2020 Project: University of Wisconsin—Madison

Defining the role of college students in SARS-CoV-2’s spread in the upper Midwest

What to know

The University of Wisconsin—Madison, the University of Michigan, and the Milwaukee Health Department conducted research on the role of students in the spread of COVID-19. Awarded in 2020, this study used viral genomics to understand students’ role in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2. The study results informed risk assessments for university activities, suggesting means to interrupt transmission, and also detected emergence of genetic variants and potential spread, including those that might pass faster or evade the immune system.

Decorative image with words "2020" and "SARS-CoV-2"

Findings on SARS-CoV-2 surveillance and investigations

This project:

  • Determined within-host viral diversity was limited and also limited onward transmission of viral variants during acute SARS-CoV-2 infection.1
  • Determined outbreaks occurred among intercollegiate university athletic programs despite daily antigen testing2.
  • Investigated multiple SARS-CoV-2 infection clusters involving healthcare personnel and determined most infections in healthcare workers were likely from community rather than occupational exposures.3
  • Identified distinct patterns of SARS-CoV-2 introduction and spread in two communities.4
  • Detected SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant in nasal swab specimens of vaccinated persons which supports the idea people with breakthrough infections can transmit Delta variants.5
  • Detected distinct SARS-CoV-2 transmission dynamics among college student and community populations, with little evidence of spread from college students to community.6
  • Described a SARS-CoV-2 outbreak on a university campus and impact of interventions to reduce transmission.
  • Described how high intensity genomic surveillance delineated a complex alpha variant outbreak and informed its containment.
  • Described COVID-19 burden in Michigan, with estimates informed by variant sequencing.7
  • Determined empiric monoclonal antibody therapy using sequence data.8

New SARS-CoV-2 dashboards and websites

This project contributed sequencing data to the City of Milwaukee Health Department Monthly Clinical Laboratory Update.

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Content Source:
National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID)
  1. Acute SARS-CoV-2 infections harbor limited within-host diversity and transmit via tight transmission bottlenecks, PLoS Pathog, 2021
  2. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Transmission in Intercollegiate Athletics Not Fully Mitigated With Daily Antigen Testing, Clin Infect Dis, 2021
  3. Viral Sequencing to Investigate Sources of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in US Healthcare Personnel. Clin Infect Dis, 2021.
  4. Revealing fine-scale spatiotemporal differences in SARS-CoV-2 introduction and spread, Nat Commun, 2020.
  5. Shedding of Infectious SARS-CoV-2 Despite Vaccination, PLoS Pathog, 2022.
  6. SARS-CoV-2 Genomic Surveillance Reveals Little Spread Between a Large University Campus and the Surrounding Community, Open Forum Infectious Diseases, 2022
  7. The variant-specific burden of SARS-CoV-2 in Michigan: March 2020 through November 2021, J Med Virol, 2022.
  8. Monoclonal antibodies for early treatment of COVID-19 in a world of evolving SARS-CoV-2 mutations and variants, Open Forum Infect Dis, 2021.