Scientists have tracked COVID-19 through wastewater since early in the pandemic, and now they’re doing the same for monkeypox
pathogen—in this case, SARS-CoV-2—in sewage. It’s an attempt to standardize the way wastewater is collected, analyzed, and interpreted. NWSS now includes data from local programs—like WastewaterSCAN—and cities with their own tracking systems. New York City’s Biosurveillance Program, for example, has been testing wastewater for signs of SARS-CoV-2 since February, and now 11 hospitals in the group willWhen monkeypox cases first began popping up in the U.S.
Wolfe says the group’s platform for isolating the genetic material of microbes made it relatively easy to create the proper assay for detecting the monkeypox virus in mid-June. They targeted a portion of the monkeypox genome that was relatively unique, and the probe successfully identified the virus in their lab tests. But, says White, “the first few tests we ran on wastewater samples didn’t pick anything up.
The scientists say that there are still a few important unanswered questions about monkeypox in wastewater. They don’t have enough data to say for sure how much of a lead time wastewater can give health officials about rising cases, compared to testing at clinics and hospitals.
The WastewaterSCAN team is now applying what they’ve learned from COVID-19 and monkeypox to explore ways to monitor influenza, RSV, and other seasonal diseases. In the case of RSV, a respiratory infection that often sickens babies, knowing where cases are starting to circulate could help doctors treat the most vulnerable babies with a monoclonal antibody drug before they get exposed, and thus spare them from contracting a potentially dangerous illness.
The key to having such a national system, however, is coordination among partners who share their findings, says Wolfe. “Having a network of sites that use the same collection and analytic methods so we can compare data gives us a national picture of what is going on,” she says. “We’d love to have more federal investments in systems like this.”
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Neurological manifestations associated with monkeypox infectionNeurological manifestations associated with monkeypox infection Monkeypox Neurological Disease encephalitis cerebrospinal pediatric neuroinflammatory IDAdvance UNIRIO_Oficial
Read more »
The virology, epidemiology, transmission, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, management, and prevention strategies associated with monkeypoxThe virology, epidemiology, transmission, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, management, and prevention strategies associated with monkeypox MDPIOpenAccess nyuniversity monkeypox monkeypoxvirus virus
Read more »
Plant production of nanobodies that neutralize the interaction between ACE2 receptor and SARS-CoV-2 spike proteinPlant production of nanobodies that neutralize the interaction between ACE2 receptor and SARS-CoV-2 spike protein biorxivpreprint USDA_ARS nanobodies SARSCoV2 coronavirus covid COVID19 spikeprotein
Read more »
Chimps show off their 'signature' drum beatsThe wild apes drum messages to one another on tree roots in the rainforest, researchers find.
Read more »
How have worldwide physical activity trends changed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic?How have worldwide physical activity trends changed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic? TheLancet UCSF exercise physicalactivity COVID19 coronavirus covid pandemic
Read more »
Arsenal 'expansion' plans saluted by Kieran Maguire💸 𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘 𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗧 💸 - Arsenal are attempting to “expand their brand” through the release of new streetwear-style merchandise, according to Kieran Maguire. 👕 - 'It has got to be applauded.' 🙌 READ: AFC
Read more »