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Integrated genomic surveillance enables tracing of person-to-person SARS-CoV-2 transmission chains during community transmission and reveals extensive onward transmission of travel-imported infections, Germany, June to July 2021

Houwaart T, Belhaj S, Tawalbeh E, Nagels D, Fröhlich Y, Finzer P, Ciruela P, Sabrià A, Herrero M, Andrés C, Antón A, Benmoumene A, Asskali D, Haidar H, von Dahlen J, Nicolai J, Stiller M, Blum J, Lange C, Adelmann C, Schroer B, Osmers U, Grice C, Kirfel PP, Jomaa H, Strelow D, Hülse L, Pigulla M, Kreuzer P, Tyshaieva A, Weber J, Wienemann T, Vasconcelos MK, Hoffmann K, Lübke N, Hauka S, Andree M, Scholz CJ, Jazmati N, Göbels K, Zotz R, Pfeffer K, Timm J, Ehlkes L, Walker A, Dilthey AT, Altmüller J, Angelov A, Aschenbrenner AC, Bals R, Bartholomäus A, Becker A, Becker M, Bezdan D, Bitzer M, Blumert C, Bonifacio E, Bork P, Boyke B, Blum H, Casadei N, Clavel T, Colome-Tatche M, Cornberg M, De La Rosa Velázquez IA, Diefenbach A, Dilthey A, Fischer N, Förstner K, Franzenburg S, Frick JS, Gabernet G, Gagneur J, Ganzenmueller T, Gauder M, Geißert J, Goesmann A, Göpel S, Grundhoff A, Grundmann H, Hain T, Hanses F, Hehr U, Heimbach A, Hoeper M, Horn F, Hübschmann D, Hummel M, Iftner T, Iftner A, Illig T, Janssen S, Kalinowski J, Kallies R, Kehr B, Keller A, Keppler OT, Kim-Hellmuth S, Klein C, Knop M, Kohlbacher O, Köhrer K, Korbel J, Kremsner PG, Kühnert D, Kurth I, Landthaler M, Li Y, Ludwig KU, Makarewicz O, Marz M, McHardy AC, Mertes C, Münchhoff M, Nahnsen S, Nöthen M, Ntoumi F, Nürnberg P, Ossowski S, Overmann J, Peter S, Pfeffer K, Pink I, Poetsch AR, Protzer U, Pühler A, Rajewsky N, Ralser M, Reiche K, Rieß O, Ripke S, da Rocha UN, Rosenstiel P, Saliba AE, Sander LE, Sawitzki B, Scheithauer S, Schiffer P, Schmid-Burgk J, Schneider W, Schulte EC, Schultze JL, Sczyrba A, Sharaf ML, Singh Y, Sonnabend M, Stegle O, Stoye J, Theis F, Ulas T, Vehreschild J, Velavan TP, Vogel J, Volland S, von Kleist M, Walker A, Walter J, Wieczorek D, Winkler S, Ziebuhr J (2022)

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Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2022

Journal

Book Volume: 27

Journal Issue: 43

DOI: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2022.27.43.2101089

Abstract

Background: Tracking person-to-person SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the population is important to understand the epidemiology of community transmission and may contribute to the containment of SARS-CoV-2. Neither contact tracing nor genomic surveillance alone, however, are typically sufficient to achieve this objective. Aim: We demonstrate the successful application of the integrated genomic surveillance (IGS) system of the German city of Düsseldorf for tracing SARS-CoV-2 transmission chains in the population as well as detecting and investigating travel-associated SARS-CoV-2 infection clusters. Methods: Genomic surveillance, phylogenetic analysis, and structured case interviews were integrated to elucidate two genetically defined clusters of SARS-CoV-2 isolates detected by IGS in Düsseldorf in July 2021. Results: Cluster 1 (n=67 Düsseldorf cases) and Cluster 2 (n=36) were detected in a surveillance dataset of 518 high-quality SARS-CoV-2 genomes from Düsseldorf (53% of total cases, sampled mid-June to July 2021). Cluster 1 could be traced back to a complex pattern of transmission in nightlife venues following a putative importation by a SARS-CoV-2-infected return traveller (IP) in late June; 28 SARS-CoV-2 cases could be epidemiologically directly linked to IP. Supported by viral genome data from Spain, Cluster 2 was shown to represent multiple independent introduction events of a viral strain circulating in Catalonia and other European countries, followed by diffuse community transmission in Düsseldorf. Conclusion: IGS enabled high-resolution tracing of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in an internationally connected city during community transmission and provided infection chain-level evidence of the downstream propagation of travel-imported SARS-CoV-2 cases.

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How to cite

APA:

Houwaart, T., Belhaj, S., Tawalbeh, E., Nagels, D., Fröhlich, Y., Finzer, P.,... Ziebuhr, J. (2022). Integrated genomic surveillance enables tracing of person-to-person SARS-CoV-2 transmission chains during community transmission and reveals extensive onward transmission of travel-imported infections, Germany, June to July 2021. Eurosurveillance, 27(43). https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2022.27.43.2101089

MLA:

Houwaart, Torsten, et al. "Integrated genomic surveillance enables tracing of person-to-person SARS-CoV-2 transmission chains during community transmission and reveals extensive onward transmission of travel-imported infections, Germany, June to July 2021." Eurosurveillance 27.43 (2022).

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