Tracking Human-Derived Contaminants in Wastewater: ELISA-Based Detection of Anthropogenic Markers in Samples from German Treatment Plants
- Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) plays a key role in pandemic management as an early warning system and a tool for guiding interventions. In Germany, combined sewer systems are prevalent, leading to fluctuations in wastewater volume and composition due to rainwater inflow, especially through street drains. This variability complicates the quantitative measurement of pathogens and pollutants in wastewater. While human excretion provides constant inputs, these parameters are often non-specific, lost, or degraded during transport. In contrast, pharmaceuticals excreted by humans, such as carbamazepine and diclofenac, as well as consumed caffeine, are fairly stable and serve as "anthropogenic markers." The simultaneous detection of these markers aids in normalizing WBE studies. Antibody-based methods, particularly Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISA), offer a cost-effective alternative to complex chromatographic techniques for monitoring anthropogenic markers. They demonstrateWastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) plays a key role in pandemic management as an early warning system and a tool for guiding interventions. In Germany, combined sewer systems are prevalent, leading to fluctuations in wastewater volume and composition due to rainwater inflow, especially through street drains. This variability complicates the quantitative measurement of pathogens and pollutants in wastewater. While human excretion provides constant inputs, these parameters are often non-specific, lost, or degraded during transport. In contrast, pharmaceuticals excreted by humans, such as carbamazepine and diclofenac, as well as consumed caffeine, are fairly stable and serve as "anthropogenic markers." The simultaneous detection of these markers aids in normalizing WBE studies. Antibody-based methods, particularly Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISA), offer a cost-effective alternative to complex chromatographic techniques for monitoring anthropogenic markers. They demonstrate superior normalization quality compared to the frequently used quantitative PCR-based marker Pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV).…


| Autor*innen: | Zoltán KonthurORCiD |
|---|---|
| Koautor*innen: | Shireen Ewald, Kristin Hoffmann, Lisa Banu Kurt, Evelyn Bernhardt, Thomas Exner, Marcus Lukas, Ulrike BraunORCiD, Rudolf SchneiderORCiD |
| Dokumenttyp: | Posterpräsentation |
| Veröffentlichungsform: | Präsentation |
| Sprache: | Englisch |
| Jahr der Erstveröffentlichung: | 2025 |
| Organisationseinheit der BAM: | 1 Analytische Chemie; Referenzmaterialien |
| 1 Analytische Chemie; Referenzmaterialien / 1.8 Umweltanalytik | |
| DDC-Klassifikation: | Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften / Ingenieurwissenschaften / Sanitär- und Kommunaltechnik; Umwelttechnik |
| Freie Schlagwörter: | Carbamazepin; Koffein; Spurenstoffe; anthropogener Marker Immunoassay |
| Themenfelder/Aktivitätsfelder der BAM: | Umwelt |
| Veranstaltung: | ANAKON 2025 |
| Veranstaltungsort: | Leipzig, Germany |
| Beginndatum der Veranstaltung: | 10.03.2025 |
| Enddatum der Veranstaltung: | 13.03.2025 |
| Verfügbarkeit des Dokuments: | Datei im Netzwerk der BAM verfügbar ("Closed Access") |
| Datum der Freischaltung: | 26.06.2025 |
| Referierte Publikation: | Nein |

