Sewage metatranscriptome from Florianopolis, SC, Brazil

The first reported cases of COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2 were described in Wuhan City, China in December 2019. However, there is evidence to suggest that the virus had already been circulating a few months previously. The analysis of human and animal sewage has been successfully applied in monitoring the presence of biological risks including enteric viruses. A similar monitoring strategy has been applied for the detection of SARS-CoV-2. Human sewage from Florianopolis (Santa Catarina, Brazil) was analyzed for SARS-CoV-2 from October 2019 until March 2020. Sewage samples were clarified, viruses particles were concentrated and Viral RNA was extracted After SARS-CoV2 confirmation by RT-PCR in the sewage samples, a metatranscriptome sequencing was performed in two samples using Illumina NGS. We have confirmed the presence of genome of SARS-CoV-2 in Florianopolis, SC, Brasil sewage samples as early as 27th November, 56 days ahead of the reports of COVID-19 cases in the continent and more than 90 days in the case of Brazil