Unraveling a Nosocomial Outbreak of COVID-19: The Role of Whole-Genome Sequence Analysis.
COVID-19
epidemiology
nosocomial
outbreak
sequencing
Journal
Open forum infectious diseases
ISSN: 2328-8957
Titre abrégé: Open Forum Infect Dis
Pays: United States
ID NLM: 101637045
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
Oct 2021
Oct 2021
Historique:
received:
15
01
2021
accepted:
09
03
2021
entrez:
11
10
2021
pubmed:
12
10
2021
medline:
12
10
2021
Statut:
epublish
Résumé
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic poses many epidemiological challenges. The investigation of nosocomial transmission is usually performed via thorough investigation of an index case and subsequent contact tracing. Notably, this approach has a subjective component, and there is accumulating evidence that whole-genome sequencing of the virus may provide more objective insight. We report a large nosocomial outbreak in 1 of the medicine departments in our institution. Following intensive epidemiological investigation, we discovered that 1 of the patients involved was suffering from persistent COVID-19 while initially thought to be a recovering patient. She was therefore deemed to be the most likely source of the outbreak. We then performed whole-genome sequencing of the virus of 14 infected individuals involved in the outbreak. Surprisingly, the results of whole-genome sequencing refuted our initial hypothesis. A phylogenetic tree of the samples showed multiple introductions of the virus into the ward, 1 of which led to a cluster of 10 of the infected individuals. Importantly, the results pointed in the direction of a specific index patient that was different from the 1 that arose from our initial investigation. These results underscore the important added value of using whole-genome sequencing in epidemiological investigations as it may reveal unexpected connections between cases and aid in understanding transmission dynamics, especially in the setting of a pandemic where multiple possible index cases exist simultaneously.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
BACKGROUND
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic poses many epidemiological challenges. The investigation of nosocomial transmission is usually performed via thorough investigation of an index case and subsequent contact tracing. Notably, this approach has a subjective component, and there is accumulating evidence that whole-genome sequencing of the virus may provide more objective insight.
METHODS
METHODS
We report a large nosocomial outbreak in 1 of the medicine departments in our institution. Following intensive epidemiological investigation, we discovered that 1 of the patients involved was suffering from persistent COVID-19 while initially thought to be a recovering patient. She was therefore deemed to be the most likely source of the outbreak. We then performed whole-genome sequencing of the virus of 14 infected individuals involved in the outbreak.
RESULTS
RESULTS
Surprisingly, the results of whole-genome sequencing refuted our initial hypothesis. A phylogenetic tree of the samples showed multiple introductions of the virus into the ward, 1 of which led to a cluster of 10 of the infected individuals. Importantly, the results pointed in the direction of a specific index patient that was different from the 1 that arose from our initial investigation.
CONCLUSIONS
CONCLUSIONS
These results underscore the important added value of using whole-genome sequencing in epidemiological investigations as it may reveal unexpected connections between cases and aid in understanding transmission dynamics, especially in the setting of a pandemic where multiple possible index cases exist simultaneously.
Identifiants
pubmed: 34631912
doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofab120
pii: ofab120
pmc: PMC7989189
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Pagination
ofab120Informations de copyright
© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases Society of America.
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