Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36146757›Full record

ArticleViruses2022

SARS-CoV-2 Surveillance in Belgian Wastewaters.

Raphael Janssens, Sven Hanoteaux, Hadrien Maloux, Sofieke Klamer, Valeska Laisnez, Bavo Verhaegen, Catherine Linard, Lies Lahousse, Peter Delputte, Matthieu Terwagne and 6 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Viruses, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.4field-weighted citation impact, top 17% 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

6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 14 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Respi-Radar: a tool to monitor respiratory infections, Belgium, winter season 2023/24.Euro surveillance : bulletin Europeen sur les maladies transmissibles = European communicable disease bulletin · 2025
    Article
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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

16 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.

Raphael JanssensEpidemiology of Infectious Diseases, Sciensano, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.
Sven HanoteauxEpidemiology of Infectious Diseases, Sciensano, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.
Hadrien MalouxEpidemiology of Infectious Diseases, Sciensano, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.
Sofieke KlamerEpidemiology of Infectious Diseases, Sciensano, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.
Valeska LaisnezEpidemiology of Infectious Diseases, Sciensano, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.
Bavo VerhaegenInfectious Diseases in Humans, Sciensano, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.ORCID 0000-0002-1709-5259
Catherine LinardILEE, University of Namur, 5000 Namur, Belgium.ORCID 0000-0002-0819-7755
Lies LahousseDepartment Bioanalysis, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.ORCID 0000-0002-3494-4363
Peter DelputteLaboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene, Antwerpen University, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium.ORCID 0000-0003-3972-616X
Matthieu TerwagneE-BIOM SA, 5000 Namur, Belgium.ORCID 0000-0002-1200-1145
Jonathan MarescauxE-BIOM SA, 5000 Namur, Belgium.
Rosalie PypeSociété Publique de Gestion de l'Eau, 4800 Verviers, Belgium.ORCID 0000-0002-8785-5946
Christian DidySociété Publique de Gestion de l'Eau, 4800 Verviers, Belgium.ORCID 0000-0001-7514-906X
Katelijne DierickInfectious Diseases in Humans, Sciensano, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.
Koenraad Van HoordeInfectious Diseases in Humans, Sciensano, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.
Marie LesenfantsEpidemiology of Infectious Diseases, Sciensano, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.
Sciensano (Belgium) · BECHR Verviers · BEGhent University · BEUniversity of Antwerp · BEUniversity of Namur · BE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Wastewater-based surveillance was conducted by the national public health authority to monitor SARS-CoV-2 circulation in the Belgian population. Over 5 million inhabitants representing 45% of the Belgian population were monitored throughout 42 wastewater treatment plants for 15 months comprising three major virus waves. During the entire period, a high correlation was observed between the daily new COVID-19 cases and the SARS-CoV-2 concentration in wastewater corrected for rain impact and covered population size. Three alerting indicators were included in the weekly epidemiological assessment: High Circulation, Fast Increase, and Increasing Trend. These indicators were computed on normalized concentrations per individual treatment plant to allow for a comparison with a reference period as well as between analyses performed by distinct laboratories. When the indicators were not corrected for rain impact, rainy events caused an underestimation of the indicators. Despite this negative impact, the indicators permitted us to effectively monitor the evolution of the fourth virus wave and were considered complementary and valuable information to conventional epidemiological indicators in the weekly wastewater reports communicated to the National Risk Assessment Group.

Indexed as

COVID-19SARS-CoV-2BelgiumHumansPublic HealthRNA, ViralWastewaterRNA, ViralWastewateralerting indicatorcorrelationpublic health authoritySARS-CoV-2surveillanceviral load per capitaviral to faecal ratiowastewater-based epidemiology

Identifiers

PMID36146757
PMCPMC9506219
OpenAlexW4295094712

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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.