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Open Forum Infect Dis
. 2026 Apr 1;13(4):ofag096.
doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofag096. eCollection 2026 Apr.
Containment of a Multi-index B.1.1.7 Outbreak on a University Campus Through a Genomically Informed Public Health Response
Emily T Martin 1 , Adam S Lauring 1 , JoLynn P Montgomery 2 , Andrew L Valesano 1 , Marisa C Eisenberg 1 , Katherine M Begley 1 , Julie Gilbert 1 , Maryanne Charath 1 , Danielle Sheen 1 , Jennifer Nord 1 , Robert D Ernst 1 , Lindsey Y Mortenson 1 , Riccardo Valdez 1 , Yashar Niknafs 3 , Darryl Conway 1 , Sami F Rifat 1 , Amy Callear 1 , Olivia Brooks 1 , Natasha Bagdasarian 4 , Jim Collins 4 , Heather Blankenship 4 , Marty Soehnlen 4 , Juan Marquez 5
Affiliations
Increasing the precision of outbreak containment for emerging virus strains requires real-time virus identification that can be integrated with specific public health actions. During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, we established a multisector partnership to support rapid genomically informed containment response. This system was in place prior to emergence of the first cluster of SARS-CoV-2 cases with lineage B.1.1.7 in the state of Michigan, which was identified through intensive university-led surveillance sampling and rapid, targeted sequencing. Sequencing data were integrated in real time with a collaborative investigation and response led by the local and state health departments, with university and athletic medicine COVID-19 response teams. In this response, subsequent sampling and just-in-time sequencing were specifically directed toward first- and second-order contacts of B.1.1.7 cases. A total of 50 cases of B.1.1.7-lineage SARS-CoV-2 were identified in this outbreak, which was due to 3 coincident introductions of B.1.1.7-lineage SARS-CoV-2 in the background of a large number of non-B.1.1.7 cases. This initial outbreak was contained, as all subsequent B.1.1.7 infections in the university and surrounding community were due to genetically distinct lineages. This investigation demonstrates the successful implementation of a genomically informed outbreak response that can be extended to university campuses and other settings at high risk for rapid emergence of new viruses or viral variants.
Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; coronavirus; universities; whole genome sequencing.
. 2026 Apr 1;13(4):ofag096.
doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofag096. eCollection 2026 Apr.
Containment of a Multi-index B.1.1.7 Outbreak on a University Campus Through a Genomically Informed Public Health Response
Emily T Martin 1 , Adam S Lauring 1 , JoLynn P Montgomery 2 , Andrew L Valesano 1 , Marisa C Eisenberg 1 , Katherine M Begley 1 , Julie Gilbert 1 , Maryanne Charath 1 , Danielle Sheen 1 , Jennifer Nord 1 , Robert D Ernst 1 , Lindsey Y Mortenson 1 , Riccardo Valdez 1 , Yashar Niknafs 3 , Darryl Conway 1 , Sami F Rifat 1 , Amy Callear 1 , Olivia Brooks 1 , Natasha Bagdasarian 4 , Jim Collins 4 , Heather Blankenship 4 , Marty Soehnlen 4 , Juan Marquez 5
Affiliations
- PMID: 41929671
- PMCID: PMC13043073
- DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofag096
Increasing the precision of outbreak containment for emerging virus strains requires real-time virus identification that can be integrated with specific public health actions. During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, we established a multisector partnership to support rapid genomically informed containment response. This system was in place prior to emergence of the first cluster of SARS-CoV-2 cases with lineage B.1.1.7 in the state of Michigan, which was identified through intensive university-led surveillance sampling and rapid, targeted sequencing. Sequencing data were integrated in real time with a collaborative investigation and response led by the local and state health departments, with university and athletic medicine COVID-19 response teams. In this response, subsequent sampling and just-in-time sequencing were specifically directed toward first- and second-order contacts of B.1.1.7 cases. A total of 50 cases of B.1.1.7-lineage SARS-CoV-2 were identified in this outbreak, which was due to 3 coincident introductions of B.1.1.7-lineage SARS-CoV-2 in the background of a large number of non-B.1.1.7 cases. This initial outbreak was contained, as all subsequent B.1.1.7 infections in the university and surrounding community were due to genetically distinct lineages. This investigation demonstrates the successful implementation of a genomically informed outbreak response that can be extended to university campuses and other settings at high risk for rapid emergence of new viruses or viral variants.
Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; coronavirus; universities; whole genome sequencing.