Lessons from the wastewater surveillance program initiated in early 2020, and expanded in 2022 to include sequencing the virus that causes COVID-19, inform methods to improve public health.
Three Wadsworth Center Researchers from the Laboratory of Viral Diseases, Chief Kirsten St. George, PhD; Research and Development Group Lead Daryl Lamson; and Research Scientist Lindsey Rickerman, sequenced SARS-CoV-2 from samples collected by partners who assisted with data analysis.
Findings: More genetic diversity means more circulating virus and community transmission, and this approach, sequencing and analyzing degree of genetic diversity, can be applied to many infectious agents, making it a powerful tool for epidemiologists.
Partners
- Syracuse University - Department of Public Health, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs; Department of Biology; and the School of Information Studies
- State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry
- Upstate Medical University
- New York State Department of Health, Wadsworth Center
Read the study
Genetic variability of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater and associations with community transmission
Hill DT, Schulman R, Caldas IV, Dunham C, Zhu Y, Lamson D, Rickerman L, St George K, Ahmed-Braimah Y, Green H, Kmush BL, Middleton F, Larsen DA.
Science. 2026 May 14;392(6799):735-741. doi: 10.1126/science.aed6094. Epub 2026 May 14. PMID: 42133772.
Learn more
- Syracuse University News - Study Links Virus Genetic Variations in Wastewater to Community Transmission
- Wadsworth Center's Virology Laboratory
- New York State Department of Health press release announcing expanded wastewater surveillance and increased disease monitoring
- NYS Wastewater Surveillance Center of Excellence