigorous Quality Control program. We built positive and negative controls for each step of the 4-part method plus internal amplification controls.

SARS-CoV-2 Wastewater Test

Wastewater Testing for COVID-19