Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Two UNCW faculty members are testing wastewater on the UNCW campus and at two Cape Fear Public Utility Authority wastewater treatment plants for signs of the RNA of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. The work, conducted with a $75,000 grant through the North Carolina Policy Collaboratory based at UNC-Chapel Hill, could pinpoint areas with potential outbreaks.

Larry Cahoon, a biological oceanographer, virologist Art Frampton, and Ryan Rhodes, microbiologist from the Department of Biology and Marine Biology, are assisted by graduate student Jacob Kazenelson, whose master’s thesis is based on the project.

Testing sewage for the coronavirus RNA provides information about the virus on a community scale and also aids in identifying where there may be asymptomatic cases of COVID-19. It cannot identify individuals who are infected with the virus.

“Our aim here is to look for trends,” said Cahoon. “We are going to be able to detect very small amounts of RNA. The method is a lot cheaper than standard, individual testing, faster and, potentially, quantitative and more accurate.”

The UNCW team is part of a nearly $1.8 million statewide project led by Rachel Noble of the Institute of Marine Sciences at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Their collection tools include one of Cahoon’s deep-sea fishing rods, modified for the job at hand, and Mason jars, known for their tight seals. A more sophisticated instrument system purchased with funds allocated by the College of Arts and Sciences aids in analyzing the samples and can pick up very small amounts of the virus.

The sampling can identify viral “signals” in wastewater, and the aim of the research is to be able to quantify its presence reliably enough to use as a surveillance tool, Cahoon said. Ultimately, as the methodology is refined, a sampling process could help alert public health officials to potential outbreaks.

“This is an exciting research project and is an example of the value of growing high-quality research at UNCW,” said Stuart Borrett, associate provost for research and innovation. “Our students, staff and faculty are conducting research that has positive impacts for our community. This is a key feature of the university’s Strategic Plan.”

As much is left to discover about how to apply the information, the university’s senior leadership is not using the data to inform decisions related to COVID-19, Borrett said.

Most of the sampling has been done on Fridays at five locations on the UNCW campus, although CFPUA is also helping to collect samples from their treatment plants for testing.

Once they have their samples, Frampton, Rhodes and Kazenelson slip the Mason jars into a hot water bath to deactivate any live microbes that remain. UNCW does not currently have the capacity to work with live coronaviruses, although the SARS-CoV-2 virus is not thought to be very hardy in wastewater, noted Frampton.

Wastewater testing could help health officials identify and mitigate an outbreak before it becomes widespread, he said.

“One advantage to this approach is that we are essentially sampling from a large group of people, and it’s anonymous,” said Frampton. “A pooled sample allows us to identify hot spots.”

Graduate student Jacob Kazenelson (left) and Art Frampton, associate professor of biology and marine biology, have been collecting wastewater samples that will be tested for signs of the virus that causes COVID-19.

-- Tricia Vance

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