Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42198784›Full record

ArticleViruses2026

Influence of Sampling Strategies and Disease Prevalence on SARS-CoV-2 Detection Dynamics in Wastewater Surveillance.

Siti Aishah Rashid, Mohd Ishtiaq Anasir, Fadly Syah Arsad, Nurul Farehah Shahrir, Khayri Azizi Kamel, Sakshaleni Rajendiran, Nurul Amalina Khairul Hasni, Mohamad Iqbal Mazeli, Yuvaneswary Veloo, Syahidiah Syed Abu Thahir and 6 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Viruses, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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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

16 authors.

Siti Aishah RashidEnvironmental Health Research Centre, Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Shah Alam 40170, Malaysia.ORCID 0000-0002-6609-1529
Mohd Ishtiaq AnasirInfectious Disease Research Centre, Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Shah Alam 40170, Malaysia.
Fadly Syah ArsadKuala Lumpur & Putrajaya Health Department, Lembah Pantai District Health Office, Kuala Lumpur 50480, Malaysia.
Nurul Farehah ShahrirEnvironmental Health Research Centre, Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Shah Alam 40170, Malaysia.
Khayri Azizi KamelInfectious Disease Research Centre, Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Shah Alam 40170, Malaysia.
Sakshaleni RajendiranEnvironmental Health Research Centre, Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Shah Alam 40170, Malaysia.ORCID 0000-0002-2260-8821
Nurul Amalina Khairul HasniEnvironmental Health Research Centre, Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Shah Alam 40170, Malaysia.ORCID 0000-0001-9704-5026
Mohamad Iqbal MazeliEnvironmental Health Research Centre, Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Shah Alam 40170, Malaysia.ORCID 0000-0001-9879-0642
Yuvaneswary VelooEnvironmental Health Research Centre, Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Shah Alam 40170, Malaysia.ORCID 0000-0003-4759-1840
Syahidiah Syed Abu ThahirEnvironmental Health Research Centre, Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Shah Alam 40170, Malaysia.ORCID 0000-0002-8743-7154
Wan Rozita Wan MahiyuddinSEAMEO TROPMED Network Malaysia, Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Shah Alam 40170, Malaysia.
Khor Bee ChinIndah Water Konsortium Sdn. Bhd., Kuala Lumpur 60000, Malaysia.ORCID 0000-0001-6739-652X
Alijah Mohd ArisIndah Water Konsortium Sdn. Bhd., Kuala Lumpur 60000, Malaysia.
Redzuan ZainudinEnvironmental Health Research Centre, Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Shah Alam 40170, Malaysia.
Rafiza ShaharudinEnvironmental Health Research Centre, Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Shah Alam 40170, Malaysia.ORCID 0000-0002-8811-5843
Raheel NazakatEnvironmental Health Research Centre, Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Shah Alam 40170, Malaysia.ORCID 0000-0002-3219-4204

Funding

Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia NMRR-22-00823
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundWastewater-based surveillance (WBS) has emerged as a valuable tool for population-level monitoring of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission, yet the interplay between sampling strategies and disease prevalence in shaping detection performance remains ambiguous. We investigated how grab and composite sampling influence SARS-CoV-2 ribonucleic acid (RNA) detection dynamics and predictive lag times across high- and low-prevalence communities in Selangor, Malaysia.

methodsA 28-week longitudinal study was conducted in Selangor, Malaysia, comparing grab and composite wastewater sampling in communities with high and low Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) prevalence. SARS-CoV-2 RNA in 348 samples was quantified using digital Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-dPCR), and viral lineages were characterized by Nanopore sequencing. Detection sensitivity and lead times relative to reported cases were evaluated.

resultsIn low-prevalence settings, grab sampling showed higher detection sensitivity than composite sampling (92.0% vs. 70.0%), whereas both methods achieved similarly high detection in high-prevalence areas (>97.0%). Lag-time analysis indicated that grab sampling in high-prevalence settings was significantly associated with case trends at potential two-week lead (

conclusionsThese findings reveal that local transmission intensity is associated with the utility of different sampling designs. Context-specific optimization of WBS sampling strategies enhances sensitivity, reduces detection lag, and strengthens early warning and genomic-tracking capacity in public health surveillance frameworks.

Indexed as

COVID-19COVID-19 Nucleic Acid TestingSARS-CoV-2WastewaterWastewater-Based Epidemiological MonitoringHumansLongitudinal StudiesMalaysiaRNA, ViralSensitivity and SpecificityRNA, ViralWastewaterdigital PCRlag timesampling optimizationSARS-CoV-2variant detectionwastewater-based surveillance

Identifiers

PMID42198784
PMCPMC13211533

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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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.