Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41171361›Full record

ArticleEuropean journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology2026

Rising incidence of invasive bacterial infections in Belgium following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lize Cuypers, Stefanie van Kleef-van Koeveringe, Wesley Mattheus, Delphine Martiny, Laura Cornelissen, Katrien Lagrou, Veerle Matheeussen, Stefanie Desmet

Abstract read
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

8 authors.

Lize CuypersDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, University Hospitals Leuven, National Reference Centre for Invasive Pneumococci, Leuven, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9433-8752
Stefanie van Kleef-van KoeveringeDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, University Hospital Antwerp, National Reference Centre for invasive β-haemolytic streptococci, Antwerp, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9500-3674
Wesley MattheusSciensano, National Reference Centre for Neisseria meningitidis, Brussels, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7122-1578
Delphine MartinyNational Reference Centre for Haemophilus influenzae, Laboratoire Hospitalier Universitaire de Bruxelles - Universitair Laboratorium Brussel (LHUB-ULB), Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9307-7418
Laura CornelissenSciensano, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Brussels, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4550-9439
Katrien LagrouDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, University Hospitals Leuven, National Reference Centre for Invasive Pneumococci, Leuven, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8668-1350
Veerle MatheeussenDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, University Hospital Antwerp, National Reference Centre for invasive β-haemolytic streptococci, Antwerp, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2137-2068
Stefanie DesmetDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, University Hospitals Leuven, National Reference Centre for Invasive Pneumococci, Leuven, Belgium. stefanie.desmet@uzleuven.be.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4338-1929

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Purpose: To describe the evolution of invasive bacterial infections (IBIs) Haemophilus influenzae (Hi), Streptococcus pneumoniae (Spn), Streptococcus pyogenes (Spy) and Neisseria meningitidis (Nm), in Belgium over a 7-year time period (2017-2024). ; Methods: Case numbers and incidence rates were evaluated: pre-COVID (2017-2019), COVID (2020-2021) and post-COVID (2022-2024). ; Results: Incidence of IBIs was severely impacted during COVID in Belgium, respectively reductions of 45.1%, 59.1%, 69.8% and 80.5% for Hi, Spn, Spy and Nm, in 2020-2021 versus 2017-2019. Following lifting non-pharmaceutical interventions, IBIs increased towards end 2022. Spy and Hi infections decreased again in 2023-2024, however exceeding pre-COVID levels. Spn further increased in 2023-2024, while Nm is the only pathogen with lower cases in 2023-2024 than pre-COVID. ; Conclusion: While similarity for all IBIs was expected based on post-COVID immunity decrease, other factors like emerging bacterial clones and viral-bacterial interactions may have contributed.

Indexed as

Bacterial InfectionsCOVID-19BelgiumHaemophilus InfectionsHaemophilus influenzaeHumansIncidenceNeisseria meningitidisStreptococcus pneumoniaeStreptococcus pyogenesH. influenzaeIncidenceInvasive bacterial diseaseN. meningitidisS. pneumoniaeS. pyogenes

Identifiers

PMID41171361

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.