{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,11]],"date-time":"2026-05-11T21:09:42Z","timestamp":1778533782476,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":27,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,8]],"date-time":"2026-05-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1778198400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Microorganisms"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Wastewater monitoring has been recognized as a valid tool for monitoring coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) diffusion. In this paper we analyse a dataset composed by the measurements of SARS-CoV-2 RNA load in 605 raw wastewater samples collected from nine wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in the Campania region from October 2021 to May 2025. We analyse the correlation structure of the dataset using multivariate statistical techniques with the aim of identifying the most representative sentinel WWTPs and thus optimizing the number of samples. Results of spatial analysis showed that there are two isolated elements, SA3 and NA1, with the highest and lowest SARS-CoV-2 load values, respectively, and other two clusters (Cl1 and Cl2) from the other WWTPs. Temporal analysis showed that NA3 WWTP had a statistically significant difference in SARS-CoV-2 load from 2022 to 2023. Our method suggests limiting samplings to three sites, as follows: SA3 (which can act as a sentinel site because it is the first site that records variation in viral load) and two with the higher variation coefficients (CV%) belonging to the two clusters, as follows: CE1 for Cl1 and NA4 for Cl2. This data analysis procedure could allow to focus only on certain WWTPs for SARS-CoV-2 monitoring, to promptly identify outbreaks.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/microorganisms14051063","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,11]],"date-time":"2026-05-11T20:14:16Z","timestamp":1778530456000},"page":"1063","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Multidimensional Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in Nine Sites Located in Campania Region, Italy"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Annalisa","family":"Lombardi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health, University \u201cFederico II\u201d, Via Sergio Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Patrizia","family":"Riccio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University \u201cFederico II\u201d, Via Sergio Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2172-1523","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maria","family":"Ragosta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Sciences, University of Basilicata, Viale dell\u2019 Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mariagrazia","family":"D\u2019Emilio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Methodologies for Environmental Analysis, Italian National Research Council IMAA CNR, UDR Napoli, Corso Nicolangelo Protopisani, 80146 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9911-4646","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dario","family":"Bruzzese","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health, University \u201cFederico II\u201d, Via Sergio Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1846-7704","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Vito","family":"Imbrenda","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Methodologies for Environmental Analysis, Italian National Research Council IMAA CNR, Contrada Santa Loja, Tito, 85050 Potenza, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Tonia","family":"Borriello","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health, University \u201cFederico II\u201d, Via Sergio Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2657-100X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giuseppina","family":"La Rosa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Center for Water Safety (CeNSiA), Istituto Superiore di Sanit\u00e0, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7605-0539","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Elisabetta","family":"Suffredini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanit\u00e0, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ida","family":"Torre","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health, University \u201cFederico II\u201d, Via Sergio Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6106-2956","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Francesca","family":"Pennino","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health, University \u201cFederico II\u201d, Via Sergio Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"453","DOI":"10.1016\/j.trac.2018.06.004","article-title":"Wastewater-based epidemiology biomarkers: Past, present and future","volume":"105","author":"Choi","year":"2018","journal-title":"TrAC Trends Anal. 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