Coordinators: Acacia Alcivar-Warren, Miriam Alcivar Arteaga, Elicio Mendoza Zambrano, et al.
A new publication by Hart and Halden from the University of Arizona shows wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) as a potential tool for assessing and managing the coronavirus pandemic. They concluded that the WBE approach will ‘save money, be broadly applicable worldwide, and potentially aid in precision management of the pandemic, thereby helping to accelerate the global economic recovery that billions of people rely upon for their livelihoods. Abstract With the economic and practical limits of medical screening for SARS -CoV -2/COVID -19 coming sharply into focus worldwide, scientists are turning now to wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) as a potential tool for assessing and managing the pandemic. We employed computational analysis and modeling to examine the feasibility, economy, opportunities and challenges of enumerating active coronavirus infections locally and globally using WBE. Depending on local conditions, detection in community wastewater of one symptomatic/asymptomatic infected case per 100 to 2,000,000 non-infected people is theoretically feasible, with some practical successes now being reported from around the world. Computer simulations for past, present and emerging epidemic hotspots (e.g., Wuhan, Milan, Madrid, New York City, Teheran, Seattle, Detroit and New Orleans) identified temperature, average in-sewer travel time and per-capita water use as key variables. WBE surveillance of populations is shown to be orders of magnitude cheaper and faster than clinical screening, yet cannot fully replace it. Cost savings worldwide for one-time national surveillance campaigns are estimated to be in the million to billion US dollar range (US$), depending on a nation’s population size and number of testing rounds conducted. For resource poor regions and nations, WBE may represent the only viable means of effective surveillance. Important limitations of WBE rest with its inability to identify individuals and to pinpoint their specific locations. Not compensating for temperature effects renders WBE data vulnerable to severe under - /over - estimation of infected cases. Effective surveillance may be envisioned as a two -step process in which WBE serves to identify and enumerate infected cases, where after clinical testing then serves to identify infected individuals in WBE -revealed hotspots. Data provided here demonstrate this approach to save money, be broadly applicable worldwide, and potentially aid in precision management of the pandemic, thereby helping to accelerate the global economic recovery that billions of people rely upon for their livelihoods Keywords: Wastewater-based epidemiology; modeling; global health; coronavirus Reference Hart O.E. and R.U. Halden. Computational analysis of SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 surveillance by wastewater-based epidemiology locally and globally: Feasibility, economy, opportunities and challenges. Science of The Total Environment, 2020; 138875 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138875 Source https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7175865/pdf/main.pdf
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Below is a summary of the research by an anonymous group of researchers, which is intended to examine the evidence that can prove that the SARS-CoV-2 virus was present in a biological laboratory in Wuhan, China. The authors neither claim nor imply that the virus was deliberately designed as a biological weapon or released as one. They are also interested in distancing themselves from the anti-Chinese sentiment that is being fostered in some sections of the media around the laboratory escape hypothesis, calling this trend "racist." However, the document presents compelling evidence that the virus may have been the product of "gain-of-function" laboratory studies. Conclusion Up until this point, we have been presenting each of our claims in a vacuum. Let us put them together: At some point in late 2019, many people who visited the The Huanan Seafood Market fell ill due to a new disease. To date the origin of this disease is unknown. This market is less than 9 miles away from The Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, which: * Collaborated with French authorities to construct its BSL-4 lab, however the company meant to inspect its safety standards bailed out of the project and French scientists who were supposed to work there were never sent there * Developed chimeric SARS-like coronaviruses * Conducted ’dangerous’ gain-of-function research on the SARS-CoV-1 virus * Established a 96.2% match with SARS-CoV-2 and a virus they sampled from a cave over 1,000 miles away from Wuhan * Injected live piglets with bat coronaviruses as recently as July 2019: Paper 5, Paper 7, Paper 8 * Tested its disinfecting procedures with a bat coronavirus * Published a paper on a close descendant of SARS-CoV-1, MERS-CoV, in November 2019 * Collected bat samples with improper PPE even after a researcher was bitten by one * Was hiring researchers to work on bat coronaviruses as recently as November 2019 * The United States State Department claimed had ’inadequate safety’ * Deleted a press release detailing a U.S. State Department visit * Has not provided concrete evidence that one of their prior researchers is still alive, despite rumors on Chinese social media that they are "Patient Zero", despite one of their other top researchers coming out and swearing the virus had nothing to do with her lab * Had a researcher accuse the director of the Institute of selling infected lab animals to vendors on Weibo (with pictures of herself and her employee ID included); afterwards, she claimed she was ’hacked’ * Had staff trained by a Chinese-Canadian scientist at Canada’s only BSL-4 lab who has now been under RCMP investigation for nearly a year following a shipment of Ebola and Henipahvirus from that lab to a lab in China The market is also less than 3 miles away from the Wuhan Centre for Disease Control, which: * Was actually already accused of being the source of the outbreak from a now-withdrawn academic paper from a notable Chinese scholar at the South China University of China * Once kept horseshoe bats, a known reservoir of SARS-CoV-1, within its labs * Once performed surgery on live animals within its labs * Had a researcher who quarantined on two separate occasions; once upon coming into contact with bat blood after being ’attacked’ and another time when he was urinated upon in a cave while wearing inadequate personal protection Let us also look at the actions of China before and after the outbreak, which: * Had the SARS-CoV-1 virus escape from a lab in Beijing, twice * Compensated families after 27 students were infected with Brucella bacteria during an anatomy course in 2011 * Is currently investigating a similar Brucella outbreak amongst "over 100 Students and Staff" in December 2019 * Issued bio-safety guidelines to ’fix chronic management loopholes at virus labs’ * Arrested a ’top academician’ for illegally selling lab animals and ’experimental milk’ in January 2020 * Censored local medical professionals who attempted to report the outbreak * Ordered local labs to destroy any samples of the new virus * Withheld the virus’s genome nearly a week after they sequenced it * Continually insisted on no human-to-human transmission * Launched the largest national quarantine in human history once containment failed * Issued an order preventing the unauthorized publishing of any academic material related to SARS-CoV-2 * Allowed a Party spokesperson to accuse the United States Army of intentionally bringing SARS-CoV-2 to Wuhan * Is continuing to refuse an independent investigation into the outbreak origins and threatened Australia with boycotts if they investigated Also in January 2020, the United States Department of Justice arrested two Chinese nationals and the Chair of the "Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University" for allegedly receiving illegal payments from China, "acting as an agent of a foreign government," and "attempting to smuggle 21 vials of biological research to China." Back to the market: the The Huanan Seafood Market didn’t even have bats for sale, and most bats species in Wuhan would be hibernating at the time of outbreak. It was reported that 34% of cases had no contact with the market, and ’No epidemiological link was found between the first patient and later cases’. If an infected animal was indeed the culprit, why did it fail to infect a single person outside of the market? It could not have been infected at the market, because there were no bats that could serve as sources of infection. So, where were all the infected people outside of Wuhan by the time SARS-CoV-2 started spreading in the market? We hope that this document adequately addressed each claim with what evidence is available and fulfilled its secondary responsibility of educating you on biolaboratory safety. By now, we hope you understand that these claims are not impossible; they are in fact more than likely. We may never be certain of the truth. What we are certain of, however, is that these claims shouldn’t be discounted, and far more research must be done to disprove either one. Our work as a global community must continue. Source: http://www.gmwatch.org Validation of an extraction-free RT-PCR protocol for detection of SARS-CoV2 RNA This study offers front-line laboratories additional reagent options for performing extraction-free RT-PCR protocols https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.04.29.20085910v1.full.pdf A Rapid COVID-19 RT-PCR Detection Assay for Low Resource Settings This rapid RT-PCR can be implemented for sensitive and specific molecular diagnosis of COVID-19 in situations where sophisticated laboratory instruments are not available: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.04.29.069591v1.full.pdf Timing of immune response to COVID-19 may contribute to disease severity Posted: 01 May 2020 03:43 PM PDT A new study suggests that temporarily suppressing the body's immune system during the early stages of COVID-19 could help a patient avoid severe symptoms. That's because the research shows that an interaction between the body's two main lines of defense may be causing the immune system to go into overdrive in some patients. Source: https://bit.ly/2WA5iFU Hydroxychloroquine linked to increased risk of cardiac arrhythmias Posted: 01 May 2020 03:42 PM PDT In a new report, a team of pharmacists and clinicians found evidence suggesting that patients who received hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 were at increased risk of electrical changes to the heart and cardiac arrhythmias. The combination of hydroxychloroquine with azithromycin was linked to even greater changes compared to hydroxychloroquine alone Source: https://bit.ly/2WF8RdV High blood pressure medications safe for patients with COVID-19 disease, study finds Posted: 01 May 2020 03:42 PM PDT Despite concerns expressed by some experts, common high blood pressure drugs did not increase the risk of contracting COVID-19 -- or of developing severe disease -- in a study of 12,594 patients. Source: https://bit.ly/2SNjWIy THE FOLLOWING FRIENDS OF THE FUCOBI FOUNDATION NOMINATED OVER 30 PEOPLE FOR 2020 NSA MEMBERSHIPS:10/22/2020
The membership fees ($50 or $95 each) were donated/paid to NSA Treasurer by Environmental Genomics Inc. (EGI) on behalf of the FUCOBI Foundation. Congratulations to Miriam, Marcelo, Lisett, Mayra, Gober y Martha for their assistance, they will receive a free 2020 NSA membership with access to the Journal of Shellfish Research and the National Shellfisheries Association Quarterly Newsletter. Congratulations to them! Please nominate 5 new people for 2021 NSA members and you will receive a free 2021 NSA membership!. ‘UNA SALUD / ONE HEALTH EPIDEMIOLOGY: CORONAVIRUS IN WASTEWATER OF SELECTED TOWNS OF ECUADOR'.10/22/2020 This project aims to carry out a diagnosis to detect the coronavirus in wastewater from selected cities in Ecuador. The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, which causes COVID-19, can be transmitted through the digestive system and could end up in the aquatic ecosystem environment.
The results will help local authorities plan for COVID-19 before symptoms of the disease appear, and save lives. Those interested in participating in this project, please contact Mrs. Miriam Alcivar Arteaga ([email protected]), President of FUCOBI, who will be in charge of coordinating the sampling Here are the Selected papers included in FUCOBI's project about coronavirus in wastewater: Naddeu V and H Liu. 2020. Editorial Perspectives: 2019 novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2): what is its fate in urban water cycle and how can the water research community respond?. DOI: 10.1039/D0EW90015J (Editorial) Environ. Sci.: Water Res.Technol., 2020, Advance Article https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2020/ew/d0ew90015j?page=search#imgfig1 \n Wu F, A Xiao, J Zhang, X Gu, WL Lee, K Kauffman, W Hanage, M Matus, N Ghaeli, N Endo, C Duvallet, K Moniz, T Erickson, P Chai, J Thompson, E Alm. 2020. SARS-CoV-2 titers in wastewater are higher than expected from clinically confirmed cases. doi:https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.04.05.20051540 Hart OE, RU Halden. 2020. Computational analysis of SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 surveillance by wastewater-based epidemiology locally and globally: Feasibility, economy, opportunities and challenges. Science of The Total Environment, 2020; 138875 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138875. Bill Gates. 2020., Pandemic I: The First Modern Pandemic file:///C:/Users/envir/Downloads/Pandemic-I-The-First-Modern-Pandemic.pdf Mao K, H Zhang and Z Yang. Can a paper-based device trace COVID-19 sources with wastewater-based Epidemiology? Environmental Science & Technology, 2020; DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c01174 Guerrero S. 2020. Coronavirus en Ecuador: una opinión desde la Academia. La Granja: Revista de Ciencias de la Vida. Vol. 32(2):xxx-xxx. http://doi.org/10.17163/lgr.n32.2020.10. Zambrano-Monserrate MA, MA Ruano, L Sanchez-Alcalde. 2020. Indirect effects of COVID-19 on the environment. Science of The Total Environment Volume 728, 1 August 2020, 138813 Abstract
Mangroves in the Northwest Coast of South America are contaminated with heavy metals due to wastewater discharges from industries, affecting the biota from this environment. However, bacteria proliferate in these harsh environmental conditions becoming possible sentinel of these contaminations. In this study, bacterial community composition was analyzed by throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene from polluted and pristine mangrove sediments affected by marked differences in heavy metal concentrations. Core bacteria were dominated by Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes phyla, with strong differences between sites at class and genus levels, correlated with metal levels. Increment of abundance on specific OTUs were associated with either elevated or decreased concentrations of metals and with the sulfur cycle. The abundance of Sulfurovum lithotrophicum, Leptolinea tardivitalis, Desulfococcus multivorans and Aminobacterium colombiense increases when metals rise. On contrary, Bacillus stamsii, Nioella nitrareducens and Clostridiisalibacter paucivorans abundance increases when metal levels are reduced. We propose these OTUs as bacterial sentinels, whose abundance can help monitor the restoration programs of contaminated mangrove sediments in the future. The FUCOBI Foundation has announced two research and travel awards for minority students from Latin America and the Caribbean, the United States (Puerto Rico, Native Americans, and the Pacific Islands), and African countries to attend the 113th Annual Meeting in Charlotte. The Johnnie Castro Montealegre Travel Award will cover airfare (within the USA only), meeting registration fee, hotel, travel costs, meals, and poster printing. The Jimmy Alcivar-Arteaga Research and Travel Award will cover airfare, travel, meals, poster printing, and meeting registration fee. Application deadline is October 1st, 2020.
Students interested in applying for the Johnnie Castro Montealegre Travel Award, please contact [email protected] to request an application. Please also include your CV and an abstract with all co-authors (ready for submission to the NSA annual meeting, 250-words). Students interested in applying for the Jimmy Alcivar-Arteaga Research and Travel Award, please contact [email protected] to request an application. There are thirty awards available. Please include an abstract with all co-authors (ready for submission to the NSA annual meeting, 250-words). Abstracts submitted on the following topics will be given priority, but awards are not limited to these topics: 1) Metals, glyphosate, Roundup, and bisphenol in mangrove sediment near banana and shrimp farms, and in cow’s milk, cheese, and agricultural soil; 2) Toxicological transgenerational epigenetic inheritance (F0-F3) to assess health risks caused by exposure to glyphosate and Roundup to marine animals (shrimp, molluscs) and people who live near estuaries and wetlands; 3) Glyphosate-free aquaculture feeds; and 4) Glyphosate-free shrimp. This is a great opportunity for NSA student members. The Johnnie Castro Montealegre Travel Award was presented to Melissa Pierce at the 108th Annual Meeting for her project ‘Bivalves maintain a core gut micro biome: seasonal trends and species variation’, to Amanda Zahorik at the 109th Annual Meeting for her project ‘The oyster microbiome: interrelationships among host genotype, microbiome composition, and disease resistance in Crassostrea virginica’, and to Natalie Lowell for her project ‘Population genetics of two emergent shellfish aquaculture species and implications for genetic risk assessments’ at the Triennial in 2019. Students are encouraged to apply! Information is also available on the NSA website: www.shellfish.org. ‘UNA SALUD / ONE HEALTH EPIDEMIOLOGY: CORONAVIRUS IN WASTEWATER OF SELECTED PEOPLES IN ECUADOR '10/22/2020 We are purchasing 100 diagnostic kits to detect coronavirus in wastewater from selected cities in Ecuador. The kit was developed by a Massachusetts (MA) company, Biobot Analytics (https://www.biobot.io/about_us)1, in collaboration with researchers from MIT, Harvard, and B&W Hospital. The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, which causes COVID-19, can be transmitted through the digestive system and could end up in the aquatic ecosystem environment, as shown in Figure 1 of the Naddeu & Liu paper.2 The kit was tested first in wastewater collected from a major urban treatment facility in MA. We hope that these kits will detect the virus in sewage from selected towns where human diagnostic tests have not yet been performed. The results will be published immediately on the FUCOBI website and sent to government offices and universities for further epidemiological studies. Source: https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2020/ew/d0ew90015j?page=search#imgfig1 The results will help local authorities plan for COVID-19 before symptoms of the disease appear, and save lives. Interested in participating in this project, please contact Mrs. Miriam Alcivar Arteaga ([email protected]), President of FUCOBI, who will be in charge of distributing the kits to the local authorities in charge of the wastewater facilities, university professors , drinking water and sewerage companies, NGOs and citizens interested in helping to collect the samples. Join the project, participate with samples from your city. This is a project that applies the holistic concept of epidemiological 'ONE HEALTH' to help save the lives of Ecuadorians. The Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 dashboard shows that Ecuador has had 10,850 confirmed cases and 573 deaths from COVID-19.
ut a report in the newspaper El Comercio suggests a higher number of deaths, which was documented in videos from Yahoo! and BBC. Below you can find the related links: John’s Hopkins University, COVID-19 Dashboard by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering, 4/21/2020: https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6 El Comercio, Quito, Ecuador. 4/20/2020: https://www.elcomercio.com/actualidad/guayas-registra-fallecidos-incremento-coronavirus.html Videos about Ecuador's COVID-19 pandemic https://news.yahoo.com/coronavirus-nightmare-ecuadors-main-city-203016125.html https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-52324218?intlink_from_url= https://www.bbc.com/news/world/latin_america&link_location=live-reporting-story |
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