Summary

I am reaching out to seek collaboration and support for an ambitious project known as OWSEN (One-Health Wastewater Surveillance for Emerging Pathogens in Plateau State, Nigeria).

Project Overview: 

OWSEN is a project that aims to harness the power of one-health wastewater surveillance to monitor the spread of emerging pathogens and antimicrobial resistance in Plateau State, Nigeria. This initiative involves the collection and metagenomic analysis of sewage and wastewater samples from various sources, including rivers, farms, gutters near hospitals, the airport, migratory birds, and abattoirs. By employing advanced metagenomic techniques, we aim to comprehensively detect the presence of all pathogens within these samples, shedding light on the circulating pathogens in the community. This is obviously a high-risk, high-yield project. 

One-Health Approach: 

Our project embraces the one-health concept, which takes a holistic approach to disease surveillance by examining the potential spillovers from animals to humans. This method is crucial for the early detection of prospective pandemics or ongoing epidemics, which is of paramount importance in our increasingly interconnected world.

Project Objectives:

1. Conduct a comprehensive virological examination of wastewater at multiple sites in Jos, Plateau State.
2. Unveil resistomes in raw sewage through cutting-edge nanopore sequencing techniques.
3. Investigate the mobility of novel antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and their potential transfer to pathogens.
4. Identify critical settings where human-animal-environment interactions occur and sample accordingly to reveal important pathogenic organisms and resistant environmental bacteria.
5. Provide resources to facilitate the integration of routine wastewater surveillance in Nigeria.

Importance: 

The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the significance of wastewater surveillance in tracking the spread of pathogens within communities. Wastewater sentinel surveillance serves as an early warning system for a wide range of pathogens, including flu, cholera, monkeypox, and typhoid. Additionally, it can identify hotspots of antimicrobial resistance genes.

Neglectedness: 

Wastewater surveillance studies in Plateau State, Nigeria, are underdeveloped, and there is no national wastewater surveillance strategy. Our project seeks to address this gap by collaborating with the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to report pathogens and areas of concern.

Tractability: 

Investing in a robust national wastewater disease surveillance system can improve national preparedness for new infectious diseases and monitor the resurgence of known pathogens. Wastewater surveillance is particularly valuable for early disease diagnosis when clinical testing is not available, or individuals exhibit mild or no symptoms.

Feasibility Assessment: 

Plateau State has the necessary infrastructure and expertise for this project, including the National Veterinary Research Institute, BSLIII facilities, and your contributor's lab, which is well-equipped for field studies, molecular analysis, and bioinformatics.

We are now looking for collaborators, donors, and partners who share our passion for this project's mission. If you are interested in contributing your expertise, resources, or connections to help us secure funding and support for OWSEN, please reach out to me at [email protected] .

Let's work together to create a comprehensive early warning system that can safeguard the health of communities in Plateau State and beyond.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Best regards