Comparison of metagenomic and targeted methods for sequencing human pathogenic viruses from wastewater
Authors: Child Harry T. , Airey George , Maloney Daniel M. , Parker Abby , Wild Jonathan , McGinley Suzie , Evens Nicholas , Porter Jonathan , Templeton Kate , Paterson Steve , van Aerle Ronny , Wade Matthew J. , Jeffries Aaron R. , Bassano Irene 
Published: October 2023

Wastewater-based epidemiology is a powerful tool for monitoring the emergence and spread of viral pathogens at the population scale. Typical polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods of quantitative and genomic monitoring of viruses in wastewater provide high sensitivity and specificity. However, these methods are limited to the surveillance of target viruses in a single assay and require prior knowledge of the target genome(s). Metagenomic sequencing methods may represent a target-agnostic approach to viral wastewater monitoring, allowing for the detection of a broad range of target viruses, including potentially novel and emerging pathogens. In this study, targeted and untargeted metagenomic sequencing methods were compared with tiled-PCR sequencing for the detection and genotyping of viral pathogens in wastewater samples. Deep shotgun metagenomic sequencing was unable to generate sufficient genome coverage of human pathogenic viruses for robust genomic epidemiology, with samples dominated by bacteria. Hybrid-capture enrichment of shotgun libraries for respiratory viruses led to significant increases in genome coverage for a range of targets. Tiled-PCR sequencing led to further improvements in genome coverage compared to hybrid capture for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, enterovirus D68, norovirus GII, and human adenovirus F41 in wastewater samples. In conclusion, untargeted shotgun sequencing was unsuitable for genomic monitoring of the low virus concentrations in wastewater samples analyzed in this study. Hybrid-capture enrichment represented a viable method for simultaneous genomic epidemiology of a range of viral pathogens, while tiled-PCR sequencing provided the optimal genome coverage for individual viruses with the minimum sequencing depth.

IMPORTANCE

Most public health initiatives that monitor viruses in wastewater have utilized quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and whole genome PCR sequencing, mirroring techniques used for viral epidemiology in individuals. These techniques require prior knowledge of the target viral genome and are limited to monitoring individual or small groups of viruses. Metagenomic sequencing may offer an alternative strategy for monitoring a broad spectrum of viruses in wastewater, including novel and emerging pathogens. In this study, while amplicon sequencing gave high viral genome coverage, untargeted shotgun sequencing of total nucleic acid samples was unable to detect human pathogenic viruses with enough sensitivity for use in genomic epidemiology. Enrichment of shotgun libraries for respiratory viruses using hybrid-capture technology provided genotypic information on a range of viruses simultaneously, indicating strong potential for wastewater surveillance. This type of targeted metagenomics could be used for monitoring diverse targets, such as pathogens or antimicrobial resistance genes, in environmental samples.