Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Overlapping of Independent SARS-CoV-2 Nosocomial Transmissions in a Complex Outbreak

2021; American Society for Microbiology; Volume: 6; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1128/msphere.00389-21

2379-5042

Laura Pérez‐Lago, Helena Martínez-Lozano, José Antonio Pajares-Díaz, Arantxa Díaz-Gómez, Marina Machado, Pedro J. Sola‐Campoy, Marta Herránz, Maricela Valerio, María Olmedo, Julia Suárez‐González, Víctor Quesada-Cubo, Maria del Mar Gómez-Ruiz, Nieves López‐Fresneña, Ignacio Sánchez-Arcilla, Iñaki Comas, Fernando Gónzález‐Candelas, Sonia García de San José, Rafael Bañares, Pilar Catalán, Patricia Muñóz, Darı́o Garcı́a de Viedma,

COVID-19 Clinical Research Studies

SARS-CoV-2 nosocomial outbreaks in the first COVID-19 wave were likely associated with a shortage of personal protective equipment and scarce indications on control measures. Having covered these limitations, updates on current SARS-CoV-2 nosocomial outbreaks are required. We carried out an in-depth analysis of a 27-day nosocomial outbreak in a gastroenterology ward in our hospital, potentially involving 15 patients and 3 health care workers. Patients had stayed in one of three neighboring rooms in the ward. The severity of the infections in six of the cases and a high fatality rate made the clinicians suspect the possible involvement of a single virulent strain persisting in those rooms. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of the strains from 12 patients and 1 health care worker revealed an unexpected complexity. Five different SARS-CoV-2 strains were identified, two infecting a single patient each, ruling out their relationship with the outbreak; the remaining three strains were involved in three independent, overlapping, limited transmission clusters with three, three, and five cases. Whole-genome sequencing was key to understand the complexity of this outbreak.