Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27058059›Full record

SynthesisEnvironmental science & technology2016

Untangling the Impacts of Climate Change on Waterborne Diseases: a Systematic Review of Relationships between Diarrheal Diseases and Temperature, Rainfall, Flooding, and Drought.

Karen Levy, Andrew P Woster, Rebecca S Goldstein, Elizabeth J Carlton

Abstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Environmental science & technology, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 188 papers, 13 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
188citing papers in PubMed, 13 pooled it
20.1field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

188 citing papers in PubMed, 13 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 499 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  5. Meteorological Factors Affecting Infectious Diarrhea in Different Climate Zones of China.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022
    Pooled it
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  12. Modeling environmentally mediated rotavirus transmission: The role of temperature and hydrologic factors.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2018
    Pooled it
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  14. Trial
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Acute Diarrheal Disease Associated With Climate Variability and Water Supply System Configuration: An Ecological Study in Brazil.Water environment research : a research publication of the Water Environment Federation · 2026
    Article
  18. Waterborne diseases and climate change.Nature reviews. Microbiology · 2026
    Review
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  20. Review

128 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Karen LevyDepartment of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University , 1518 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, Georgia United States.
Andrew P WosterDepartment of Environmental and Occupational Health, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado , Aurora, Colorado United States.
Rebecca S GoldsteinDepartment of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University , 1518 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, Georgia United States.
Elizabeth J CarltonDepartment of Environmental and Occupational Health, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado , Aurora, Colorado United States.
Colorado School of Public Health · USEmory University · US

Funding

Impacts of Human Movement on Regional Strain Distribution of Diarrheagenic E.coliK01AI103544 · NIAID · EMORY UNIVERSITY · PI LEVY, KAREN · 2013 to 2017
$655k
Social Vulnerability and Climatic Drivers of Enteric Disease in Rural EcuadorR21TW009032 · FIC · EMORY UNIVERSITY · PI LEVY, KAREN · 2011 to 2011
$246k
FIC NIH HHS R21 TW009032NIAID NIH HHS K01 AI103544
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Global climate change is expected to affect waterborne enteric diseases, yet to date there has been no comprehensive, systematic review of the epidemiological literature examining the relationship between meteorological conditions and diarrheal diseases. We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Collection for studies describing the relationship between diarrheal diseases and four meteorological conditions that are expected to increase with climate change: ambient temperature, heavy rainfall, drought, and flooding. We synthesized key areas of agreement and evaluated the biological plausibility of these findings, drawing from a diverse, multidisciplinary evidence base. We identified 141 articles that met our inclusion criteria. Key areas of agreement include a positive association between ambient temperature and diarrheal diseases, with the exception of viral diarrhea and an increase in diarrheal disease following heavy rainfall and flooding events. Insufficient evidence was available to evaluate the effects of drought on diarrhea. There is evidence to support the biological plausibility of these associations, but publication bias is an ongoing concern. Future research evaluating whether interventions, such as improved water and sanitation access, modify risk would further our understanding of the potential impacts of climate change on diarrheal diseases and aid in the prioritization of adaptation measures.

Indexed as

Climate ChangeTemperatureDroughtsFloodsHumansWaterborne Diseases

Identifiers

PMID27058059
PMCPMC5468171
OpenAlexW2319554767

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.