About This Project

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) represents a transformative approach to public health. It leverages the investigation of wastewater to monitor the prevalence of human viral diseases. This project aims to implement a comprehensive WBE approach, enabling early detection and facilitating timely public health interventions. By transforming wastewater into a valuable resource for disease monitoring, we aim to contribute significantly to health security and environmental sustainability.

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is a valuable tool for monitoring public health by detecting viral pathogens in wastewater (1,2). Initially employed for tracking illicit drug use (3), WBE has now found its application in infectious disease surveillance (4). WBE gained prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic, enabling early detection of SARS-CoV-2 (5), often before clinical cases emerged. It has also been used to monitor influenza A virus, norovirus, poliovirus, and hepatitis A virus (6), providing real-time, community-level health insights. As a non-invasive and cost-effective method, WBE is especially useful in areas with limited clinical testing (7,8,9). Its ability to track asymptomatic cases and guide public health responses makes it a crucial component of modern epidemiological surveillance (10,11). Ongoing advancements aim to refine detection techniques and integrate WBE data into public health systems for improved disease monitoring and outbreak response.

What is the significance of this project?

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) offers a proactive approach to monitoring human viral diseases in communities by detecting viral pathogens in wastewater before clinical cases arise (1,2,3,4). This early warning system enables timely public health interventions, reducing the impact of outbreaks (5,6). Additionally, WBE allows for continuous surveillance of multiple pathogens simultaneously (7,8,9), offering a more comprehensive view of community health trends. By integrating WBE with existing public health systems, this project enhances the capacity to detect emerging threats and assess the effectiveness of public health interventions. Overall, this project has the potential to revolutionize disease surveillance and improve outbreak response strategies.

What are the goals of the project?

Our project aims to investigate the epidemiological landscape of circulating enteric and/or respiratory viral pathogens in Thailand. We plan to collect at least 100 samples across all sampling sites. Each wastewater sample (~40 mL/sample) will be collected from sites selected based on population density, sanitation infrastructure, and epidemiological data. High-throughput metagenomic sequencing will capture a broad spectrum of known and unknown viruses, while targeted PCR/qPCR will confirm and quantify specific pathogens of concern. A standardized grab sampling technique will ensure temporal and spatial representativeness, with samples stored under cold chain conditions for transport and processing. These findings will improve our understanding of potential human viruses circulating in wastewater and support the development of a scalable WBE framework for public health surveillance.