Wastewater pathogen composition in Atlanta, GA prior to and during the 2026 FIFA World Cup
- 1Emory University School of Medicine
Abstract
Mass gatherings can have many impacts on public health, including facilitating the spread of infectious diseases. Alternative surveillance modalities, such as wastewater-based surveillance (WBS), can complement traditional clinical surveillance. We utilized WBS to examine the influence of the 2026 FIFA World Cup (FWC'26) on the range of infectious pathogens in Atlanta, GA surrounding matches held in the city. Samples (n = 102) were collected from three water reclamation facilities between April and July of 2026 (34 collection days) and tested using the BIOFIRE(R) WATCHFIRE Respiratory (19 targets) and Gastrointestinal (22 targets) PCR Pathogen Panels. Primary data analysis included a temporal comparison of wastewater pathogen profiles before (April 1 to June 10; n = 60) and during (June 15 to July 15; n = 30) the FWC'26 across the three facilities using a modified Poisson model with Bonferroni correction. There were no statistically significant differences in target detection between the two periods. Samples collected after the FWC'26 (July 20 to 29; n = 12) were included in a sensitivity analysis which showed a statistically significant increase in SARS-CoV-2 (RR = 3.21, 95% CI = 1.40-7.39; p = 0.01, p-adjusted = 0.048) during and after the tournament compared to before. However, this coincided with regional and national increases in SARS-CoV-2 detection in wastewater, suggesting ongoing community burden. Wide confidence intervals, lack of quantitative data, and limited data collection after the matches limit our conclusions. This study demonstrates the use of qualitative, multiplexed PCR assays for WBS during a mass gathering sporting event.
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BibTeX
@misc{raymo2026wastewater,
title = {{Wastewater pathogen composition in Atlanta, GA prior to and during the 2026 FIFA World Cup}},
author = {N. Raymo and C. S. Kraft and D. Gulick and J. Ingersoll and M. Stoffle and O. Sablon and J. Logan and E. Haslett and C. L. Moe and M. K. Wolfe and L. D. Freeman and T. Bourne and V. Lawson and P. E. Harton},
howpublished = {medRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.64898/2026.11.03.26366867},
url = {https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.11.03.26366867v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Wastewater pathogen composition in Atlanta, GA prior to and during the 2026 FIFA World Cup
AU - N. Raymo
AU - C. S. Kraft
AU - D. Gulick
AU - J. Ingersoll
AU - M. Stoffle
AU - O. Sablon
AU - J. Logan
AU - E. Haslett
AU - C. L. Moe
AU - M. K. Wolfe
AU - L. D. Freeman
AU - T. Bourne
AU - V. Lawson
AU - P. E. Harton
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/03
PB - medRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.11.03.26366867
UR - https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.11.03.26366867v1
AB - Mass gatherings can have many impacts on public health, including facilitating the spread of infectious diseases. Alternative surveillance modalities, such as wastewater-based surveillance (WBS), can complement traditional clinical surveillance. We utilized WBS to examine the influence of the 2026 FIFA World Cup (FWC'26) on the range of infectious pathogens in Atlanta, GA surrounding matches held in the city. Samples (n = 102) were collected from three water reclamation facilities between April and July of 2026 (34 collection days) and tested using the BIOFIRE(R) WATCHFIRE Respiratory (19 targets) and Gastrointestinal (22 targets) PCR Pathogen Panels. Primary data analysis included a temporal comparison of wastewater pathogen profiles before (April 1 to June 10; n = 60) and during (June 15 to July 15; n = 30) the FWC'26 across the three facilities using a modified Poisson model with Bonferroni correction. There were no statistically significant differences in target detection between the two periods. Samples collected after the FWC'26 (July 20 to 29; n = 12) were included in a sensitivity analysis which showed a statistically significant increase in SARS-CoV-2 (RR = 3.21, 95% CI = 1.40-7.39; p = 0.01, p-adjusted = 0.048) during and after the tournament compared to before. However, this coincided with regional and national increases in SARS-CoV-2 detection in wastewater, suggesting ongoing community burden. Wide confidence intervals, lack of quantitative data, and limited data collection after the matches limit our conclusions. This study demonstrates the use of qualitative, multiplexed PCR assays for WBS during a mass gathering sporting event.
ER -