TY - JOUR
T1 - Wastewater metagenomics in Africa
T2 - Opportunities and challenges
AU - Kanyerezi, Stephen
AU - Guerfali, Fatma Zahra
AU - Anzaku, Abbas Abel
AU - Babaleye, Oluwasegun Adesina
AU - Calvert-Joshua, Tracey
AU - Nguinkal, Julien Alban
AU - Paul, Oluwaseun A.M.O.O.
AU - Atri, Chiraz
AU - Khan, Waqasuddin
AU - Saleh, Iqra
AU - Nisar, M. Imran
AU - Kasambula, Arthur Shem
AU - Morapedi, Koketso
AU - Mboowa, Gerald
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 Kanyerezi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
PY - 2024/12/20
Y1 - 2024/12/20
N2 - The advent of metagenomics has dramatically expanded our understanding of microbial communities, particularly through the study of wastewater, which serves as a rich source of microbial data. In Africa, wastewater metagenomics presents unparalleled opportunities for public health monitoring, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) tracking, and the discovery of new microbial species and functions. Utilizing high-throughput sequencing (HTS) technologies, this method allows for direct analysis of nucleic acids from wastewater samples, providing a cost-effective and comprehensive approach for pathogen surveillance. The potential of wastewater metagenomics in Africa is vast. It can revolutionize public health monitoring by acting as an early warning system for infectious disease outbreaks, offering near real-time data to shape effective responses. This is especially critical in densely populated urban areas with poor sanitation, where the risk of disease spread is high. Moreover, this approach enables the detection of emerging pathogens and insights into environmental health. However, the implementation of wastewater metagenomics in Africa faces several challenges. These include variability in wastewater composition due to differing local customs, limited infrastructure for sequencing and data analysis, and a shortage of bioinformatics expertise. Socio-political and ethical issues also complicate data sharing and the equitable distribution of benefits. To overcome these challenges, there is a need to enhance capacity through collaborative training, infrastructural development, and international partnerships. Investing and sustaining local genomics and bioinformatics infrastructure and expertise is crucial. Moreover, establishing robust data governance frameworks and engaging communities are essential for leveraging metagenomics to advance scientific knowledge and deliver tangible health and economic benefits. With strategic planning and collaboration, Africa can harness the transformative potential of wastewater metagenomics to improve disease surveillance, combat AMR, and foster scientific innovation, contributing significantly to sustainable development and improved quality of life.
AB - The advent of metagenomics has dramatically expanded our understanding of microbial communities, particularly through the study of wastewater, which serves as a rich source of microbial data. In Africa, wastewater metagenomics presents unparalleled opportunities for public health monitoring, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) tracking, and the discovery of new microbial species and functions. Utilizing high-throughput sequencing (HTS) technologies, this method allows for direct analysis of nucleic acids from wastewater samples, providing a cost-effective and comprehensive approach for pathogen surveillance. The potential of wastewater metagenomics in Africa is vast. It can revolutionize public health monitoring by acting as an early warning system for infectious disease outbreaks, offering near real-time data to shape effective responses. This is especially critical in densely populated urban areas with poor sanitation, where the risk of disease spread is high. Moreover, this approach enables the detection of emerging pathogens and insights into environmental health. However, the implementation of wastewater metagenomics in Africa faces several challenges. These include variability in wastewater composition due to differing local customs, limited infrastructure for sequencing and data analysis, and a shortage of bioinformatics expertise. Socio-political and ethical issues also complicate data sharing and the equitable distribution of benefits. To overcome these challenges, there is a need to enhance capacity through collaborative training, infrastructural development, and international partnerships. Investing and sustaining local genomics and bioinformatics infrastructure and expertise is crucial. Moreover, establishing robust data governance frameworks and engaging communities are essential for leveraging metagenomics to advance scientific knowledge and deliver tangible health and economic benefits. With strategic planning and collaboration, Africa can harness the transformative potential of wastewater metagenomics to improve disease surveillance, combat AMR, and foster scientific innovation, contributing significantly to sustainable development and improved quality of life.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85212941491&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1371/journal.pgph.0004044
DO - 10.1371/journal.pgph.0004044
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85212941491
SN - 2767-3375
VL - 4
JO - PLOS Global Public Health
JF - PLOS Global Public Health
IS - 12
M1 - e0004044
ER -
