Village of Experts
VILLAGE OF EXPERTS: An Innovative Response to a Novel Virus
Concerns about the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, on a college campus are well-founded. Avoiding a campus coronavirus outbreak was one of the reasons why UNC Charlotte leadership decided to postpone the start of in-person classes until October 5, more than a month after students began virtual classes.
In the months leading up to the September 28 move-in day, a small cadre of UNC Charlotte researchers had begun developing a testing protocol for the detecting and tracking the virus on campus. This effort was part of the university’s $2.5 million investment for COVID-19 preparation.
The testing method used on campus amounts to high-tech sewage surveillance. It consists of looking for genetic evidence (ribonucleic acid or RNA) of the virus in fecal matter in wastewater collected from residence halls. RNA is extracted from raw sewage samples and tested using specialized equipment that detects SARS-CoV-2, the scientific name for this novel coronavirus strain, using a technique that depends on RT-qPCR or quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. In early October, mere days after students arrived on campus, this innovative protocol was put to the test. A positive signal was detected in wastewater samples from a dorm. UNC Charlotte Student Health nurses were brought in to help with testing. With this rapid response, a possible outbreak was avoided. This type of testing can help ferret out infected individuals who are asymptomatic.
The UNC Charlotte research team working with this method for campus monitoring for COVID-19 includes Dr. Cynthis Gibas, professor of bioinformatics and genomics (BiG), CEE professor Dr. Mariya Munir and Dr. Jessica Schlueter (BiG), CEE postdoctoral researcher Visva Barua, CEE Ph.D. students Ariful Juel, Sol Park, and Adeola Sorinolu, and CEE undergraduate student Isaiah Young. The team includes faculty and students from both the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering and the Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics.
Researchers routinely test about 20 different campus sites, three times per week, for the presence of the RNA of SARS-CoV-2. Since wastewater contains the feces and urine of COVID 19 infected people, testing of wastewater can present near real-time outbreak statistics. This testing provides data that can be used as an early warning system. “This is indeed very important work in keeping our campus safe,” says Dr. Munir. “Everyone has been very appreciative of this effort.” Dr. Munir’s environmental microbiology laboratory is housed in EPIC building and includes an array of powerful molecular genetic equipment like the RT-qPCR used in her wastewater research.
Campus wastewater surveillance helps researchers to keep close tabs on our campus positivity rate, which has consistently been around 1%. This is a success story for using science and engineering in a low-invasive manner. Other U.S. universities are using indirect surveillance as well. The Rochester Institute of Technology (R.I.T.) in New York tests the sewage from more than 15 residence halls twice a week. Whereas, Yale and the University of Illinois have opted to use an FDA-approved saliva test that gives quick results.
The researchers in CEE are at the forefront of this battle. Dr. Munir is also involved in other statewide COVID-19 surveillance study tracking SARS-CoV-2 in the wastewater across a range of North Carolina municipalities. This work is valuable to support strategies to control community transmission and understands the trends associated with COVID-19 social distancing and mitigation measures. Other university partners include North Carolina State University, UNC Chapel Hill, UNC Wilmington, and the UNC Institute of Marine Sciences. They are all part of the North Carolina Policy Collaboratory. For more on this multidisciplinary state-wide research collaboration initiated in 2016, visit https://collaboratory.unc.edu.