Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34485893›Full record

ArticleInfection prevention in practice2021

Nosocomial or not? A combined epidemiological and genomic investigation to understand hospital-acquired COVID-19 infection on an elderly care ward.

R D Wenlock, M Tausan, R Mann, W Garr, R Preston, A Arnold, J Hoban, L Webb, C Quick, A Beckett and 10 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Infection prevention in practice, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing 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

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Learning from pragmatic local research.Infection prevention in practice · 2021
    Article
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

20 authors.

R D WenlockBrighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, Brighton, UK.
M TausanBrighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, Brighton, UK.
R MannBrighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, Brighton, UK.
W GarrBrighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, Brighton, UK.
R PrestonBrighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, Brighton, UK.
A ArnoldBrighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, Brighton, UK.
J HobanBrighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, Brighton, UK.
L WebbBrighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, Brighton, UK.
C QuickBrighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, Brighton, UK.
A BeckettCentre for Enzyme Innovation, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK.
K LovesonSchool of Pharmacy and Biomedical Science, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK.
S GlaysherPortsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, Portsmouth, UK.
S ElliottPortsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, Portsmouth, UK.
C MaloneBrighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, Brighton, UK.
B CoggerBrighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, Brighton, UK.
L EastonBrighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, Brighton, UK.
COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) consortium
S C RobsonCentre for Enzyme Innovation, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK.
M O Hassan-IbrahimBrighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, Brighton, UK.
C SargentBrighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, Brighton, UK.

Funding

Medical Research Council MC_PC_19027
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCOVID-19 has the potential to cause outbreaks in hospitals. Given the comorbid and elderly cohort of patients hospitalized, hospital-acquired COVID-19 infection is often fatal. Pathogen genome sequencing is becoming increasingly important in infection prevention and control (IPC).

aimTo inform the understanding of in-hospital SARS-CoV-2 transmission in order to improve IPC practices and to inform the future development of virological testing for IPC.

methodsPatients detected COVID-19 positive by polymerase chain reaction on Ward A in April and May 2020 were included with contact tracing to identify other potential cases. Genome sequencing was undertaken for a subgroup of cases. Epidemiological, genomic, and cluster analyses were performed to describe the epidemiology and to identify factors contributing to the outbreak.

findingsFourteen cases were identified on Ward A. Contact tracing identified 16 further patient cases; in addition, eight healthcare workers (HCWs) were identified as being COVID-19 positive through a round of asymptomatic testing. Genome sequencing of 16 of these cases identified viral genomes differing by two single nucleotide polymorphisms or fewer, with further cluster analysis identifying two groups of infection (a five-person group and a six-person group).

conclusionDespite the temporal relationship of cases, genome sequencing identified that not all cases shared transmission events. However, 11 samples were found to be closely related and these likely represented in-hospital transmission. This included three HCWs, thereby confirming transmission between patients and HCWs.

Indexed as

COVID-19Genome sequencingHospital-acquired infectionOutbreak

Identifiers

PMID34485893
PMCPMC8397489

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.