Wastewater surveillance as a tool for understanding West Nile virus transmission and distribution in Oklahoma.
Abstract: West Nile Virus (WNV) is the most widespread and frequently reported mosquito-borne disease in the US, with a high risk of outbreaks. Accurate surveillance of WNV is complicated by many mild or asymptomatic infections, resulting in human cases being under-reported and disease distribution and transmission not being well understood. In this study, we investigated how wastewater surveillance can be used for monitoring WNV in Oklahoma. We analyzed samples collected from wastewater treatment facilities in 16 counties during July 1 to September 31, 2023, for the presence of WNV genetic material and compared the results to the distribution of notified WNV cases in humans and equines and WNV-positive mosquitoes. WNV was detected in wastewater from four locations in three counties. All positive wastewater samples were collected from counties with confirmed human cases and, in two counties, with positive mosquito pools. There was no geographical match between positive wastewater samples and equine cases. We did not detect WNV in wastewater samples from 13 counties, of which five did not report human cases and four had no reports of WNV-positive mosquitoes. Our study presents evidence that WNV genetic material can be detected in wastewater to which thousands of people have contributed. This highlights wastewater surveillance as a promising tool for understanding the distribution of emerging vector-borne diseases, particularly in areas where traditional surveillance approaches lack in representativeness and timeliness.
Copyright © 2025. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Publication Date: 2025-05-21 PubMed ID: 40403543DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.179707Google Scholar: Lookup The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
Summary
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The research study examined the potential use of wastewater surveillance to track West Nile Virus (WNV) distribution and transmission in Oklahoma. It discovered that traces of WNV genetic material can be identified in wastewater across different counties, offering a useful method for observing vector-borne diseases’ distribution, particularly under traditional surveillance constraints.
Research Methodology
- The research was facilitated in Oklahoma, where researchers obtained samples from wastewater treatment facilities located in 16 different counties.
- The sampling period spanned from July 1 to September 31, 2023.
- The objective was to test these samples for the presence of WNV genetic material.
- The findings from the wastewater surveillance were then compared to the distribution of reported WNV cases in humans, equines, and WNV-positive mosquitoes.
Research Outcomes
- The wastewater analysis detected traces of WNV in four locations scattered across three counties.
- Locations with confirmed WNV presence in wastewater were also counties where human cases had been reported and, in two instances, where there was confirmed presence of WNV in mosquito pools.
- Wastewater from 13 counties tested negative for WNV genetic material. Of these, five reported no human WNV instances while four had no confirmation of WNV-positive mosquitoes.
- The study found no geographical alignment between wastewater samples positive for WNV and reported equine cases.
Significance of the Study
- Detection of WNV genetic material in countries’ wastewater indicates that such a surveillance approach can contribute to understanding the distribution and transmission of rising vector-borne diseases.
- It also offers an opportunity to improve accuracy in disease tracking, given that typical surveillance methods might lack timeliness and representativeness, particularly if many cases are mild or asymptomatic.
- This method also suggests the widespread reach of WNV, as the detected traces in wastewater would have been contributed by thousands of residents.
- While the method shows promise, more research is needed in order to explore elements such as the lack of geographical correlation between equine cases and positive wastewater samples and what this might reveal about disease transmission paths.
Cite This Article
APA
Kuhn KG, Shelton K, Sanchez G, Zamor R, Bohanan K, Nichols M, Morris L, Robert J, Austin A, Dart B, Bolding B, Maytubby P, Vogel J, Stevenson B.
(2025).
Wastewater surveillance as a tool for understanding West Nile virus transmission and distribution in Oklahoma.
Sci Total Environ, 983, 179707.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.179707 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Biostatistics & Epidemiology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA. Electronic address: Katrin-kuhn@ouhsc.edu.
- School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA.
- School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA.
- School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA.
- School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA.
- Oklahoma State Department of Health, Oklahoma City, OK 73102, USA.
- Oklahoma State Department of Health, Oklahoma City, OK 73102, USA.
- Oklahoma State Department of Health, Oklahoma City, OK 73102, USA.
- Tulsa City County Health Department, Tulsa, OK 74104, USA.
- Tulsa City County Health Department, Tulsa, OK 74104, USA.
- Oklahoma City-County Health Department, OK 73111, USA.
- Oklahoma City-County Health Department, OK 73111, USA.
- School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA.
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Oklahoma / epidemiology
- Wastewater / virology
- West Nile virus / isolation & purification
- West Nile Fever / epidemiology
- West Nile Fever / transmission
- West Nile Fever / veterinary
- Animals
- Humans
- Environmental Monitoring / methods
- Culicidae / virology
- Horses
- Mosquito Vectors / virology
Conflict of Interest Statement
Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.
Citations
This article has been cited 1 times.- Zulli A, Duong D, Shelden B, Bidwell A, Wolfe MK, White B, Boehm AB. West Nile Virus (Orthoflavivirus nilense) RNA concentrations in wastewater solids at five wastewater treatment plants in the United States. PeerJ 2025;13:e19748.
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