Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is a very useful tool that allows us to monitor the evolution of an infectious disease. It is based on the fact that a lot of enteric and respiratory microorganisms are excreted through our feces, saliva, and other fluids. This methodology is described to be complementary to the clinical information because its advantages over the previous mentioned, such as it allows to capture information from both symptomatic and non-symptomatic people, it is not dependent on the patients' willingness to seek a doctor to undergo a test, and it is an early detection of increasing cases.
This project is a long-term study of different viruses and their presence in Burgos and Valladolid, two of the most populated cities in Castilla y León (Spain). The results obtained from SARS CoV-2 suggest that WBE merits to be an important tool to know the real health status of the population, particularly when clinical cases are not being highly monitored. Consequently, this methodology could be used as a cheap and early warning tool to predict future outbreaks, allowing sanitary institutions to take proper measures before the dissemination of the pathogen under study.
Lorena Casado MartÌn’s presentation