Airplane wastewater is usually just disposed of, but scientists believe it could be turned into a valuable source of data on the spread of viruses. Researchers from the US and UK have shown that analyzing such wastewater can track the circulation of infections without the need to test individual passengers, reports infohub.kz.

The results of the pilot project were published in the journal Scientific Reports. From March 2024 to January 2025, scientists collected wastewater samples from international flights between the US and the UK. A total of 424 samples were analyzed, and nearly 75% contained at least one respiratory pathogen. Among the detected pathogens were influenza A and B viruses, SARS-CoV-2 (which causes COVID-19), and respiratory syncytial virus. About 72% of samples contained at least one pathogen causing intestinal infections.

International flights allow infections to spread quickly between countries along with people, so airports can be important points for early detection of viruses and pathogens. Wastewater analysis does not require determining who exactly is carrying the infection and allows obtaining information about a group of passengers at once while preserving their privacy. Additionally, airplane wastewater contains relatively concentrated biological material and is not mixed with industrial or agricultural runoff, which may make it easier to detect certain pathogens.

One example is the XEC variant of the coronavirus. It was detected in wastewater from flights departing the UK on September 17, 2024, about four weeks earlier than in similar samples from US flights. The first clinical case of XEC in the US was recorded in July, but wastewater data helped notice that significant spread of this variant in the country began only in mid-October.

The researchers propose creating a global network of so-called "sentinel airports" where wastewater would be regularly analyzed. This would allow faster detection of new pathogens and tracking how they move between countries. In the future, such data could help authorities respond to threats earlier and more accurately. For now, this is a pilot study, and to create a global system, it is necessary to test how well such monitoring works at airports in different countries and how consistently it can detect new infections.

Earlier, Kursiv Health reported that imported cases of dengue fever were recorded in Kazakhstan.