Castro-Gutierrez, VictorHassard, FrancisVu, MilanLeitao, RodrigoBurczynska, BeataWildeboer, DirkStanton, IsobelRahimzadeh, ShadiBaio, GianlucaGarelick, HemdaHofman, JanKasprzyk-Hordern, BarbaraKwiatkowska, RachelMajeed, AzeemPriest, SallyGrimsley, JasmineLundy, LianSinger, Andrew C.Di Cesare, Mariachiara2022-07-192022-07-192022-06-17Castro-Gutierrez V, Hassard F, Vu M, et al., (2022) Monitoring occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 in school populations: a wastewater-based approach, PLoS ONE, Volume 17, Issue 6, June 2022, Article number e02701681932-6203https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0270168https://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/18193Clinical testing of children in schools is challenging, with economic implications limiting its frequent use as a monitoring tool of the risks assumed by children and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, a wastewater-based epidemiology approach has been used to monitor 16 schools (10 primary, 5 secondary and 1 post-16 and further education) in England. A total of 296 samples over 9 weeks have been analysed for N1 and E genes using qPCR methods. Of the samples returned, 47.3% were positive for one or both genes with a detection frequency in line with the respective local community. WBE offers a low cost, non-invasive approach for supplementing clinical testing and can provide longitudinal insights that are impractical with traditional clinical testing.enAttribution 4.0 InternationalArticle