The detection of viruses in wastewater by molecular analyses, allows the epidemiological surveillance of human diseases transmitted by the fecal oral route, such as enteric viruses, or excreted with feces or urine, as the case of SARS-CoV-2.
Detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA by molecular techniques in wastewater, sewers, and sludge has showed its potential as an early warning tool and can be used as an epidemiological indicator of emerging variants of concern. Similarly, the surveillance of noroviruses, HAV, HEV and rotaviruses in sewage is useful to assess their circulation in the population as well as to provide information on the circulating types or variants.
