Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36460930›Full record

ReviewNature reviews. Microbiology2023

SARS-CoV-2 viral load and shedding kinetics.

Olha Puhach, Benjamin Meyer, Isabella Eckerle

Open access · bronzeAbstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Nature reviews. Microbiology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 281 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
281citing papers in PubMed, 6 pooled it
42.4field-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

281 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 433 citations in OpenAlex.

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  16. Mechanics of pandemics.EClinicalMedicine · 2026
    Review
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221 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

3 authors at 1 institution in 2 countries.

Olha PuhachDepartment of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5789-8988
Benjamin MeyerCentre for Vaccinology, Department of Pathology and Immunology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0601-3550
Isabella EckerleDepartment of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. Isabella.Eckerle@unige.ch.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4850-7172
University of Geneva · CH

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2 viral load and detection of infectious virus in the respiratory tract are the two key parameters for estimating infectiousness. As shedding of infectious virus is required for onward transmission, understanding shedding characteristics is relevant for public health interventions. Viral shedding is influenced by biological characteristics of the virus, host factors and pre-existing immunity (previous infection or vaccination) of the infected individual. Although the process of human-to-human transmission is multifactorial, viral load substantially contributed to human-to-human transmission, with higher viral load posing a greater risk for onward transmission. Emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern have further complicated the picture of virus shedding. As underlying immunity in the population through previous infection, vaccination or a combination of both has rapidly increased on a global scale after almost 3 years of the pandemic, viral shedding patterns have become more distinct from those of ancestral SARS-CoV-2. Understanding the factors and mechanisms that influence infectious virus shedding and the period during which individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 are contagious is crucial to guide public health measures and limit transmission. Furthermore, diagnostic tools to demonstrate the presence of infectious virus from routine diagnostic specimens are needed.

Indexed as

COVID-19SARS-CoV-2HumansKineticsViral Load

Identifiers

PMID36460930
PMCPMC9716513
OpenAlexW4310643051

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.