Wastewater sampling could be key to early warning of new disease outbreaks

Monitoring pathogens in sewer systems would be major improvement' on current techniques, new research shows

Wastewater sampling could predict new disease outbreaks and the emergence of new variants of pathogens weeks or months before they become widespread, new research shows.

Pathogen monitoring in sewer systems, including on airplanes, can reveal which viruses and bacteria are present and cause outbreaks, two studies indicate.