科學(xué)家們正在開發(fā)一種檢測方法，以便在廢水中發(fā)現(xiàn)新的冠狀病毒

科學(xué)家們正在開發(fā)一種檢測方法，以便在廢水中發(fā)現(xiàn)新的冠狀病毒

The battle with the new coronavirus has been well and truly engaged across the world, and one of the fronts we're fighting on is trying to scale up testing measures so scientists can see where COVID-19 is spreading the most.

與這種新型冠狀病毒的戰(zhàn)斗已經(jīng)在全世界范圍內(nèi)展開，我們正在與之戰(zhàn)斗的前線之一是努力擴(kuò)大檢測手段，以便科學(xué)家們能夠看到COVID-19在哪些地方傳播得最廣。

Large-scale data can be hugely helpful in tracking and controlling the spread of the disease, which doesn't always reveal itself through noticeable symptoms. In a new opinion piece submitted to Environmental Science & Technology, one team of researchers is now proposing a potential testing mechanism that promises to be fast, affordable, and accurate: it uses a paper-based device to detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater.

大規(guī)模的數(shù)據(jù)可以極大地幫助跟蹤和控制疾病的傳播，但疾病并不總是通過明顯的癥狀表現(xiàn)出來。在一篇提交給《環(huán)境科學(xué)與技術(shù)》(Environmental Science & Technology)的新觀點(diǎn)文章中，一組研究人員現(xiàn)在提出了一種潛在的測試機(jī)制，有望實(shí)現(xiàn)快速、經(jīng)濟(jì)和準(zhǔn)確的檢測:它使用一種基于紙張的設(shè)備來檢測廢水中是否存在SARS-CoV-2。

We have already developed a paper device for testing genetic material in wastewater for proof-of-concept, and this provides clear potential to test for infection with adaption, says biomedical engineer Zhugen Yang, from Cranfield University in the UK.

來自英國克蘭菲爾德大學(xué)的生物醫(yī)學(xué)工程師Zhugen Yang說:“我們已經(jīng)開發(fā)了一種紙上設(shè)備，用于測試廢水中的遺傳物質(zhì)，以證明概念，這為測試適應(yīng)性感染提供了明顯的潛力。”

This device is cheap, costing less than £1 [US$1.24], and will be easy to use for non-experts after further improvement. We foresee that the device will be able to offer a complete and immediate picture of population health once this sensor can be deployed.

“這種設(shè)備很便宜，成本不到1英鎊(1.24美元)，而且在進(jìn)一步改進(jìn)后，對于非專業(yè)人士來說也很容易使用。我們預(yù)計(jì)，一旦該傳感器投入使用，該設(shè)備將能夠提供一幅完整、即時(shí)的人群健康畫面。”

This research is part of an emerging field called wastewater-based epidemiology, or WBE. While it has its limitations, including difficulties in extrapolating results to a wider sample, it has a lot of advantages too – it's non-invasive, it gathers data in close to real time, and it's generally accurate.

這項(xiàng)研究屬于一個(gè)新興領(lǐng)域——基于廢水的流行病學(xué)，簡稱WBE。雖然它有其局限性，包括很難將結(jié)果外推到更大的樣本上，但它也有很多優(yōu)點(diǎn)——它是非侵入性的，它收集的數(shù)據(jù)接近實(shí)時(shí)，而且通常是準(zhǔn)確的。

The device Yang and his colleagues are proposing would be folded and unfolded in steps in order to filter nucleic acids of pathogens from the wastewater. Chemicals already added to the paper would then detect whether the nucleic acid of SARS-CoV-2 was present.

楊和他的同事們提出的設(shè)備將被折疊和展開，以過濾廢水中病原體的核酸。已經(jīng)添加到紙上的化學(xué)物質(zhì)將檢測出是否存在SARS-CoV-2的核酸。

The result would be visible straight away – a green circle if the coronavirus was detected, and a blue circle if it wasn't. The paper devices would be easy to stack, store and transport, and could be burned after use.

結(jié)果將是直接可見的——如果檢測到冠狀病毒，是一個(gè)綠色的圓圈，如果沒有檢測到，是一個(gè)藍(lán)色的圓圈。這種紙制裝置易于堆放、儲存和運(yùn)輸，使用后可以焚燒。

Recent research has shown that the new coronavirus can be isolated from urine and faeces, and can survive for several days outside of a living organism, and that gives the scientists confidence that a wastewater test could work.

最近的研究表明，這種新型冠狀病毒可以從尿液和糞便中分離出來，并且可以在活的有機(jī)體之外存活數(shù)天，這讓科學(xué)家們相信廢水測試是可行的。

For now, it's just a concept and has not been put into practice, but it has obvious potential. In areas where SARS-CoV-2 was found, additional steps could be taken to minimise the spread, giving health authorities yet another way to get on top of the situation.

目前，這還只是一個(gè)概念，還沒有付諸實(shí)踐，但它具有明顯的潛力。在發(fā)現(xiàn)SARS-CoV-2的地區(qū)，可以采取額外的措施來最大限度地減少傳播，為衛(wèi)生當(dāng)局提供另一種控制局勢的方法。

The research has been published in Environmental Science & Technology.

該研究發(fā)表在《環(huán)境科學(xué)與技術(shù)》雜志上。