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© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) offers a promising tool for sexually transmitted infection (STI) surveillance, especially in settings where underdiagnosis or social stigma complicates conventional reporting. To assess its utility, we conducted a year-long study examining six STIs, Chlamydia trachomatis, Treponema pallidum, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and herpes simplex virus (HSV), in weekly composite samples from the primary influent of a small-sized Midwestern wastewater treatment plant. Pathogen detection and quantification were performed via digital PCR. Among the tested targets, Gonorrhea, HIV, HCV, and HSV were detected at the highest frequencies, often in 40–50% of the samples, while Chlamydia and Syphilis appeared less frequently. Despite the variability in detection patterns, this study demonstrates that even infrequent signals can reveal community-level shedding of poorly reported or asymptomatic infections. Although month-to-month wastewater data were not strongly correlated with corresponding clinical records, which could potentially reflect delayed healthcare seeking and pathogen-specific shedding dynamics, the overall findings underscore WBE’s ability to complement existing surveillance by capturing infections outside traditional healthcare channels. These results not only advance our understanding of STI prevalence and population shedding but also highlight the practical benefits of WBE as an early warning and targeted intervention tool.

Details

Title
Monitoring Multiple Sexually Transmitted Pathogens Through Wastewater Surveillance
Author
Alshehri Balghsim; Birch, Olivia N  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Greaves, Justin C
First page
562
Publication year
2025
Publication date
2025
Publisher
MDPI AG
e-ISSN
20760817
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
3223930530
Copyright
© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.