Integrating wastewater surveillance for future pandemic preparedness by tracking SARS-CoV-2 RNA in municipal wastewater in Southwest Iran

Wastewater can be a possible source of virus transmission. Therefore, the present research evaluates the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in untreated municipal wastewater in Behbahan County, Iran. 24 wastewater samples were collected from January to February 2021. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was applied for the detection of RNA of the virus of interest. Based on the results, SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected with concentrations ranging from 0 to 2100 gene copies/L in studied samples. A strong positive correlation (r = 0.76, p < 0.01) was observed between viral RNA concentrations in wastewater and the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the region. Based on the findings, wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) can be used as a cost-effective and non-invasive tool for monitoring community-level viral transmission. This research highlights the importance of using WBE in public health strategies, particularly in resource-limited settings, to complement clinical surveillance and provide early warnings of outbreaks. Further research is required to investigate seasonal variations in virus shedding, optimize detection methods to improve sensitivity, and further investigate the relationship between wastewater viral loads and disease transmission dynamics to enhance pandemic preparedness and response.