Environmental surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in municipal wastewater to monitor COVID-19 status in urban clusters in Malaysia

Wastewater monitoring for SARS-CoV-2 has attracted considerable attention worldwide to complement the existing clinical-based surveillance system. In this study, we report our first successful attempt to prove the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 genes in Malaysian urban wastewater. A total of 18 wastewater samples were obtained from a regional sewage treatment plant that received municipal sewage between February 2021 and May 2021. Using the quantitative PCR assay targeting the E and RdRp genes of SARS-CoV-2, we confirmed that both genes were detected in the raw sewage, while no viral RNA was found in the treated sewage. We were also able to show that the trend of COVID-19 cases in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor was related to the changes in SARS-CoV-2 RNA levels in the wastewater samples. Overall, our study highlights that monitoring wastewater for SARS-CoV-2 should help local health professionals to obtain additional information on the rapid and silent circulation of infectious agents in communities at the regional level.

Automated summary

This study successfully demonstrates the presence of SARS-CoV-2 genes in urban wastewater in Malaysia and establishes a relationship between SARS-CoV-2 RNA levels in wastewater and COVID-19 cases in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. The findings emphasize the importance of wastewater monitoring for obtaining additional information on the silent spread of infectious agents in communities at the regional level.