#COVID19 Preprint Journal Club: “Detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in commercial passenger aircraft and cruise ship wastewater: a surveillance tool for assessing the presence of COVID-19 infected travelers”

So we’ve written a lot about wastewater monitoring as a tool for community-level surveillance for SARS-CoV-2.  I thought this article was a nice twist on that… looking at airplanes and cruise ships as a way to better monitor the virus in a travel setting.  Abstract below: Abstract Background Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) for the severe acute …

Fascinating and distressing look at cruise ship turnaround

Really interesting and distressing story in the New York Times a few days about: A Luxury Liner Docks and the Countdowns On by Jad Mouawad.  So many parts of this story have microbe-themed angles.  Some interesting tidbits (quoted from the story) A treatment system handles all the wastewater generated by the passengers and crew. That system, which …

Time for a new #CitizenMicrobiology project – swab all cruise ships

Well, the news just does not get any better / different for cruise ships and microbes.   Despite major efforts (or so they claim) by the cruise industry – people keep spreading Norovirus and other such illnesses aboard cruise ships.  For example, see: Illnesses Aboard California Cruise Ship Nearly Double.  Not sure just what is going …