Dataset of the Influence of Storage Temperature and Time on Viral Recovery from Wastewater

SARS-CoV-2, the etiological agent of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, has accelerated the development and application of and expanded the use of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) as a surveillance tool for public health. However, no gold standard surveillance protocol has been established to date. One concern of a WBE program is sample storage and the effect that time and temperature have on viral targets from wastewater. We have generated data from raw influent and concentrated influent by filtration or Nanotraps®, for viral target recovery when stored at 4°C, –20°C and/or –80°C over short (days to weeks) and long (years) periods of time as well as the influence of pasteurization of wastewater prior to concentration with Nanotrap® particles. This data set will be useful for generating guidance in the WBE community for storage and hold time practice to help build consensus in the practice of WBE.