tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Open Forum Infect Dis
. 2026 Apr 1;13(4)
fag096.
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[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Adam S Lauring[SUP] 1 [/SUP], JoLynn P Montgomery[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Andrew L Valesano[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Marisa C Eisenberg[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Katherine M Begley[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Julie Gilbert[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Maryanne Charath[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Danielle Sheen[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jennifer Nord[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Robert D Ernst[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Lindsey Y Mortenson[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Riccardo Valdez[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yashar Niknafs[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Darryl Conway[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Sami F Rifat[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Amy Callear[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Olivia Brooks[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Natasha Bagdasarian[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Jim Collins[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Heather Blankenship[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Marty Soehnlen[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Juan Marquez[SUP] 5 [/SUP]
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)
fag096.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[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Adam S Lauring[SUP] 1 [/SUP], JoLynn P Montgomery[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Andrew L Valesano[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Marisa C Eisenberg[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Katherine M Begley[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Julie Gilbert[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Maryanne Charath[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Danielle Sheen[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jennifer Nord[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Robert D Ernst[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Lindsey Y Mortenson[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Riccardo Valdez[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yashar Niknafs[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Darryl Conway[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Sami F Rifat[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Amy Callear[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Olivia Brooks[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Natasha Bagdasarian[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Jim Collins[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Heather Blankenship[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Marty Soehnlen[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Juan Marquez[SUP] 5 [/SUP]
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.