In this June 2018 update, we would like to give some information about the status of the pilot run from 2016. The manuscript based on the pilot run from 2016 is still in review. The manuscript is an important step forward acknowledging our proposed surveillance concept.
We have also submitted and made publicly available all of the sequence data from the pilot run - Project acc.:PRJEB27054 / Submission acc.: ERA1502683. We are about to submit the June 2017 sequencing data to the ENA private hub dcc_liszt, which is login protected. This pre-publication, restricted access country-specific data allows the country to perform their own analysis and research on the data. Access can only be granted to the data provider because we want to protect the data until the next publication/ study.
We are of course also continuing with the full-scale urban sewage project, and we know that many of you already anticipate to collect more urban sewage samples in June and November this year. Please note that it is not too late to sign up for June submission if you have missed the opportunity. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/UrbanSewageSurveillance
Two months ago (April 2018), the Global Sewage Surveillance Project was also adopted by FAO and OIE, which opens up a new phase of the project. This phase (2.2) will run in parallel with the urban sewage collection trials for June and November 2018 (phase 2.1).
In phase 2.2, we want to expand the aim to also include wastewater samples from slaughterhouses for comparison purposes. Slaughterhouses are all very different in design, which is why the wastewater sample should be collected from the slaughter-line including a presentation of as many animals as possible. We want to investigate the interaction and effect between the reservoirs of the healthy animals and healthy humans.
Should you or a colleague of yours, however, also be interested in taking part of this phase 2.2 collection of wastewater samples from slaughterhouses, then please indicate this by signing up.
Please go to the link to express your interest and sign up to receive more information about phase 2.2, slaughterhouse wastewater collection. ttps://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SlaughterWWS
By comparing sewage from slaughterhouses to the urban sewage samples, we will get a better understanding on how antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes, pathogens and other factors related to human health may spread from healthy animals over to (healthy) humans through the environment.
Participating institutions/countries will receive access to their sequenced data prior to publication. All individual data-contributors will be acknowledged as a form of co-authorship in the first publication of the full study roll out. The eventual public release of all sequencing data fulfils the aims of open data, open sharing, open science; a common goal among the researchers of this project.
We hope all who wish have signed up to participate in this phase 2. If not, there is still time: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/UrbanSewageSurveillance