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Leipzig (dpa) - In search of corona viruses, scientists from the Environmental Research Center (UFZ) in Leipzig go where health researchers would not be expected: to the sewage treatment plants of the republic.
"It has been forgotten in Germany that you can detect a lot in wastewater," said environmental virologist and project manager Rene Kallies.
The goal of the Helmholtz-UFZ team is to develop an early warning system for the SARS-CoV-2 infection rate in the population together with researchers from the TU Dresden.
At the end of last year, the researchers collected around 2500 samples from sewage treatment plants across Germany.
They were searched for the genetic material of the coronavirus.
In principle, this is exactly the same diagnostic test as is done in a normal laboratory, said Kallies.
That means: a PCR test.
The researchers' results have not yet been published.
But Kallies was already convinced: "It works."
When the number of corona cases goes up, there is a "signal" in the wastewater.
And that is earlier than the official surveys.
Because it takes some time for patients to go to the doctor, take a test and get a result.
The wastewater would also record people who are not being tested at all or who do not know that they are infected.
The system could also be helpful for debates about easing, said Kallies.
"You can also look at it the other way around: as an all-clear system."
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The people of Leipzig and Dresden are not the only ones trying to monitor wastewater.
There are similar projects in Munich / Karlsruhe, Darmstadt, Hanover and Aachen.
"We all know each other," said Kallies.
And they all pursued a common goal: to develop a method that would apply throughout Germany.
«We want to make it applicable.
Competitive thinking would be out of place, »said Kallies.
The environmental virologist also thinks beyond the corona pandemic: Influenza viruses or multi-resistant germs can also be found in wastewater.
It is still unclear whether there will be such wastewater monitoring in Germany in the future.
The Free State of Saxony initially financed the project in Leipzig and Dresden with 1.2 million euros, as announced by the Ministry of Science in Dresden.
The Ministry of Social Affairs, on the other hand, considers “established procedures for monitoring infection processes” to be more suitable.
A hindrance is that the water management with its many municipal sewage treatment plants is very small-scale.
In the neighboring state of Saxony-Anhalt there is great interest in installing a corona early warning system via wastewater analyzes, said the Ministry of the Environment in Magdeburg.
A pilot project is currently being examined.
It should first be clarified with what effort wastewater monitoring can be carried out.
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UfZ on wastewater monitoring