RNA Extraction and Quality Assessment targeting SARS-CoV-2 from Wastewater Concentrates using Zymo Environ Water RNA Kit v1

The Zymo Environ Water RNA kit has been tested and evaluated for the application of SARS-CoV-2 wastewater surveillance. This kit was designed for water, wastewater, sludge, sewage, biofilm and other similar sample sources. As such, minimal optimization was required for this application. The kit incorporates an enrichment step that is accomplished with the use of Water Concentrating Buffer (WCB), which promotes the pelleting of viral capsids and protein-associated RNA, increasing SARS-CoV-2 RNA yields by more than 8-fold compared to without WCB. DNA/RNA Shield™ allows for safe handling as it has been validated for inactivation of pathogens including SARS-CoV-2. The kit yields highly concentrated, PCR inhibitor-free high quality RNA, applicable for many downstream applications including RT-qPCR, RT-ddPCR, and NGS.