Methods for Handling Left-Censored Data in Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment.

ABSTRACT: Data below detection limits, left-censored data, are common in environmental microbiology, and decisions in handling censored data may have implications for quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA). In this paper, we utilize simulated data sets informed by real-world enterovirus water data to evaluate methods for handling left-censored data. Data sets were simulated with four censoring degrees (low [10%], medium [35%], high [65%], and severe [90%]) and one real-life censoring example (97%) and were informed by enterovirus data assuming a lognormal distribution with a limit of detection (LOD) of 2.3 genome copies/liter. For each data set, five methods for handling left-censored data were applied: (i) substitution with LOD/[Formula: see text], (ii) lognormal maximum likelihood estimatio

SUBMITTER: Canales RA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6182903 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature