Project 466878

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is the analysis of sewage effluent for community-level detection of the consumption or shedding of a substance. WBE of infectious disease can confirm the presence of a disease in a community and track the community-wide spread of that disease after initial detection. Throughout the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, WBE was utilized with success to track trends in COVID-19 transmission in Northwest Territories using the Cepheid GeneXpert system, a fully automated desk-top technology traditionally used for clinical testing. Following the success of using the GeneXpert for WBE of COVID-10, partner communities expressed interest in utilizing this technology for WBE of other pathogens, including sexually transmitted blood-borne infections (STBBIs). The prevalence of STBBIs in Canada has been increasing for at least 15 years and is notably the highest in the northern territories and the prairie provinces. We will attempt to use specialized tests for the GeneXpert, and conventional qPCR to determine if target STBBIs can be detected from wastewater using samples collected from an established network of sampling sites initially established to monitor COVID-19 transmission. If successful, WBE of STBBIs could allow for unbiased, community-wide detection of STBBIs which would be especially impactful in northern and remote communities in Canada where the prevalence of STBBIs is high and access to healthcare is disproportionately low. This strategy of using WBE for tracking the community-wide transmission STBBIs would allow for improved, unbiased disease surveillance and targeted allocation of resources to affected communities. This represents an equitable allocation of resources for all.