Utility of the BIOFIRE® FILMARRAY® Research Configuration Panels for Surveillance of Influent Wastewater Pathogens

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has emerged as a powerful tool for monitoring public health at the population level by analyzing chemical and biological markers in wastewater (Singer et al., 2023). Wastewater-based surveillance (WBS), a subset of WBE, involves the consistent and targeted measurement of health indicators in wastewater samples (UNEP, 2023). This study explores the feasibility of using BIOFIRE® diagnostic panels—originally designed for clinical pathogen detection—for environmental surveillance through wastewater testing ( FilmArray® Panels , n.d.). Two research configurations of BIOFIRE® panels were developed for this purpose. Configuration 1 includes 33 assays targeting respiratory pathogens, antimicrobial resistance genes, and bacterial markers. Configuration 2 comprises 22 assays focused on enteric viruses, bacteria, and parasitic pathogens. These panels integrate sample preparation, nucleic acid extraction, nested multiplex PCR, and melt curve analysis, with real-time Cp values displayed via the FIREWORKS™ software platform to estimate pathogen signal strength. To evaluate performance, wastewater samples were collected and tested throughout 2023 at two study sites: SUEZ ( Our Group - SUEZ Group , n.d.), a wastewater management company, research center in France and the Enteric Virus Laboratory at the University of Barcelona ( UB - University of Barcelona - UB , n.d.). Both concentrated and non-concentrated influent samples were analyzed. The BIOFIRE® panels showed strong correlation with standard PCR methods and demonstrated robust detection across a wide range of pathogens including SARS-CoV-2, Influenza A/B, Respiratory Syncytial Virus, seasonal coronaviruses, Norovirus, Rotavirus, and various bacterial and AMR targets. Notably, Adenovirus , Norovirus, and several bacterial species were consistently detected across all samples and sites. These findings support the feasibility of using BIOFIRE® research panels for wastewater-based surveillance. The panels offer a promising approach for expanding environmental monitoring beyond SARS-CoV-2 to a broader spectrum of pathogens, contributing to the surveillance of environmental pathogens.