UK’s first wastewater-based system to detect infectious disease outbreaks opens in Bath

Kaninstudio

A NEW research centre in Bath, UK is aiming to develop the country’s first nationwide early-warning system for local infectious disease outbreaks based on wastewater analysis.

The University of Bath’s Centre of Excellence in Water-based Early-Warning Systems for Health Protection (CWBE) will analyse wastewater from nearby communities by testing for hundreds of trace chemicals and biological markers such as virus and bacterial RNA and DNA. The analysis will then be used to detect potential outbreaks of infectious diseases.

The CWBE is the first centre in the UK to use this approach to infectious disease monitoring, known as wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE).

In the first year, the CWBE will use data from wastewater samples to provide baseline levels. It will take samples from four “living labs” near Bath, including two urban water catchment areas in Bath and Bristol, and two rural catchment areas in Somerset, providing weekly analysis of levels of various pathogens.  They will then begin analysing the water to test interventions aimed at improving public health.

If the initial research proves successful, the researchers hope to extend the system nationwide, allowing them to quickly identify “infectious disease hotspots”.

Tracking spread in real-time

WBE is far quicker than conventional clinical screening, allowing disease spread to be monitored in near real-time.

Barbara Kasprzyk-Hordern, the CWBE’s director and a chemistry professor at the University of Bath’s Institute of Sustainability and Climate Change, said: “We saw during the Covid-19 pandemic how useful it was to get data on numbers infected and their location, but it took days to get data back from PCR tests and was very expensive.

“Since whole communities contribute to wastewater, monitoring it is several orders of magnitude cheaper and faster than clinical screening.”

She added: “WBE is comprehensive, anonymous, and unbiased. It can pick up asymptomatic cases, those from difficult-to-reach communities or areas lacking testing infrastructure. By using wastewater-based epidemiology we are enabling public health experts to monitor health and environmental risks quickly and efficiently.”

Matthew Wade, an environmental science advisor to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and a Visiting Fellow at the University of Bath, said the UKHSA had been working closely with Kasprzyk-Hordern’s team for several years on the project. “We’re delighted to continue to be part of this important project and very excited to achieve this milestone of launching the UK’s first pilot wastewater monitoring centre.”

Health monitoring

Researchers will also be able to use wastewater analysis to monitor the general health of local communities, including gathering data about non-communicable diseases.

Researchers will track chemicals excreted by the body that indicate chronic diseases, stress or inflammation, use of medication or illegal drugs, dietary habits, and exposure to various substances such as pesticides, hazardous chemicals, and household and personal care products. They will also be able to monitor the levels of new synthetic drugs introduced into specific regions.

The data will then be cross-analysed with local prescriptions and demographics to provide a population-level snapshot of community health.