This infographic is a guide to wastewater testing methods explored in South Africa. It shows the different methodologies that various institutions applied in the detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater.

The infographic is divided into two sections:

Section 1: Different methodologies explored

This section lists the different wastewater testing methods explored by various institutions in South Africa, including:

EC/extranase supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) method
Tangential flow filtration (TTF) method
Standard curve method
Commercial multiplex Sageny and Quant Fast Pathogen Kit
Ultraviolet (UV) light
Section 2: Observations and recommendations

This section provides observations and recommendations for wastewater testing in South Africa.

Observations:

The TFF method is widely used in the arms of biotechnology, mainly for the purification of cells, virus, and bacterial proteins.
The characteristics of each sample must be analyzed and considered because of the varying characteristics of wastewater between and within the plant.
The commercial multiplex Sageny and Quant Fast Pathogen Kit in-house detected SARS-CoV-2. The Sageny kit is more sensitive than the Quantifast N assay and has the advantage of amplifying 3 targets in one reaction and is more likely to be more consistent across laboratories.
Recommendations:

Conduct retro studies to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the different wastewater testing methods.
Expand wastewater testing to a larger number of wastewater treatment plants.
Develop standard operating procedures (SOPs) for wastewater testing to ensure consistency and comparability of results across laboratories.
The infographic also includes a list of research partners and contact information for more information on the wastewater surveillance program in South Africa.