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Combining Community Wastewater Genomic Surveillance With State Clinical Surveillance: A Framework For Sars-Cov-2 Public Health Practice, Ted Smith, Rochelle H. Holm, Ray Yeager, Joseph B. Moore Iv, Eric C. Rouchka, Kevin J. Sokoloski, Daymond Talley, Vaneet Arora, Sarah Moyer, Aruni Bhatnagar Dec 2021

Combining Community Wastewater Genomic Surveillance With State Clinical Surveillance: A Framework For Sars-Cov-2 Public Health Practice, Ted Smith, Rochelle H. Holm, Ray Yeager, Joseph B. Moore Iv, Eric C. Rouchka, Kevin J. Sokoloski, Daymond Talley, Vaneet Arora, Sarah Moyer, Aruni Bhatnagar

Faculty Scholarship

Study objective: To garner a framework for combining community wastewater surveillance with state clinical surveillance that influence confirmation of SARS-CoV-2 variants within the community, and recommend how the flow of such research evidence could be expanded and employed for public health response. Design, setting, and participants: This work involved analyzing wastewater samples collected weekly from 17 geographically resolved locations in Louisville/Jefferson County, Kentucky from February 10 to November 29, 2021. Genomic surveillance and RT-qPCR platforms were used as screening to identify SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater, and state clinical surveillance was used for confirmation. Main results: The results demonstrate increased epidemiological value …


Public Awareness And Support For Use Of Wastewater For Sars-Cov-2 Monitoring: A Community Survey In Louisville, Kentucky, Rochelle H. Holm, J. Michael Brick, Alok R. Amraotkar, Joy L. Hart, Anish Mukherjee, Jacob Zeigler, Adrienne M. Bushau-Sprinkle, Lauren B. Anderson, Kandi L. Walker, Daymond Talley, Rachel J. Keith, Shesh N. Rai, Kenneth E. Palmer, Aruni Bhatnagar, Ted Smith Oct 2021

Public Awareness And Support For Use Of Wastewater For Sars-Cov-2 Monitoring: A Community Survey In Louisville, Kentucky, Rochelle H. Holm, J. Michael Brick, Alok R. Amraotkar, Joy L. Hart, Anish Mukherjee, Jacob Zeigler, Adrienne M. Bushau-Sprinkle, Lauren B. Anderson, Kandi L. Walker, Daymond Talley, Rachel J. Keith, Shesh N. Rai, Kenneth E. Palmer, Aruni Bhatnagar, Ted Smith

Faculty Scholarship

The majority of sewer systems in the United States and other countries, are operated by public utilities. In the absence of any regulation, public perception of monitoring wastewater for population health biomarkers is an important consideration for a public utility commission when allocating resources for this purpose. In August 2021, we conducted a survey as part of an ongoing COVID-19 community prevalence study in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY. The survey comprised of seven questions about awareness of and privacy concerns and was sent to 32,000 households randomly distributed within the county. A total of 1,220 sampled adults participated in the probability …


High-Throughput Sequencing Of Sars-Cov-2 In Wastewater Provides Insights Into Circulating Variants, Rafaela S. Fontenele, Simona Kraberger, James Hadfield, Erin M. Driver, Devin Bowes, La Rinda A. Holland, Temitope O.C. Faleye, Sangeet Adhikari, Rahul Kumar, Rosa Inchausti, Wydale K. Holmes, Stephanie Deitrick, Philip Brown, Darrell Duty, Ted Smith, Aruni Bhatnagar, Ray A. Yeager, Rochelle H. Holm, Natalia Hoogesteijn Von Reitzenstein, Elliott Wheeler, Kevin Dixon, Tim Constantine, Melissa A. Wilson, Efrem S. Lim, Xiaofang Jiang, Rolf U. Halden, Matthew Scotch, Arvind Varsani Oct 2021

High-Throughput Sequencing Of Sars-Cov-2 In Wastewater Provides Insights Into Circulating Variants, Rafaela S. Fontenele, Simona Kraberger, James Hadfield, Erin M. Driver, Devin Bowes, La Rinda A. Holland, Temitope O.C. Faleye, Sangeet Adhikari, Rahul Kumar, Rosa Inchausti, Wydale K. Holmes, Stephanie Deitrick, Philip Brown, Darrell Duty, Ted Smith, Aruni Bhatnagar, Ray A. Yeager, Rochelle H. Holm, Natalia Hoogesteijn Von Reitzenstein, Elliott Wheeler, Kevin Dixon, Tim Constantine, Melissa A. Wilson, Efrem S. Lim, Xiaofang Jiang, Rolf U. Halden, Matthew Scotch, Arvind Varsani

Faculty Scholarship

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) likely emerged from a zoonotic spill-over event and has led to a global pandemic. The public health response has been predominantly informed by surveillance of symptomatic individuals and contact tracing, with quarantine, and other preventive measures have then been applied to mitigate further spread. Non-traditional methods of surveillance such as genomic epidemiology and wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) have also been leveraged during this pandemic. Genomic epidemiology uses high-throughput sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 genomes to inform local and international transmission events, as well as the diversity of circulating variants. WBE uses wastewater to analyse community spread, …


The Rapid Assessment Of Aggregated Wastewater Samples For Genomic Surveillance Of Sars-Cov-2 On A City-Wide Scale, Eric C. Rouchka, Julia H. Chariker, Kumar Saurabh, Sabine Waigel, Wolfgang Zacharias, Mei Zhang, Daymond Talley, Ian Santisteban, Madeline Puccio, Sarah Moyer, Rochelle H. Holm, Ray A. Yeager, Kevin J. Sokoloski, Joshua Fuqua, Aruni Bhatnagar, Ted Smith Oct 2021

The Rapid Assessment Of Aggregated Wastewater Samples For Genomic Surveillance Of Sars-Cov-2 On A City-Wide Scale, Eric C. Rouchka, Julia H. Chariker, Kumar Saurabh, Sabine Waigel, Wolfgang Zacharias, Mei Zhang, Daymond Talley, Ian Santisteban, Madeline Puccio, Sarah Moyer, Rochelle H. Holm, Ray A. Yeager, Kevin J. Sokoloski, Joshua Fuqua, Aruni Bhatnagar, Ted Smith

Faculty Scholarship

Throughout the course of the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic there has been a need for approaches that enable rapid monitoring of public health using an unbiased and minimally invasive means. A major way this has been accomplished is through the regular assessment of wastewater samples by qRT-PCR to detect the prevalence of viral nucleic acid with respect to time and location. Further expansion of SARS-CoV-2 wastewater monitoring efforts to include the detection of variants of interest/concern through next-generation sequencing has enhanced the understanding of the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak. In this report, we detail the results of a collaborative effort between public health …


Novel Pilot Development Of A Closed-Loop Sustainable System Between Biogas Renewable Energy, Distilling, And Aquaculture By Vermiculture Of Stillage Wastes, Samuel C. Kessler Sep 2021

Novel Pilot Development Of A Closed-Loop Sustainable System Between Biogas Renewable Energy, Distilling, And Aquaculture By Vermiculture Of Stillage Wastes, Samuel C. Kessler

The Cardinal Edge

This study provides a mixed-methods approach in analyzing a potential closed-loop system between renewable biogas production from anaerobic digestion, vermiculture production, aquaculture production, and organic wastes with a particular focus on stillage wastes. Such system may hold significant promise for significantly reducing organic carbon and methane emissions from its components, and should be assessed for such. The 2021 IPCC report essentially identified methane reduction as the single fastest way to slow global warming (IPCC, 2021), making the study and implementation of methane-reducing systems and supportive policy for them critical. Knowledge gaps to implementing this system were qualitatively identified as disconnect …


Standardizing Data Reporting In The Research Community To Enhance The Utility Of Open Data For Sars-Cov-2 Wastewater Surveillance, Jill S. Mcclary-Gutierrez, Zachary T. Aanderud, Mitham Al-Faliti, Claire Duvallet, Raul Gonzalez, Joe Guzman, Rochelle H. Holm, Michael A. Jahne, Rose S. Kantor, Panagis Katsivelis, Katrin Gaardbo Kuhn, Laura M. Langan, Cresten Mansfeldt, Sandra L. Mclellan, Lorelay M. Mendoza Grijalva, Kevin S. Murnane, Colleen C. Naughton, Aaron I. Packman, Sotirios Paraskevopoulos, Tyler S. Radniecki, Fernando A. Roman, Abhilasha Shrestha, Lauren B. Stadler, Joshua A. Steele, Brian M. Swalla, Peter Vikesland, Brian Wartell, Carol J. Wilusz, Judith Chui Ching Wong, Alexandria B. Boehm, Rolf U. Halden, Kyle Bibby, Jeseth Delgado Vela Sep 2021

Standardizing Data Reporting In The Research Community To Enhance The Utility Of Open Data For Sars-Cov-2 Wastewater Surveillance, Jill S. Mcclary-Gutierrez, Zachary T. Aanderud, Mitham Al-Faliti, Claire Duvallet, Raul Gonzalez, Joe Guzman, Rochelle H. Holm, Michael A. Jahne, Rose S. Kantor, Panagis Katsivelis, Katrin Gaardbo Kuhn, Laura M. Langan, Cresten Mansfeldt, Sandra L. Mclellan, Lorelay M. Mendoza Grijalva, Kevin S. Murnane, Colleen C. Naughton, Aaron I. Packman, Sotirios Paraskevopoulos, Tyler S. Radniecki, Fernando A. Roman, Abhilasha Shrestha, Lauren B. Stadler, Joshua A. Steele, Brian M. Swalla, Peter Vikesland, Brian Wartell, Carol J. Wilusz, Judith Chui Ching Wong, Alexandria B. Boehm, Rolf U. Halden, Kyle Bibby, Jeseth Delgado Vela

Faculty Scholarship

SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection in wastewater is being rapidly developed and adopted as a public health monitoring tool worldwide. With wastewater surveillance programs being implemented across many different scales and by many different stakeholders, it is critical that data collected and shared are accompanied by an appropriate minimal amount of meta-information to enable meaningful interpretation and use of this new information source and intercomparison across datasets. While some databases are being developed for specific surveillance programs locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally, common globally-adopted data standards have not yet been established within the research community. Establishing such standards will require national and …


Investigating The Effects Of Perfluorooctanoic Sulfonate (Pfos) And Ethanol On Fatty Liver Disease Using A Modified Niaaa Model., Tyler Charles Gripshover Aug 2021

Investigating The Effects Of Perfluorooctanoic Sulfonate (Pfos) And Ethanol On Fatty Liver Disease Using A Modified Niaaa Model., Tyler Charles Gripshover

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) are a family of man-made, surfactant-like compounds that are a major environmental contaminant. A multitude of studies have indicated that PFAS are able to induce fatty liver disease and modulate lipid metabolism. However, the distinct mechanism of PFAS influence on the liver and metabolism disruption remains to be elucidated. On the other hand, it is well documented that alcohol consumption has various adverse health impacts including fatty liver disease and subsequent progression to more adverse liver states. To date, there are no published studies on whether PFAS and alcohol can jointly exacerbate fatty liver progression or interact …


Geographic And Occupational Mobility Of Small-Scale Fishers Of Lake Malawi: An Exploratory Study Of Water, Sanitation, And Hygiene Access, Malawi, Rochelle H. Holm, Tikhala Chakalamba, Bwighane Ngasama, Fanuel Kapute Aug 2021

Geographic And Occupational Mobility Of Small-Scale Fishers Of Lake Malawi: An Exploratory Study Of Water, Sanitation, And Hygiene Access, Malawi, Rochelle H. Holm, Tikhala Chakalamba, Bwighane Ngasama, Fanuel Kapute

Faculty Scholarship

The livelihood of small-scale fishers on the world’s freshwater lakes cuts across the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, which covers water and sanitation, and SDG 8 on economic growth. The aim of this study was to examine the nature and extent of fishers’ mobility patterns and access to improved sanitation facilities, safe drinking water, and handwashing practices while at work and home for two fishing camps in Malawi. The study used key informant interviews, questionnaires, water quality testing, and an observational checklist, followed by interviews on fishers’ occupational migration. Many fishers (85%; 51/60) live and work in fishing camps with …


Wastewater Sample Site Selection To Estimate Geographically Resolved Community Prevalence Of Covid-19: A Sampling Protocol Perspective, R. Yeager, R. H. Holm, K. Saurabh, J. L. Fuqua, D. Talley, A. Bhatnagar, T. Smith Jul 2021

Wastewater Sample Site Selection To Estimate Geographically Resolved Community Prevalence Of Covid-19: A Sampling Protocol Perspective, R. Yeager, R. H. Holm, K. Saurabh, J. L. Fuqua, D. Talley, A. Bhatnagar, T. Smith

Faculty Scholarship

Wastewater monitoring for virus infections within communities can complement conventional clinical surveillance. Currently, most SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) clinical testing is voluntary and inconsistently available, except for a few occupational and educational settings, and therefore likely underrepresents actual population prevalence. Randomized testing on a regular basis to estimate accurate population-level infection rates is prohibitively costly and is hampered by a range of limitations and barriers associated with participation in clinical research. In comparison, community-level fecal monitoring can be performed through wastewater surveillance to effectively surveil communities. However, epidemiologically defined protocols for wastewater sample site selection are lacking. …


Identifying The Cardiovascular Effects Of Multiple Pollutants., Katlyn Elizabeth Mcgraw May 2021

Identifying The Cardiovascular Effects Of Multiple Pollutants., Katlyn Elizabeth Mcgraw

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death from environmental exposures. Although exposure to PM2.5 is an established risk factor for CVD, the contribution of other hazardous pollutant exposure to CVD is less clear. Overall, this work aimed to examine the effect of pollutants with lesser documented effects on cardiovascular disease using a multi-pronged approach to exposure assessment. The three aims were to examine the relationship between county-level toxic chemical releases and CVD mortality in the contiguous United States between 2002 and 2012, to assess the relationship between individual-level VOC metabolites and vascular function, and to build multipollutant …


Assessing The Role Of Chronic Arsenite Exposure In Disrupting The Egfr Signaling Axis., Christine Kim May 2021

Assessing The Role Of Chronic Arsenite Exposure In Disrupting The Egfr Signaling Axis., Christine Kim

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Chronic arsenic exposure is a risk factor for the development of pulmonary diseases, including lung cancer, but the exact mechanism is not yet fully understood. Many previous studies have relied on acute arsenic exposure (i.e. 1-10 uM arsenic for 24 hours) to study arsenic toxicological effects. However, acute exposure does not reflect the levels or duration of arsenic associated with environmental exposure, or drinking of contaminated well water. This dissertation differentiates the effects of acute versus chronic arsenic exposures on the EGFR signaling axis and suggests possible mechanisms for chronic arsenic-induced pulmonary diseases. The EGFR is a receptor tyrosine kinase …


Impact Of Sampling Depth On Pathogen Detection In Pit Latrines, Drew Capone, Petros Chigwechokha, Francis L. De Los Reyes, Rochelle H. Holm, Benjamin B. Risk, Elizabeth Tilley, Joe Brown Mar 2021

Impact Of Sampling Depth On Pathogen Detection In Pit Latrines, Drew Capone, Petros Chigwechokha, Francis L. De Los Reyes, Rochelle H. Holm, Benjamin B. Risk, Elizabeth Tilley, Joe Brown

Faculty Scholarship

Wastewater based epidemiology (WBE) is increasingly used to provide decision makers with actionable data about community health. WBE efforts to date have primarily focused on sewer-transported wastewater in high-income countries, but at least 1.8 billion people in low-and middle-income countries (LMIC) use onsite sanitation systems such as pit latrines and septic tanks. Like wastewater, fecal sludges from such systems offer similar advantages in community pathogen monitoring and other epidemiological applications. To evaluate the distribution of enteric pathogens inside pit latrines–which could inform sampling methods for WBE in LMIC settings unserved by sewers–we collected fecal sludges from the surface, mid-point, and …


How A Low-Cost Method For Cumulative Water-Sampling Shows Need For Improvement Of Legal Public-Contact Standards In The United States, Samuel C. Kessler Feb 2021

How A Low-Cost Method For Cumulative Water-Sampling Shows Need For Improvement Of Legal Public-Contact Standards In The United States, Samuel C. Kessler

Grawemeyer Colloquium Papers

Across the world, it is estimated that 4.5 billion people live near water sources “impaired” for use or contact. Standards for human-interaction are established by international organizations such as the WHO, and legislative bodies from national to local levels with jurisdiction over the quality of our waterways to ensure public & environmental health. Standards are often assessed from “grab-samples” taken from a waterbody at a certain time, with a minimum number analyzed. Water-quality standards in the United States are enforced under the Clean Water Act (CWA) via the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), applying to “waters of the United States” (WOTUS). …


A Qualitative Study Of Nimbyism For Waste In Smaller Urban Areas Of A Low-Income Country, Mzuzu, Malawi, Rochelle H. Holm, Brighton A. Chunga, Adrian Mallory, Paul Hutchings, Alison Parker Jan 2021

A Qualitative Study Of Nimbyism For Waste In Smaller Urban Areas Of A Low-Income Country, Mzuzu, Malawi, Rochelle H. Holm, Brighton A. Chunga, Adrian Mallory, Paul Hutchings, Alison Parker

Faculty Scholarship

When waste management infrastructure is built, there can be resistance from the local affected populations, often termed the Not in My Backyard (NIMBY) phenomenon. This study aims to understand the forms of resistance that may develop in such contexts, focusing on 2 solid waste and 1 liquid waste management site within Mzuzu City, Malawi. At the newest solid waste site, community resistance had grown to the extent that the site was reportedly destroyed by the local community. Interviews and observations of the sites are complemented by examining historic and recent satellite images. It was found that, at the new solid …