Developing Measurements of Health Markers in Wastewater
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When someone uses the bathroom, they excrete bacteria, viruses, and chemical metabolite markers that reflect the state of their health. These markers end up in wastewater, which represents a pooled sample from everyone that contributed to it and can provide a way to monitor the health of that population using a practice called wastewater-based epidemiology. Researchers and public health officials have developed assays, or tests, to determine the quantity of a variety of health markers in wastewater, including pathogenic viruses, bacteria, and chemical metabolites. Assays can also be developed for specific hormones or metabolic indicators of a particular disease. This brief summarizes the considerations, methods, and challenges when developing tests for new public health targets in wastewater.
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