Paper analysis equipment detects community wastewater and provides early warning for COVID-19

Researchers at Cranfield University in the UK are working on a wastewater-based epidemiological (WBE) method to detect SARS-CoV-2 in viral community wastewater by obtaining biomarkers from the feces and urine of carriers of diseases entering the sewer system, providing an effective and rapid way to predict the potential spread of COVID-19. Details of the study were published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.Recent studies have shown that live SARS-CoV-2 can be isolated from the feces and urine of infected people, and that the virus usually survives for several days in the right environment after leaving the body. Dr. Zhugen Yang, a lecturer in sensor technology at the Cranfield Institute of Water Sciences, said that in communities with asymptomatic infections or when people are unsure if they are infected, community sewage can be detected in real time with this paper analysis device they design, and COVID-19 in communities can be monitored at an early stage to determine if there are carriers of the virus, so that effective interventions can be taken as early as possible to limit the movement of local populations and minimize the spread of pathogens and threats to public health.This paper analysis device is a small analytical tool, printed in wax presses in different functional areas, integrating all the processes required for nucleic acid detection (extraction, enrichment, purification, amplification and visual inspection) into a cheap paper material. The paper equipment is folded and unfolded step by step, the nucleic acid of the pathogen can be filtered from the wastewater sample, and then bio-chemically reacted with pre-installed reagents to detect the presence of NUICS infected with SARS-CoV-2, the results of which can be observed through the naked eye: green circles indicate positive and blue circles negative.The entire testing process is completed by simple folding of the paper-based device in different ways and steps without the use of pumps or power supplies, overcoming pcR limitations and avoiding multiple processes. Paper analysis equipment enables multiple, sensitive tests comparable to PCR laboratory assays and provides high-quality, fast and accurate diagnosis of pathogens. For example, in rural Uganda, paper equipment has been used to multi-measure malaria in whole blood, allowing for sensitive analysis of multiple nucleic acid sequences of pathogens within 50 minutes for higher quality and faster accurate diagnosis.The researchers added that the paper-based device, which is used to detect genetic material in wastewater, is cheap (less than a pound) and, with further improvements, is easily available to non-professionals and is expected to provide complete and immediate population health once it is put into use in the future. In addition, the paper analysis equipment is lightweight, lightweight, easy to stack, store and transport, and can be incinerated after use, reducing the risk of further contamination. (Biological exploration)