Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34011266›Full record

ArticleBMC infectious diseases2021

Identification of transmission chains and clusters associated with COVID-19 in Tunisia.

Mouna Safer, Hejer Letaief, Aicha Hechaichi, Chahida Harizi, Sonia Dhaouadi, Leila Bouabid, Sondes Darouiche, Donia Gharbi, Nawel Elmili, Hamida Ben Salah and 23 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

33 authors.

Mouna SaferNational Observatory of New and Emerging Diseases, Ministry Of Health, Tunis, Tunisia. safermuna@yahoo.fr.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9746-2444
Hejer LetaiefNational Observatory of New and Emerging Diseases, Ministry Of Health, Tunis, Tunisia.
Aicha HechaichiNational Observatory of New and Emerging Diseases, Ministry Of Health, Tunis, Tunisia.
Chahida HariziDepartment of Epidemiology and Statistics, Abderrahman Mami Hospital, Ariana, Tunisia.
Sonia DhaouadiNational Observatory of New and Emerging Diseases, Ministry Of Health, Tunis, Tunisia.
Leila BouabidNational Observatory of New and Emerging Diseases, Ministry Of Health, Tunis, Tunisia.
Sondes DarouicheNational Observatory of New and Emerging Diseases, Ministry Of Health, Tunis, Tunisia.
Donia GharbiNational Observatory of New and Emerging Diseases, Ministry Of Health, Tunis, Tunisia.
Nawel ElmiliNational Observatory of New and Emerging Diseases, Ministry Of Health, Tunis, Tunisia.
Hamida Ben SalahNational Observatory of New and Emerging Diseases, Ministry Of Health, Tunis, Tunisia.
Mongi HammamiNational Observatory of New and Emerging Diseases, Ministry Of Health, Tunis, Tunisia.
Khouloud TalmoudiNational Observatory of New and Emerging Diseases, Ministry Of Health, Tunis, Tunisia.
Rim MoussaPublic Health Surveillance Regional Departments, Tunis, Tunisia.
Nejib CharaaPublic Health Surveillance Regional Departments, Tunis, Tunisia.
Hasna TermizPublic Health Surveillance Regional Departments, Tunis, Tunisia.
Fethi LtaiefPublic Health Surveillance Regional Departments, Tunis, Tunisia.
Habib TounektiPublic Health Surveillance Regional Departments, Tunis, Tunisia.
Mohamed MakhloufPublic Health Surveillance Regional Departments, Tunis, Tunisia.
Asma Belguith SrihaDepartment of Community and Preventive Medicine Faculty of Medicine, University of Monastir Tunisia, Tunis, Tunisia.
Manel Ben FredjDepartment of Community and Preventive Medicine Faculty of Medicine, University of Monastir Tunisia, Tunis, Tunisia.
Sonia KhalfallahPublic Health Surveillance Regional Departments, Tunis, Tunisia.
Houcine JabranePublic Health Surveillance Regional Departments, Tunis, Tunisia.
Selma MchirguiPublic Health Surveillance Regional Departments, Tunis, Tunisia.
Chedli AmichPublic Health Surveillance Regional Departments, Tunis, Tunisia.
Radhia DabghiPublic Health Surveillance Regional Departments, Tunis, Tunisia.
Zid AnezPublic Health Surveillance Regional Departments, Tunis, Tunisia.
Latifa AbdelkaderPublic Health Surveillance Regional Departments, Tunis, Tunisia.
Moncef MhamdiPublic Health Surveillance Regional Departments, Tunis, Tunisia.
Nabil OuerfeliPublic Health Surveillance Regional Departments, Tunis, Tunisia.
Salah ZoghlamiPublic Health Surveillance Regional Departments, Tunis, Tunisia.
Souha BougatefNational Observatory of New and Emerging Diseases, Ministry Of Health, Tunis, Tunisia.
Mohamed Kouni ChahedDepartment of Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine of Tunis, Tunis El-Manar University, Tunis, Tunisia.
Nissaf Bouafif Ben AlayaNational Observatory of New and Emerging Diseases, Ministry Of Health, Tunis, Tunisia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe aim of this study was to characterize the transmission chains and clusters of COVID-19 infection in Tunisia.

methodsAll cases were confirmed by Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction of a nasopharyngeal specimen. Contact tracing is undertaken for all confirmed cases in order to identify close contacts that will be systematically screened and quarantined. Transmission chains were identified based on field investigation, contact tracing, results of screening tests and by assessing all probable mode of transmission and interactions.

resultsAs of May 18, 2020, 656 cases out of a total of 1043 confirmed cases of Coronavirus disease 2019 belong to 127 transmission chains identified during the epidemic (mean age 42.36 years, Standard deviation 19.56 and sex ratio 0.86). The virus transmission is the most concentrated in the governorate of Tunis (31.5%), Ariana (10.2%) and Ben Arous (10.2%). Virus transmission occurred 50 times (9.72% of secondary transmission events) between two different governorates. A maximum of seven generations of secondary infection was identified, whereas 62% of these secondary infections belong the first generation. A total of 11 "super spreader" cases were identified in this investigation. Four large clusters have been identified. The evolution of secondary cases highlighted two peaks: one in 2nd April and a second in 16

conclusionCorrect contact tracing and early active case finding is useful to identify transmission chains and source of infection in order to contain the widespread transmission in the community.

Indexed as

AdultAgedAged, 80 and overCluster AnalysisContact TracingCOVID-19FemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNasopharynxReverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain ReactionRNA, ViralSARS-CoV-2TunisiaYoung AdultRNA, ViralCluster analysisContact tracingCoronavirus infections / transmissionCOVID-19Public healthTunisia

Identifiers

PMID34011266
PMCPMC8132040

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.