Long-term monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater of the Frankfurt metropolitan area in Southern Germany

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is a great approach that enables us to comprehensively monitor the community to determine the scale and dynamics of infections in a city, particularly in metropolitan cities with a high population density. Therefore, we monitored the time course of the SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentration in raw sewage in the Frankfurt metropolitan area, the European financial center. To determine the SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentration in sewage, we continuously collected 24 h composite samples twice a week from two wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) influents (Niederrad and Sindlingen) serving the Frankfurt metropolitan area and performed RT-qPCR analysis targeting three genes (N gene, S gene, and ORF1ab gene). In August, a resurgence in the SARS-CoV-2 RNA load was observed, reaching 3x10(13) copies/day, which represented similar levels compared to April with approx. 2x10(14) copies/day. This corresponds to a continuous increase again in COVID-19 cases in Frankfurt since August, with an average of 28.6 incidences, compared to 28.7 incidences in April. Different temporal dynamics were observed between different sampling points, indicating local dynamics in COVID-19 cases within the Frankfurt metropolitan area. The SARS-CoV-2 RNA load to the WWTP Niederrad ranged from approx. 4x10(11) to 1x10(15) copies/day, the load to the WWTP Sindlingen from approx. 1x10(11) to 2x10(14) copies/day, which resulted in a preceding increase in these loading in July ahead of the weekly averaged incidences. The study shows that WBE has the potential as an early warning system for SARS-CoV-2 infections and a monitoring system to identify global hotspots of COVID-19.

Automated summary

Wastewater-based epidemiology is an effective method to monitor the scale and dynamics of infections in a city, with the SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentration in raw sewage in the Frankfurt metropolitan area showing a resurgence in August. This suggests a continuous increase in COVID-19 cases in Frankfurt.