ISO/CD 7014

Water quality - Sampling, detection and quantification of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater using real-time RT-PCR

Scope

This document specifies procedures for sampling, detection, and quantification of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater. The document is intended to enable inexpensive, fast, and reliable detection of SARS-CoV-2 in a population with the approach of wastewater monitoring.
The method is based on the detection of gene fragments using quantitative RT-PCR (RT-qPCR). The results are expressed as the number of genome copy units (GU) of SARS-CoV-2 per sample volume for RT-qPCR, but the method does not give any information about the infectivity of the virus.
The method described in this document is applicable for wastewater, excluding primary sludge.
The wastewater sampling principles presented herein might be applicable to the other surveillance targets in addition to SARS-CoV-2. But this method is not validated for detection of the other target viruses.
NOTE It might also be used for other types of water. Therefore, different sample volumes might be necessary for the concentration step.
NOTE While the procedures described in this document may be applicable to other pathogens, it is defined for the specific case of SARS-CoV-2 because the optimal methods may differ for each pathogen.