METHODS: Patients were screened for respiratory viruses using multiplex-PCR. PIV3 positive samples with a cycle threshold (Ct)-value of <31 underwent a retrospective characterization via an in-house developed sequence analysis of the hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) gene.
RESULTS: Between July and September 2022, 31 hematology patients were identified with PIV3. Although infection control measures were implemented, the outbreak persisted for nine weeks. Sequencing the HN gene of 27 PIV3 strains from 27 patients revealed that all outbreak strains formed a distinct cluster separate from the control strains, suggestive of a nosocomial transmission route.
CONCLUSIONS: Sequencing the HN gene of PIV3 strains in an outbreak setting enables outbreak strains to be distinguished from community strains. Early molecular characterization of PIV3 strains during an outbreak can serve as a tool in determining potential transmission routes. This, in turn, enables rapid implementation of targeted infection prevention measures, with the goal of minimizing the outbreak\'s duration and reducing associated morbidity and mortality.
方法:使用多重PCR对患者进行呼吸道病毒筛查。循环阈值(Ct)值<31的PIV3阳性样品通过血凝素-神经氨酸酶(HN)基因的内部开发的序列分析进行回顾性表征。
结果:在2022年7月至9月之间,31名血液病患者被确定为PIV3。尽管实施了感染控制措施,疫情持续了9周。对来自27例患者的27株PIV3菌株的HN基因进行测序显示,所有爆发菌株都与对照菌株形成了一个不同的簇,暗示了医院内的传播途径.
结论:在爆发环境中对PIV3菌株的HN基因进行测序可以将爆发菌株与社区菌株区分开来。PIV3菌株在爆发期间的早期分子表征可以作为确定潜在传播途径的工具。这个,反过来,能够快速实施有针对性的感染预防措施,目标是最大限度地减少疫情的持续时间,并降低相关的发病率和死亡率。