| Study | Reason for exclusion |
|---|---|
| Abou El Hassan 2004 | Topic completely extraneous |
| Amirav 2005 | Randomised controlled trial of aerosol treatment |
| Anderson 2004 | Mathematical model with interesting discussion of interaction between public health measures |
| Anonymous 2002 | News item |
| Anonymous 2003 | No data presented |
| Anonymous 2004 | News item |
| Anonymous 2005a | News item |
| Anonymous 2005b | News item |
| Anonymous 2005c | News item |
| Apisarnthanarak 2009 | Intervention bundle not broken down |
| Apisarnthanarak 2010 | Participants took antivirals |
| Aragon 2005 | Descriptive paper (non‐comparative). Has no viral outcomes |
| Barros 1999 | Correlational study between incidence of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) and factors such as overcrowding |
| Bauer 2009 | Historical comparison with RSV gammaglobulin among interventions |
| Bell 2004 | Has unpublished entry exit screening data and extensive references but no comparative data |
| Bellissimo‐Rodrigues 2009 | Intervention is chlorexidine |
| Ben‐Abraham 2002 | Exclude ‐ bacterial illness only |
| Black 1981 | Diarrhoea only outcome |
| Borkow 2010 | No human beings involved |
| Bouadma 2010 | Hospital based ventilator routine |
| Breugelmans 2004 | Description of risk factors in aircraft |
| Cai 2009 | Compliance study |
| Cantagalli 2010 | Outcome outside inclusion criteria |
| Carbonell‐Estrany 2008 | Immunoglobulin intervention and descriptive review |
| Carter 2002 | News item |
| Castillo‐Chavez 2003 | Editorial |
| Cava 2005a | Survey of quarantinees' views |
| Cava 2005b | Personal experiences of quarantine |
| CDC 2003 | Case reports |
| Chai 2005 | Letter ‐ about MRSA |
| Chaovavanich 2004 | Case report |
| Chau 2003 | No original retrievable data. Mathematical model fitting expected to observed cases with quarantine in the SARS of Hong Kong |
| Chau 2008 | Audit of infection control procedures and compliance with guidelines |
| Chen 2007 | An assessment of the impact of different handwashing teaching methods. No clinical outcomes |
| Cheng 2010 | Confounded by antiviral use for post‐exposure prophylaxis |
| Chia 2005 | Knowledge survey |
| Clynes 2010 | Letters |
| Cowling 2007 | Epidemiology, non‐comparative, non‐interventions study |
| Daniels 2010 | Commentary |
| Daugherty 2008 | No free data presented |
| Davies 1994 | Antibody titres as outcomes with so many biases that interpretation of study is problematic |
| Day 1993 | No acute respiratory infection outcome data |
| Day 2006 | Mathematical model; no new data |
| Dell'Omodarme 2005 | Probabilistic and Bayesian mathematical model of screening at entry |
| Desenclos 2004 | Description of transmission |
| DiGiovanni 2004 | Qualitative study of compliance factors in quarantine |
| Doebbeling 1992 | RCT respiratory data not present. Only 3 viruses isolated in total with no viral typing available |
| Dwosh 2003 | Case series |
| Edmonds 2010 | Lab study |
| Fendler 2002 | Cohort study badly biased with differential health profiles and healthcare workers dependency in intervention and control semi‐cohorts. No attempt at adjusting for confounders was made. No denominators available |
| Flint 2003 | Description of spread in aircraft and non‐comparative data |
| Fung 2004 | Non‐comparative |
| Garcia 2010 | Commentary |
| Gaydos 2001 | Editorial linked to Ryan 2001 |
| Gensini 2004 | Interesting historical review |
| Giroud 2002 | Non‐clinical outcomes |
| Glass 2006 | Mathematical model ‐ no original data presented |
| Goel 2007 | Non‐comparative study |
| Gomersall 2006 | Non‐comparative study |
| Gore 2001 | Summary of Dyer 2000 (already included) |
| Gostin 2003 | Not an analytical study |
| Gralton 2010 | Review |
| Guinan 2002 | It would appear that 9 classes took part and "acted as their own controls", but it is not clear if there was cross‐over of classes or not. In addition the outcome is combined gastrointestinal/respiratory. The clue lies in the presence of a nested economic analysis which shows considerable savings in time for staff and pupils if the soap is used: in other words this is a (covert) publicity study |
| Gupta 2005 | Economic model ‐ no new data |
| Gwaltney 1982 | No breakdown of cases by arm given |
| Han 2003 | Non‐comparative |
| Hayden 1985 | This is a RCT with laboratory‐induced colds, small numbers and uncertain numerators but almost certainly because of the unique laboratory conditions (placebo tissues not being a placebo at all) of impossible generalisation. It was a pilot to the far bigger trial by Farr 1988a; Farr 1988b |
| Hendley 1988 | Inappropriate intervention |
| Hens 2009 | Model |
| Heymann 2009 | Already in review as Heymann 2004 |
| Hilburn 2003 | No ARI/viral outcomes (e.g. URTIs) |
| Hilmarsson 2007 | Animal study |
| Hirsch 2006 | Study tested pharmacological interventions |
| Ho 2003 | Descriptive review |
| Hsieh 2007 | Mathematical model |
| Hugonnet 2007 | Letter without any data |
| Jiang 2003 | Two papers probably the same paper in different versions: Jiang SP, Huang LW, Wang JF, Wu W, Yin SM, Chen WX, et al. [A study of the architectural factors and the infection rates of healthcare workers in isolation units for severe acute respiratory syndrome]. [Chinese] Chung‐Hua Chieh Ho Ho Hu Hsi Tsa Chih [Chinese Journal of Tuberculosis & Respiratory Diseases]. 26(10):594‐7, 2003 Oct |
| Johnson 2009 | Outcomes are non‐clinical |
| Jones 2005 | Historical account |
| Kaydos‐Daniels 2004 | Not an analytical study |
| Kelso 2009 | Model |
| Khaw 2008 | Assessing the efficacy of O2 delivery |
| Kilabuko 2007 | Aetiological study |
| Kosugi 2004 | Non‐comparative study |
| Lam 2004 | Outcomes were generic (infection rates). No laboratory data available for viral diagnosis |
| Lange 2004 | No data presented |
| Larson 2004 | Inappropriate outcomes |
| Larson 2005 | Cluster‐RCT comparing the effects of 2 hand hygiene regimens on infection rates and skin condition and microbial counts of nurses' hands in neonatal intensive care units. Outcomes were generic (for example, pneumonia and microbial counts of participants' skin). No laboratory data available for viral diagnosis |
| Lau 2004b | Attitude survey |
| Lau 2005 | Herbal remedy effectiveness assessment |
| Lee 2005 | Descriptive study of risk and protective factors of transmission in households. No assignment took place |
| Lee 2010 | Cohort study; unclear numbers were vaccinated against influenza |
| Lipsitch 2003 | Mathematical model fit to evidence |
| Luckingham 1984 | Historical report on Tucson experience during Spanish flu pandemic |
| Ma 2004 | Case‐control study of risk factors for SARS |
| MacIntyre 2010 | Commentary on Cowling 2009 |
| Malone 2009 | Model |
| Marin 1991 | Viral resistance study |
| McSweeny 2007 | Historical description |
| Mielke 2009 | Review |
| Mikolajczyk 2008 | No intervention |
| Monsma 1992 | Non‐comparative study |
| Nishiura 2009 | Model |
| O'Callaghan 1993 | Letter linked to Isaacs 1991 |
| Olsen 2003 | Description of transmission |
| Ooi 2005 | Descriptive study but with interesting organisational chart |
| Orellano 2010 | Confounded by antiviral use |
| Panchabhai 2009 | Pharma intervention |
| Pang 2004 | Descriptive study of Beijing outbreak. Some duplicate data in common with Pang 2003 |
| Pittet 2000 | Analysis of relationship between handwashing compliance campaign and nosocomial bacterial infections (e.g. MRSA) |
| Prasad 2004 | Letter about retrospective cohort ‐ behavioural |
| Rabenau 2005 | In vitro test of several disinfectants |
| Reynolds 2008 | Describes the psychological effects of quarantine |
| Richardson 2010 | Non‐clinical study |
| Riley 2003 | Mathematical model fit to evidence |
| Rodriguez 2009 | A “reasonable attempt at minimizing bias” (see inclusion criteria) does not include absenteeism |
| Rosenthal 2005 | Outcomes were generic (for example, pneumonia, URTIs). No laboratory data available for viral diagnosis |
| Safiulin 1972 | Non‐comparative set of studies with no clinical outcomes |
| Sandrock 2008 | Review |
| Satter 2000 | Experiment assessing virucidal activity of finger tip surface ‐ no clinical outcome data |
| Schull 2007 | Describes the impact of SARS in a Toronto study |
| Seal 2010 | Lab study |
| Seale 2009 | Study looking at whether using respirators in A&E department is feasible |
| Sizun 1996 | This is a review, with no original data presented |
| Stebbins 2009 | Attitude survey |
| Stoner 2007 | No study data available |
| Stukel 2008 | Impact of the SARS disruption on care/mortality for other pathologies (for example, acute myocardial infarction). There are no interventions and outcomes are unrelated to acute respiratory infections |
| Svoboda 2004 | Descriptive study with before and after data but shifting denominators |
| Tracht 2010 | Model |
| Ueno 1990 | Experimental study. No clinical intervention |
| van der Sande 2008 | Laboratory study without any clinical outcomes |
| Viscusi 2009a | Lab study |
| Viscusi 2009b | Lab study |
| Wang 2003 | Descriptive study |
| Wang 2005 | Case‐control study of susceptibility factors |
| Weber 2004 | Editorial linked to Larson 2004 |
| Wen 2010 | Lab study |
| White 2005 | Redundant publication of White 2003 |
| Wilczynski 1997 | Clinical trial of the effects of breast feeding |
| Wilder‐Smith 2003 | Description of risk factors in aircraft |
| Wilder‐Smith 2005 | Descriptive review |
| Wong 2005 | Attitude survey |
| Yen 2010 | Model |
| Yu 2004 | Description of transmission |
| Zamora 2006 | Head‐to‐head comparison of two sets of PPEs with no controls and no clinical outcomes |
| Zhai 2007 | Non‐comparative study |
| Zhao 2003 | CCT of SARS treatment |
A&E: accident and emergency ARI: acute respiratory infection CCT: controlled clinical trial MRSA: methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus RCT: randomized controlled trial RSV: respiratory syncytial virus PPE: personal protective equipment PEP: post‐exposure prophylaxis SARS: severe acute respiratory syndrome URTI: upper respiratory tract infection