# Zika virus detection and recovery in sewage: a novel epidemiologic surveillance tool

> **NIH NIH R21** · GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $176,434

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY:
Since the initial recognition of the Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak in Brazil in 2015, 84 countries have
reported evidence of autochthonous ZIKV transmission. ZIKV has emerged as one of the most
challenging and concerning viral infections in this decade; principally due to its association with
Congenital Zika Syndrome and Guillain-Barré Syndrome. An estimated 80% of cases of ZIKV
infection are asymptomatic and symptomatic cases are of uncertain etiology as symptoms are
shared with many other illnesses. Therefore, available clinical data are ineffective for
community-level surveillance of ZIKV infection, highlighting the need for novel and innovative
diagnostic tools in the fight against ZIKV.
The primary objective of this research is to optimize a method for detection of ZIKV in sewage
and to enhance understanding regarding the evolution and emergence of ZIKV in poor, urban
communities. We propose to first the stability of ZIKV RNA in sewage, compare methods for
detection and recovery of ZIKV RNA in sewage, and examine the association between ZIKV
RNA in sewage samples and ZIKV prevalence in a cohort in Salvador, Brazil.
The proposed study will clarify how detection of ZIKV in sewage can enable detection of
community-level infection; allow for the use as a community diagnostic tool, and enable prompt
public health action to protect the most vulnerable from the disease and its impacts.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9867715
- **Project number:** 5R21AI138206-02
- **Recipient organization:** GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** CHRISTINE ELIZABETH STAUBER
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $176,434
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-02-06 → 2022-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9867715

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9867715, Zika virus detection and recovery in sewage: a novel epidemiologic surveillance tool (5R21AI138206-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9867715. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*