Wastewater monitoring SARS Linz 2023/2024 

Duration:
 08/2023 - 07/2024

Financing:
Linz AG

Contact Person:
Norbert Kreuzinger, Julia Vierheilig

Co-worker:
Gabriela Eder, Philipp Raunjak

Project partner:
Regionalkläranlage Linz-Asten

Brief information on the project

As the successor project to SARS Linz 2022/2023, the project SARS Linz 2023/2024 also focuses on monitoring Linz’s wastewater for pathogenic viruses. Once again, SARS-CoV-2 is the main focus of the project, although the respiratory viruses influenza and RSV were also included in the monitoring program. Additionally, the measles virus, another virus relevant to public health, will also be established in the analysis pipeline. On a weekly basis, samples were taken from the inflow of the Linz-Asten regional wastewater treatment plant and sent to the TU Wien, where the samples are processed. The subsequent quantifications of the above-mentioned targets are carried out using RT-qPCR und RT-dPCR. To exchange information, a weekly report is sent to the Linz-Asten regional wastewater treatment plant by from TU Wien, which, in case of SARS-CoV-2, is not limited to the internal measurement of TU Wien, but also includes data collected via the national wastewater monitoring program to provide a more detailed insight into the development of the infection situation.