Editorial Material
Engineering, Environmental
Satoru Chatani, Eleni Dovrou, Jingkun Jiang, Timothy Julian, Tamar Kohn, Mark LeChevallier, Qing Li, Alvine Mehinto, Mark Strynar, Hongliang Zhang, Shaojun Zhang, Lingyan Zhu
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Xavier Fernandez-Cassi, Andreas Scheidegger, Carola Banziger, Federica Cariti, Alex Tunas Corzon, Pravin Ganesanandamoorthy, Joseph C. Lemaitre, Christoph Ort, Timothy R. Julian, Tamar Kohn
Summary: The study found that wastewater monitoring can more accurately track the timing and shape of COVID-19 infection peaks, while confirmed cases provide a better estimate of the subsequent decline in infections. Under conditions of high test positivity rates, wastewater-based epidemiology provides critical information that complements clinical data in monitoring the pandemic trajectory.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Margot Olive, Felix Moerman, Xavier Fernandez-Cassi, Florian Altermatt, Tamar Kohn
Summary: Biological treatment of waterborne viruses through protists' grazing behavior is effective and consistent, regardless of the presence of multiple viruses. The extent of virus removal is correlated with an increase in the protists' swimming speed, indicating a response to the availability of food. The feeding behavior is likely driven by the hydrophobicity of the viruses, rather than their size or the presence of a lipid envelope.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Lea Caduff, David Dreifuss, Tobias Schindler, Alexander J. Devaux, Pravin Ganesanandamoorthy, Anina Kull, Elyse Stachler, Xavier Fernandez-Cassi, Niko Beerenwinkel, Tamar Kohn, Christoph Ort, Timothy R. Julian
Summary: This study adapts a rapid, high-throughput method to detect and quantify the relative frequency of characteristic deletions of the Alpha, Beta, and Gamma variants of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater. The results provide insights into the transmission fitness advantage of the Alpha variant and demonstrate the potential of wastewater surveillance for real-time monitoring of VOCs.
Article
Ecology
Marie-Helene Corre, Virginie Bachmann, Tamar Kohn
Summary: In this study, the inactivation of Echovirus-11 and Coxsackievirus-A9 by bacteria isolated from Lake Geneva was investigated. Results showed that majority of bacterial species can cause significant reduction of CVA9, while fewer species had lower inactivation effects on E11. The study also confirmed the role of matrix metalloproteases as effective controls on the environmental persistence of enteroviruses.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jenna Senecal, Annika Christina Nordin, Loic Decrey, Tamar Kohn, Bjoern Vinneras
Summary: Human urine can be used as fertilizer and alkaline-urine treatment is being developed for easier reuse. However, there is a risk of pathogen presence. This study examined the inactivation of three model organisms during alkaline-urine treatment and drying, and found that drying with alkaline-urine is effective in reducing viable eggs of the parasite, but partial drying of urine resulted in longer inactivation times compared to wet or dry conditions. Virus inactivation occurred during the addition of calcium hydroxide, but embedded viruses in feces had longer survival times. Thermal treatment and storage are recommended for parasite-prone areas, and drying can be used in combination to speed up the process.
FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Editorial Material
Engineering, Environmental
Ling Jin, Amy Pruden, Alexandria B. Boehm, Pedro J. J. Alvarez, Lutgarde Raskin, Tamar Kohn, Xiangdong Li
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Shotaro Torii, Marie-Helene Corre, Fuminari Miura, Masae Itamochi, Kei Haga, Kazuhiko Katayama, Hiroyuki Katayama, Tamar Kohn
Summary: The study examined the inactivation kinetics of different enterovirus variants by free chlorine and UV irradiation, revealing that the inactivation mechanisms of free chlorine are genotype- and genogroup-dependent, while UV inactivation mainly depends on genomic size and composition. The distribution of inactivation rate constants and the abundance of each genotype are crucial parameters in accurately predicting the overall inactivation of an enterovirus population by free chlorine.
Article
Microbiology
Katharina Jahn, David Dreifuss, Ivan Topolsky, Anina Kull, Pravin Ganesanandamoorthy, Xavier Fernandez-Cassi, Carola Banziger, Alexander J. Devaux, Elyse Stachler, Lea Caduff, Federica Cariti, Alex Tunas Corzon, Lara Fuhrmann, Chaoran Chen, Kim Philipp Jablonski, Sarah Nadeau, Mirjam Feldkamp, Christian Beisel, Catharine Aquino, Tanja Stadler, Christoph Ort, Tamar Kohn, Timothy R. Julian, Niko Beerenwinkel
Summary: Genomic sequencing of wastewater samples can provide early detection and surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 variants. The COJAC bioinformatics method based on variant-specific signature mutations is a robust indicator of low-frequency variants. Analysis of multiple wastewater samples allows for estimation of variant prevalence and transmission fitness advantage.
NATURE MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Letter
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Liviana K. Klein, Beiping Luo, Nir Bluvshtein, Ulrich K. Krieger, Aline Schaub, Irina Glas, Shannon C. David, Kalliopi Violaki, Ghislain Motos, Marie O. Pohl, Walter Hugentobler, Athanasios Nenes, Silke Stertz, Thomas Peter, Tamar Kohn
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Shotaro Torii, Shannon Christa David, Odile Larive, Federica Cariti, Tamar Kohn
Summary: The virucidal efficacies of disinfectants vary depending on the host cell used in the infectivity assay. Different host cells may have different entry routes for enteroviruses, and the choice of host cell can affect the observed inactivation kinetics of the disinfectant. The inactivation rates of echovirus 11 by UV or heat were independent of the host cell, but the inactivation by free chlorine was faster when enumerated on BGMK cells compared to RD and A549 cells. This host cell-dependent inactivation kinetics were also observed for other enteroviruses.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Beiping Luo, Aline Schaub, Irina Glas, Liviana K. Klein, Shannon C. David, Nir Bluvshtein, Kalliopi Violaki, Ghislain Motos, Marie O. Pohl, Walter Hugentobler, Athanasios Nenes, Ulrich K. Krieger, Silke Stertz, Thomas Peter, Tamar Kohn
Summary: Respiratory viruses, such as influenza virus and SARS-CoV-2, can be transmitted by the airborne route. While air filtration and ventilation can reduce virus concentration, they fail to consider the impact of aerosol acidity on virus persistence. This study finds that exhaled particles in indoor air become mildly acidic, rapidly inactivating influenza virus but requiring days for SARS-CoV-2. Manipulating aerosol pH can significantly affect virus transmission and mitigation strategies.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Chaojie Li, Emile Sylvestre, Xavier Fernandez-Cassi, Timothy R. Julian, Tamar Kohn
Summary: This study proposes a model that combines water quality and quantitative microbial risk assessment to study the transport, fate, and infection risk of waterborne viruses in Lake Geneva. Results show that norovirus is the most abundant virus and poses a higher infection risk compared to other viruses studied.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Federica Cariti, Alex Tunas Corzon, Xavier Fernandez-Cassi, Pravin Ganesanandamoor, Christoph Ort, Timothy R. Julian, Tamar Kohn
Summary: Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has been proven effective in monitoring the spread of SARS-CoV-2 during the COVID-19 pandemic. A study conducted in Ticino, Switzerland, using WBE revealed the spatiotemporal evolution of the virus in the canton. This highlights the potential of WBE as a versatile tool for monitoring the introduction and spread of infectious agents.
Article
Remote Sensing
Chaojie Li, Daniel Odermatt, Damien Bouffard, Alfred Wueest, Tamar Kohn
Summary: The rapid development of equipment, technology and computational power has led to advancements in the monitoring and simulation of hydrodynamics in lakes. However, water quality simulations are more challenging. This study demonstrates the use of remote sensing data to inform Lagrangian particle tracking in a large lake, improving the analysis of solute transport. The integration of remote sensing techniques and particle tracking modeling allows for rapid, continuous and more accurate analysis of water quality in lakes.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF APPLIED EARTH OBSERVATION AND GEOINFORMATION
(2022)