Georgia WWSCAN Biweekly Newsletter Update 10/29/24

Welcome to the bi-weekly update for WWSCAN partners in Georgia! The samples provided up through 10/23/24 have been processed in the lab and data are on the site at data.wastewaterscan.org.

If you notice any bugs on the site or have any comments about it, please continue to send your feedback via email wwscan_stanford_emory@lists.stanford.edu. We thank you for your partnership!

For site level summaries of the GA plants with current Wastewater Categories and concentration plots, see the following links:

• Big Creek, Roswell, GA
• College Park, GA
• Columbus, GA
• Johns Creek, Roswell, GA
• Little River, Roswell, GA
• RM Clayton, Atlanta, GA
• South River, Atlanta, GA
• Utoy Creek, Atlanta, GA

The methods for our assays are in the public domain and links for these are provided at the end of the newsletter.

SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations have been between 7,000 and 210,000 copies/gram in the last two weeks. The chart below shows the raw data over the last 365 days and the population-weighted aggregated trend line for all 8 Georgia sites when the data is normalized by PMMoV. The aggregated line and the National Levels benchmarks illustrate that SARS-CoV-2 N gene RNA concentrations among Georgia sites are in the lower third level of all concentrations measured in the last year. In the Southern region, SARS-CoV-2 is in the "Medium" wastewater category with low concentrations.

As of 10/29/24, Little River is in the MEDIUM (1 site) wastewater category. College Park, Big Creek, and Johns Creek are in the LOW (3 sites) category. There was not enough data to calculate a category for RM Clayton, South River, Utoy Creek, and Columbus.

Sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 from wastewater is available for RM Clayton and College Park (Camp Creek). The plots below show the relative proportions of different variants inferred from sequencing the entire genome of SARS-CoV-2 (Note: the sequencing variant plots are now available on the website, so the plots that are shown below are linked above if you want to interact with them). Results are based on sequencing of 2 samples per week, combined to provide a weekly value.

In the most recent samples, KP.2 (41.7%) and KP.3 (41.7%) made up the largest proportions of lineages detected at RM Clayton. KP.2 (100.0%) made up the lineages detected at College Park. Note that the most recent data is shown below & should be updated as more samples are analyzed (through Aug 31 at RM Clayton and Sep 21 at College Park).

Sequencing data is now also available in aggregate across all sites in WWSCAN with sequencing data through Oct 19. That plot is shown below and suggests that KP.3 is the most abundant variant across all sites (43.4%) while JN.1.11 is the second most abundant variant (24.0%).

Influenza A (IAV) RNA was only detected at the Big Creek site in the last two weeks, according to the heat map below.

The chart below shows the raw data and the population-weighted aggregated trend line for all 8 Georgia sites when the data is normalized by PMMoV is at the bottom of the middle third level. As of 10/29/24, College Park, Big Creek, Johns Creek, and Little River are in the LOW (4 sites) wastewater category. There was not enough data to calculate a category for RM Clayton, South River, Utoy Creek, and Columbus.

H5 marker in Influenza A (IAV) Below is a heat map showing the Georgia sites with samples collected in the last 6 weeks. All results thus far have been non-detect at all Georgia WWSCAN sites based on available data. For more information about this testing and interpretation of results, see our FAQ sheet here.

Influenza B (IBV) RNA was detected at Johns Creek in the last 2 weeks, according to the heat map below. As of 10/29/24, College Park, Big Creek, Johns Creek, and Little River are in the LOW (4 sites) wastewater category. There was not enough data to calculate a category for RM Clayton, South River, Utoy Creek, and Columbus.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) RNA has been detected more frequently in some Georgia WWSCAN sites over the past couple of weeks, with RSV RNA concentrations below 14,100 copies/g. In the last two weeks, it has been detected at all 8 sites, according to the heat map below. As of 10/29/24, College Park is in the HIGH (1 site) wastewater category. College Park, Big Creek, and Johns Creek are in the LOW (3 sites) category. There was not enough data to calculate a category for RM Clayton, South River, Utoy Creek, and Columbus.

HMPV (human metapneumovirus) RNA has rarely been detected at Georgia WWSCAN sites. Over the last 6 weeks, there have been single HMPV RNA detections at the Big Creek, Johns Creek, and Little River sites, based on the heat map below. As of 10/29/24, College Park, Big Creek, Johns Creek, and Little River are in the LOW (4 sites) wastewater category. There was not enough data to calculate a category for RM Clayton, South River, Utoy Creek, and Columbus.

EV-D68 RNA continues to be frequently detected at all Georgia WWSCAN sites with concentrations below 48,000 copies/g over the last two weeks, according to the heat map below. As a reminder, the color blue means the sample was non-detect for EV-D68 RNA and the colors get darker orange with higher concentrations. Note: EV-D68 is now classified as a "seasonally detected pathogen" instead of a "not commonly detected pathogen" due to an increase in detections this year, aligning it more with characteristics of seasonal epidemic pathogens.

As of 10/29/24, College Park, Big Creek, and Johns Creek are in the HIGH (3 sites) wastewater category, while Little River is in the LOW (1 site) wastewater category. There was not enough data to calculate a category for RM Clayton, South River, Utoy Creek, and Columbus. In the South, EV-D68 is in the "High" wastewater category.

The chart below shows the raw data and the population-weighted aggregated trend line for all 8 Georgia sites when the data is normalized by PMMoV.

Norovirus GII (HuNoV GII) RNA concentrations range between 1,600,000 - 17,000,000 copies/g, and the population-weighted average line when the data is normalized by PMMoV for the 8 Georgia sites is within the middle third level. HuNoV GII RNA chart below also shows the raw data. As of 10/29/24, Little River is in the HIGH (1 site) wastewater category. College Park, Big Creek, and Johns Creek are in the LOW (3 sites) category. There was not enough data to calculate a category for RM Clayton, South River, Utoy Creek, and Columbus.

Rotavirus RNA concentrations have been below 18,500 copies/g over the last two weeks. The chart below shows the population-weighted average line is shown in black plus the raw data over the last 365 days for each site. As of 10/29/24, College Park, Big Creek, Johns Creek, and Little River are in the LOW (4 sites) wastewater category. There was not enough data to calculate a category for RM Clayton, South River, Utoy Creek, and Columbus.

Mpox clade II DNA had single detections at the Utoy Creek (October 1st) and South River (October 10th) sites in the last month. This heat map shows data since July 2022. Sites are labeled in the rows and each date a sample was collected as a column. The color blue means the sample was non-detect for mpox DNA and the color maroon means Mpox DNA was detected. White indicates no sample was collected. As of 10/29/24, College Park, Big Creek, Johns Creek, and Little River are in the LOW (4 sites) wastewater category. There was not enough data to calculate a category for RM Clayton, South River, Utoy Creek, and Columbus.

Candida auris DNA was only detected RM Clayton in the last two weeks, based on the heat map below. As of 10/29/24, College Park, Big Creek, Johns Creek, and Little River are in the LOW (4 sites) wastewater category. There was not enough data to calculate a category for RM Clayton, South River, Utoy Creek, and Columbus.

Hepatitis A RNA has been sporadically detected at sites, according to the heat map. As of 10/29/24, College Park, Big Creek, Johns Creek, and Little River are in the LOW (4 sites) wastewater category. There was not enough data to calculate a category for RM Clayton, South River, Utoy Creek, and Columbus.

Protocols (Pre-analytical methods and SARS-CoV-2 analytical methods including controls):

• High Throughput RNA Extraction and PCR Inhibitor Removal of Settled Solids for Wastewater Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 RNA
• High Throughput pre-analytical processing of wastewater settled solids for SARS-CoV-2 RNA analyses
• Quantification of SARS-CoV-2 variant mutations (HV69-70, E484K/N501Y, del156-157/R158G, del143-145, LPPA24S, S:477-505, and ORF1a Del 141-143) in settled solids using digital RT-PCR
• High Throughput SARS-COV-2, PMMoV, and BCoV quantification in settled solids using digital RT-PCR

Pre-prints and peer-reviewed publications provided WWSCAN methods: 

• SARS-CoV-2 
• Influenza, Human metapneumovirus, Respiratory syncytial virus, Human parainfluenza
• Mpox
• Norovirus GII
• Adenovirus group F, Rotavirus, Candida auris, Hepatitis A
• Enterovirus D68

Newly published papers are available here:

• Detection of Hemagglutinin H5 Influenza A Virus Sequence in Municipal Wastewater Solids at Wastewater Treatment Plants with Increases in Influenza A in Spring, 2024
• Prospective study of Candida auris nucleic acids in wastewater solids in 190 wastewater treatment plants in the United States suggests widespread occurrence

Recently accepted papers to be published soon:

• Detection of Hepatovirus A (HAV) in wastewater indicates widespread national distribution and association with socioeconomic indicators of vulnerability
• Detection and quantification of human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) total nucleic acids in wastewater settled solids from two California communities
• Human pathogen nucleic acids in wastewater solids from 191 wastewater treatment plants in the United States. Accepted at Scientific Data.

Public Health Factsheets:

• Influenza A Fact Sheet: Provides a summary of a November 2023 paper exploring how to analyze wastewater data to extract relevant public health insights on Influenza A. Click here to access the IAV fact sheet.
• RSV Fact Sheet: Provides a summary of a March 2024 paper exploring how to analyze wastewater data to extract relevant public health insights on RSV. Click here to access the RSV fact sheet.

WastewaterSCAN Published Body of Work document:

• We are excited to share a new document that provides an overview of the program’s peer-reviewed scientific literature, organized by topics and themes. Click here to access the WastewaterSCAN published body of work.

The next WastewaterSCAN stakeholder meeting will take place at 12pm ET on November 8, 2024. You can use this zoom link to join. Hope to see you there!