Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42774196›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in public health2026

High fidelity wastewater surveillance as an early warning tool for diphtheria in the German Ruhr metropolitan area.

Katharina Block, Josefa Welling, Alexander Thomas, Evelyn Heintschel von Heinnegg, Jan Kehrmann, Leah Consten, Adrian Dörr, Jule Gosch, Simon Magin, Jens Schoth and 3 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in public health, 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

13 authors.

Katharina BlockInstitute for AI in Medicine, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
Josefa WellingInstitute for AI in Medicine, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
Alexander ThomasInstitute for AI in Medicine, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
Evelyn Heintschel von HeinneggDepartment of Microbiology, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
Jan KehrmannDepartment of Microbiology, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
Leah ConstenInstitute for AI in Medicine, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
Adrian DörrInstitute for AI in Medicine, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
Jule GoschInstitute for AI in Medicine, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
Simon MaginInstitute for AI in Medicine, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
Jens SchothEmschergenossenschaft (EGLV), Essen, Germany.
Jan BuerDepartment of Microbiology, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
Ivana KraiselburdInstitute for AI in Medicine, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
Folker MeyerInstitute for AI in Medicine, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: Diphtheria is re-emerging as a public health concern in Europe, with recent fatalities underlining the need for strengthened surveillance. In highly vaccinated populations, limited clinical suspicion and reduced routine testing can obscure low-level circulation of toxigenic strains, increasing the risk of silent spread. In addition to classical Methods: We developed a high-fidelity wastewater-based surveillance approach capable of detecting Results and Discussion: During routine metagenomic surveillance, including weekly monitoring of the local wastewater treatment plant, screening with a

Indexed as

DiphtheriaDiphtheria ToxinEnvironmental MonitoringWastewaterCorynebacterium diphtheriaeGermanyHidden Markov ModelsHumansPolymerase Chain ReactionDiphtheria ToxinWastewaterCorynebacteriumdiphtheriametagenomicsone healthpublic healthwastewater-based surveillance

Identifiers

PMID42774196
PMCPMC13593791

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.