Digital Droplet PCR to Track SARS-CoV-2 Outbreak in a Hospital Transitional Care Unit

Kathryn Linton; Lisa K Oberding; Linda Ward; Joseph Kim; Dylan R Pillai

doi:10.1016/j.ajic.2022.06.010

Digital Droplet PCR to Track SARS-CoV-2 Outbreak in a Hospital Transitional Care Unit

Am J Infect Control. 2023 Feb;51(2):231-233. doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2022.06.010. Epub 2022 Jun 13.

Authors

Kathryn Linton¹, Lisa K Oberding², Linda Ward¹, Joseph Kim³, Dylan R Pillai⁴

Affiliations

¹ Infection Prevention and Control, Alberta Health Services, Calgary, Alberta Canada.
² Department of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
³ Infection Prevention and Control, Alberta Health Services, Calgary, Alberta Canada; Alberta Precision Laboratories, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
⁴ Department of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Alberta Precision Laboratories, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Department Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Electronic address: drpillai@ucalgary.ca.

Abstract

We describe an outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 on a transition unit composed of elderly patients awaiting placement. Environmental and patient sample analyses using digital droplet PCR (ddPCR) suggested possible fomite transmission and a high viral burden source from a few individual patients. This outbreak illustrates challenges inherent to this specific patient population.

Keywords: COVID-19; Environmental sample; Hospital-acquired; Long term care; Outbreak; ddPCR.

MeSH terms

Aged
COVID-19 Testing
COVID-19*
Disease Outbreaks
Hospitals
Humans
Polymerase Chain Reaction
RNA, Viral / analysis
SARS-CoV-2 / genetics
Transitional Care*

Substances

RNA, Viral