FLUIDANALYTICS.AI
Sarah Jones
Nov 3, 2023
PUNE, IN—How wastewater surveillance revealed early COVID-19 transitions in Pune. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for early, population-level disease surveillance became increasingly urgent. In Pune, India, Fluid Analytics supported the application of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) as a proactive method to track the spread and evolution of SARS-CoV-2 variants across the city.
Between November 2021 and April 2022, wastewater samples were collected from multiple sewage treatment plants serving Pune’s urban population by Fluid Analytics in partnership with CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (NCL). Using molecular analysis and genomic sequencing, the study identified hundreds of SARS-CoV-2 lineages circulating within the community. Crucially, genetic fragments of the Omicron variant were detected in wastewater before the variant was identified through clinical surveillance, demonstrating the ability of WBE to provide early warning of emerging public-health threats.
The analysis also revealed the transition from Delta to multiple Omicron sub-lineages, highlighting how wastewater signals can capture variant dynamics at a city scale—independent of testing rates or healthcare access. This approach enabled continuous monitoring of highly transmissible variants as they emerged and spread through the population.
The findings reinforced the role of wastewater surveillance as a practical public-health tool, capable of detecting infectious agents before they appear in clinical data. Fluid Analytics’ involvement in this work reflects a broader shift toward integrating environmental monitoring, infrastructure data, and public-health intelligence to support faster, more informed responses to future outbreaks.