Connect with us

Tech

Virginia Tech researchers start testing COVID-19 on campus effluent: Augusta Free Press

 


Published on Sunday, September 6, 2020, at 8:09 am

Join AFP’s 100,000+ followers on Facebook

Buy AFP Subscription | Subscribe to AFP Podcasts on iTunes

News, press releases, letters to editors: [email protected]

Advertising inquiries: [email protected]

Twitter Facebook WhatsApp LinkedIn Reddit Tumblr Email

Mason adams

(Fabien – stock.adobe.com)

A team of Virginia Tech researchers will begin testing wastewater at 15 campus sites for the presence of COVID-19. This will allow universities to identify and respond to positive tests more quickly.

This advance will allow universities to monitor campus building clusters daily to test for the presence of viruses in their faeces. If the test shows a positive result, the university can conduct targeted testing among individuals within the building to reduce the likelihood of infection. The idea is to identify clusters of viruses more aggressively, even when an individual is asymptomatic.

The general idea is that people with COVID-19 excrete viruses or viral RNA from their faeces, which leads to sewers, said Peter Vikesland, a professor of civil and environmental engineering. This signal can be detected for some time after a person becomes ill and may be detected before the clinical case begins.

A team led by Vikesland, Amy Pruden, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Ph.D. The Ayella Maile-Moskowitz candidate has sampled at five campus sites to test the process, but has just begun testing the sample. Currently, Virginia Tech’s Vice President of Research and Development’s office and the Department of Civil Engineering have invested $200,000 to extend the project to 15 sites on the Blacksburg campus. Most, but not all, sampling sites focus on dormitory gatherings.

“When we saw researchers all over the world testing wastewater for COVID, it’s interesting to see if that’s possible because we’ve already examined wastewater for pathogens and viruses in the lab. I thought,” Maile-Moskowitz said. “It became clear that the pandemic wouldn’t go anywhere, so I thought it was an opportunity, especially as an early warning system, to help the university identify possible outbreaks around the university. “

Prudden said it is in the process of expanding surveillance and obtaining baselines. Students who tested positive were planning to sample from sewer sewage on an isolated campus. It’s a good positive control to compare to and you’ll work from there.

Each site can be monitored daily and samples are sent to the Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory at VTC’s Fullerin Biomedical Institute. The lab processes clinical swabs for the COVID-19 test in the Roanoke and New River Valleys.

The idea of ​​the whole study is conceptually very simple, said Carla Finkielstein, who is responsible for the lab and associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences. If you really think, what we want here is to use some broad method to test the community and see if a potential COVID outbreak occurs. The idea is to identify the virus before it spreads. One of the most difficult things to do is identify presymptomatic and subclinical cases. Performing such sewer epidemiology will give you a snapshot of what is happening in the population and the conditions that do not show symptoms of the disease. You can detect the virus before someone shows any symptoms.

Samples are processed within a day of being received in the lab and additional samples do not add significantly to the lab workload, Finkielstein said. In fact, they may help Virginia Tech actively target testing to potential outbreaks. If the cluster of housing halls gives a positive result, Virginia Tech will work with the Virginia Department of Health to do more testing in these halls. About contact tracking.

This methodology stems from a previous project aimed at monitoring sewage and tracking antibiotic resistance. With the pandemic and approval to develop the COVID-19 process, researchers may be able to learn more and adapt the system to monitor other viruses and markers in the future.

Prudden wants to build a platform that is flexible not only for pandemics, but for future pandemics and global health threats.

Ron Fricker, Senior Associate Dean of the Virginia Tech School of Science, co-leads an interdisciplinary infectious disease modeling group that helps universities better understand and plan the effects of pandemics. He welcomed the sewage monitoring project as a true transformant of Virginia Tech’s ability to monitor COVID-19.

According to Flicker, this effort is the best example of Virginia Tech. Inter-campus collaboration between faculty and students at Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Virginia Tech Emergency Management, a department of engineering, science, veterinary medicine, campus planning, infrastructure and facilities that helps solve key real-world problems Everyone gathered to develop and deploy new technology.

Find out more about Virginia Tech’s response to COVID-19 on the University Ready site.

Relating

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos



picture credit

ExBUlletin

to request, modification Contact us at Here or [email protected]