Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33618308›Full record

ArticleThe Science of the total environment2021

Correlation of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater with COVID-19 disease burden in sewersheds.

Jennifer Weidhaas, Zachary T Aanderud, D Keith Roper, James VanDerslice, Erica Brown Gaddis, Jeff Ostermiller, Ken Hoffman, Rubayat Jamal, Phillip Heck, Yue Zhang and 3 more

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The Science of the total environment, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 173 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
173citing papers in PubMed, 6 pooled it
20.6field-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

173 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 356 citations in OpenAlex.

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  12. Anise (Frontiers in insect science · 2026
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113 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

13 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.

Jennifer WeidhaasUniversity of Utah, Civil and Environmental Engineering, 110 Central Campus Drive, Suite 2000, Salt Lake City, UT, USA. Electronic address: jennifer.weidhaas@utah.edu.
Zachary T AanderudBrigham Young University, Department of Plant & Wildlife Sciences, Provo, UT, USA.
D Keith RoperUtah State University, Biological Engineering, 4105 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT, USA.
James VanDersliceUniversity of Utah, Family and Preventive Medicine, 275 Chipeta Way, Suite A, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Erica Brown GaddisUtah Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Water Quality, 195 N 1950 West, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Jeff OstermillerUtah Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Water Quality, 195 N 1950 West, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Ken HoffmanUtah Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Water Quality, 195 N 1950 West, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Rubayat JamalUniversity of Utah, Civil and Environmental Engineering, 110 Central Campus Drive, Suite 2000, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Phillip HeckCentral Valley Water Reclamation Facility, 800 West Central Valley Road, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Yue ZhangUniversity of Utah, School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Epidemiology, 295 South Chipeta Way, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Kevin TorgersenBrigham Young University, Department of Plant & Wildlife Sciences, Provo, UT, USA.
Jacob Vander LaanUtah Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Water Quality, 195 N 1950 West, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Nathan LaCrossUtah Department of Health, Division of Disease Control and Prevention, Bureau of Epidemiology, 288 N 1460 W, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Oregon Department of Environmental Quality · USUniversity of Utah · USBrigham Young University · USUtah Department of Health · USUtah State University · US

Funding

Utah Center for Clinical and Translational ScienceUL1TR002538 · NCATS · UNIVERSITY OF UTAH · PI HESS, RACHEL, MAJERSIK, JENNIFER JUHL · 2018 to 2022
$26.0M
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), is shed in feces and the viral ribonucleic acid (RNA) is detectable in wastewater. A nine-week wastewater epidemiology study of ten wastewater facilities, serving 39% of the state of Utah or 1.26 M individuals was conducted in April and May of 2020. COVID-19 cases were tabulated from within each sewershed boundary. RNA from SARS-CoV-2 was detectable in 61% of 126 wastewater samples. Urban sewersheds serving >100,000 individuals and tourist communities had higher detection frequencies. An outbreak of COVID-19 across two communities positively correlated with an increase in wastewater SARS-CoV-2 RNA, while a decline in COVID-19 cases preceded a decline in RNA. SARS-CoV-2 RNA followed a first order decay rate in wastewater, while 90% of the RNA was present in the liquid phase of the influent. Infiltration and inflow, virus decay and sewershed characteristics should be considered during correlation analysis of SAR-CoV-2 with COVID-19 cases. These results provide evidence of the utility of wastewater epidemiology to assist in public health responses to COVID-19.

Indexed as

CoronavirusCOVID-19Cost of IllnessHumansRNA, ViralSARS-CoV-2UtahWastewaterRNA, ViralWastewaterCOVID-19Disease burdenInterceptorSARS-CoV-2 RNASewershedWastewater epidemiology

Identifiers

PMID33618308
PMCPMC7879159
OpenAlexW3117738111

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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.