Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39812649›Full record

ArticleeLife2025

Leveraging mobility data to analyze persistent SARS-CoV-2 mutations and inform targeted genomic surveillance.

Riccardo Spott, Mathias W Pletz, Carolin Fleischmann-Struzek, Aurelia Kimmig, Christiane Hadlich, Matthias Hauert, Mara Lohde, Mateusz Jundzill, Mike Marquet, Petra Dickmann and 4 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in eLife, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. 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

14 authors.

Riccardo SpottInstitute for Infectious Diseases and Infection Control, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2103-167X
Mathias W PletzInstitute for Infectious Diseases and Infection Control, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.
Carolin Fleischmann-StruzekInstitute for Infectious Diseases and Infection Control, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.
Aurelia KimmigInstitute for Infectious Diseases and Infection Control, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.
Christiane HadlichSMA Development GmbH - epicinsights Agentur für Künstliche Intelligenz und Big Data Analytics, Jena, Germany.
Matthias HauertSMA Development GmbH - epicinsights Agentur für Künstliche Intelligenz und Big Data Analytics, Jena, Germany.
Mara LohdeInstitute for Infectious Diseases and Infection Control, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.
Mateusz JundzillInstitute for Infectious Diseases and Infection Control, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.
Mike MarquetInstitute for Infectious Diseases and Infection Control, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.
Petra DickmannDepartment of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.
Ruben SchüchnerThuringian State Authority for Consumer Protection, Department Health Protection, Bad Langensalza, Germany.
Martin HölzerMethodology and Research Infrastructure, Genome Competence Center (MF1), Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany.
Denise KühnertCentre for Artificial Intelligence in Public Health Research, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5657-018X
Christian BrandtInstitute for Infectious Diseases and Infection Control, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.

Funding

Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung 13N15745German Research Foundation 512648189Thüringer Aufbaubank 2021 VF 0035
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Given the rapid cross-country spread of SARS-CoV-2 and the resulting difficulty in tracking lineage spread, we investigated the potential of combining mobile service data and fine-granular metadata (such as postal codes and genomic data) to advance integrated genomic surveillance of the pandemic in the federal state of Thuringia, Germany. We sequenced over 6500 SARS-CoV-2 Alpha genomes (B.1.1.7) across 7 months within Thuringia while collecting patients' isolation dates and postal codes. Our dataset is complemented by over 66,000 publicly available German Alpha genomes and mobile service data for Thuringia. We identified the existence and spread of nine persistent mutation variants within the Alpha lineage, seven of which formed separate phylogenetic clusters with different spreading patterns in Thuringia. The remaining two are subclusters. Mobile service data can indicate these clusters' spread and highlight a potential sampling bias, especially of low-prevalence variants. Thereby, mobile service data can be used either retrospectively to assess surveillance coverage and efficiency from already collected data or to actively guide part of a surveillance sampling process to districts where these variants are expected to emerge. The latter concept was successfully implemented as a proof-of-concept for a mobility-guided sampling strategy in response to the surveillance of Omicron sublineage BQ.1.1. The combination of mobile service data and SARS-CoV-2 surveillance by genome sequencing is a valuable tool for more targeted and responsive surveillance.

Indexed as

COVID-19Genome, ViralMutationSARS-CoV-2GenomicsGermanyHumansPandemicsPhylogenycluster trackingepidemiologyglobal healthmobility datananopore sequencingSARS-CoV-2virusesWGS

Identifiers

PMID39812649
PMCPMC11735024

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.