Caspar Geenen
@caspargeenen.bsky.social
Working on a PhD at Clinical Microbiology Lab, KU Leuven. Investigating new ways to track the spread of infections. #IDEpi
3️⃣ Scaling up:
A single air sample from a central ventilation shaft could capture infections of many people in a building.
(Michiel Happaerts et al, Indoor Air)
In the future, maybe a small number of busy sentinel sites could be enough to help anticipate and monitor epidemics…
A single air sample from a central ventilation shaft could capture infections of many people in a building.
(Michiel Happaerts et al, Indoor Air)
In the future, maybe a small number of busy sentinel sites could be enough to help anticipate and monitor epidemics…
Centralised Air Sampling From a Ventilation System for the Surveillance of Respiratory Pathogens
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a renewed interest in indoor air sampling for infectious disease surveillance. However, scalability is currently limited, as samples are usually collec...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
January 30, 2025 at 11:08 AM
3️⃣ Scaling up:
A single air sample from a central ventilation shaft could capture infections of many people in a building.
(Michiel Happaerts et al, Indoor Air)
In the future, maybe a small number of busy sentinel sites could be enough to help anticipate and monitor epidemics…
A single air sample from a central ventilation shaft could capture infections of many people in a building.
(Michiel Happaerts et al, Indoor Air)
In the future, maybe a small number of busy sentinel sites could be enough to help anticipate and monitor epidemics…
2️⃣ Metagenomics can find unexpected viruses in air. Also viruses associated with skin infections or gastroenteritis.
More in this preprint with the Rega Institute’s Viral Metagenomics Lab:
@karatasmustafa.bsky.social , @jellematthijnssens.bsky.social
www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
More in this preprint with the Rega Institute’s Viral Metagenomics Lab:
@karatasmustafa.bsky.social , @jellematthijnssens.bsky.social
www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
Untargeted viral metagenomics of indoor air as a novel surveillance tool for respiratory, enteric and skin viruses
Conventional hospital-based infectious disease surveillance struggles to detect mild or asymptomatic infections and incurs high costs for large-scale testing during outbreaks. In contrast, environment...
www.medrxiv.org
January 30, 2025 at 11:06 AM
2️⃣ Metagenomics can find unexpected viruses in air. Also viruses associated with skin infections or gastroenteritis.
More in this preprint with the Rega Institute’s Viral Metagenomics Lab:
@karatasmustafa.bsky.social , @jellematthijnssens.bsky.social
www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
More in this preprint with the Rega Institute’s Viral Metagenomics Lab:
@karatasmustafa.bsky.social , @jellematthijnssens.bsky.social
www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
This builds on previous work at our Clinical Microbiology Lab:
1️⃣ In one study, we found on average 3.9 pathogens in 341 air samples from 21 locations, from bars to care homes.
Takeaways:
- Poor ventilation = more pathogens in air
- Air samples can mirror epidemiology
(Raymenants et al, Nat Comms)
1️⃣ In one study, we found on average 3.9 pathogens in 341 air samples from 21 locations, from bars to care homes.
Takeaways:
- Poor ventilation = more pathogens in air
- Air samples can mirror epidemiology
(Raymenants et al, Nat Comms)
Indoor air surveillance and factors associated with respiratory pathogen detection in community settings in Belgium - Nature Communications
Surveillance of respiratory pathogens in air may improve understanding of indoor transmission risks but impacts of context-specific factors on pathogen abundance are not well understood. Here, the aut...
www.nature.com
January 30, 2025 at 11:03 AM
This builds on previous work at our Clinical Microbiology Lab:
1️⃣ In one study, we found on average 3.9 pathogens in 341 air samples from 21 locations, from bars to care homes.
Takeaways:
- Poor ventilation = more pathogens in air
- Air samples can mirror epidemiology
(Raymenants et al, Nat Comms)
1️⃣ In one study, we found on average 3.9 pathogens in 341 air samples from 21 locations, from bars to care homes.
Takeaways:
- Poor ventilation = more pathogens in air
- Air samples can mirror epidemiology
(Raymenants et al, Nat Comms)
“The results highlight the differing shedding patterns between pathogens, while supporting the use of air pathogen counts and CO2 concentrations to estimate population-level prevalence.”
The relevance of this study and avenues for future research are highlighted in a comment by John Lednicky:
The relevance of this study and avenues for future research are highlighted in a comment by John Lednicky:
New questions and avenues for research regarding interpretation of the significance of respiratory viruses adrift in the air
Respiratory infections are the leading reason for hospitalisations worldwide.1 While
numerous human respiratory viruses have been identified, the manner by which they
are transmitted person-to-person ...
lancet.com
January 30, 2025 at 11:00 AM
“The results highlight the differing shedding patterns between pathogens, while supporting the use of air pathogen counts and CO2 concentrations to estimate population-level prevalence.”
The relevance of this study and avenues for future research are highlighted in a comment by John Lednicky:
The relevance of this study and avenues for future research are highlighted in a comment by John Lednicky:
What we tested:
- Air samples from a childcare centre over 5 months
- Used paper tissues from the same children
- Tested for 29 respiratory pathogens
Most infections were detectable in air, sometimes a week before we saw an outbreak!
lancet.com/journals/ebiom/article/PIIS2352-3964(24)00548-6
- Air samples from a childcare centre over 5 months
- Used paper tissues from the same children
- Tested for 29 respiratory pathogens
Most infections were detectable in air, sometimes a week before we saw an outbreak!
lancet.com/journals/ebiom/article/PIIS2352-3964(24)00548-6
Interpretation of indoor air surveillance for respiratory infections: a prospective longitudinal observational study in a childcare setting
Our results suggest that air sampling could provide sensitive, responsive epidemiological
indicators for the surveillance of respiratory pathogens. Using air CO2 concentrations
to normalise such signa...
lancet.com
January 30, 2025 at 10:59 AM
What we tested:
- Air samples from a childcare centre over 5 months
- Used paper tissues from the same children
- Tested for 29 respiratory pathogens
Most infections were detectable in air, sometimes a week before we saw an outbreak!
lancet.com/journals/ebiom/article/PIIS2352-3964(24)00548-6
- Air samples from a childcare centre over 5 months
- Used paper tissues from the same children
- Tested for 29 respiratory pathogens
Most infections were detectable in air, sometimes a week before we saw an outbreak!
lancet.com/journals/ebiom/article/PIIS2352-3964(24)00548-6
4️⃣ Not large super-spreading events, but many small gatherings caused a surge in COVID-19 transmission on New Year’s Eve (2022).
(Sci Rep)
Of course, the virus was a bigger concern back then. Wishing everyone a happy, festive start to 2025!
Stay tuned as we work to prepare for future pandemics.
(Sci Rep)
Of course, the virus was a bigger concern back then. Wishing everyone a happy, festive start to 2025!
Stay tuned as we work to prepare for future pandemics.
Unravelling the effect of New Year’s Eve celebrations on SARS-CoV-2 transmission - Scientific Reports
Scientific Reports - Unravelling the effect of New Year’s Eve celebrations on SARS-CoV-2 transmission
www.nature.com
December 30, 2024 at 1:21 PM
4️⃣ Not large super-spreading events, but many small gatherings caused a surge in COVID-19 transmission on New Year’s Eve (2022).
(Sci Rep)
Of course, the virus was a bigger concern back then. Wishing everyone a happy, festive start to 2025!
Stay tuned as we work to prepare for future pandemics.
(Sci Rep)
Of course, the virus was a bigger concern back then. Wishing everyone a happy, festive start to 2025!
Stay tuned as we work to prepare for future pandemics.
3️⃣ Shared showers/toilets increased COVID-19 transmission risk in student residences.
(Vanbesien et al; Arch Pub Health)
archpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13690-022-00966-4
(Vanbesien et al; Arch Pub Health)
archpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13690-022-00966-4
Risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 transmission in student residences: a case-ascertained study - Archives of Public Health
Background We aimed to investigate the overall secondary attack rates (SAR) of COVID-19 in student residences and to identify risk factors for higher transmission. Methods We retrospectively analysed ...
archpublichealth.biomedcentral.com
December 30, 2024 at 1:18 PM
3️⃣ Shared showers/toilets increased COVID-19 transmission risk in student residences.
(Vanbesien et al; Arch Pub Health)
archpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13690-022-00966-4
(Vanbesien et al; Arch Pub Health)
archpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13690-022-00966-4
2️⃣ Despite high uptake, the Belgian digital contact tracing app (based on the Google-Apple framework) was much less effective than conventional contact tracing.
(Geenen, Raymenants, et al; Nat Comms)
www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-42518-6
(Geenen, Raymenants, et al; Nat Comms)
www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-42518-6
Individual level analysis of digital proximity tracing for COVID-19 in Belgium highlights major bottlenecks - Nature Communications
Digital proximity tracing apps were widely used during the COVID-19 pandemic but have not been thoroughly evaluated. Here, the authors use data from students in Leuven, Belgium and estimate that apps ...
www.nature.com
December 30, 2024 at 1:15 PM
2️⃣ Despite high uptake, the Belgian digital contact tracing app (based on the Google-Apple framework) was much less effective than conventional contact tracing.
(Geenen, Raymenants, et al; Nat Comms)
www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-42518-6
(Geenen, Raymenants, et al; Nat Comms)
www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-42518-6