The abstract is read at the publisher; the summary is JClub's.
Amplicon whole-genome sequencing of 509 measles virus genomes from 913 Utah-Arizona cases shows repeated introductions from Southwest Utah and Mohave County, Arizona, seeding spread elsewhere in 2026.
- Why it matters: Epidemiologic reports alone cannot reliably infer who transmitted measles to whom, limiting targeted control during the 2025–26 border outbreak as vaccine coverage declines.
- What they did: Residual diagnostic samples from June 15, 2025–April 30, 2026 were sequenced, dispersal across Utah was reconstructed with Bayesian phylogeography, and a 0-SNP threshold was tested against known epidemiologic linkages.
- The result: The 0-SNP threshold identified linked pairs with 77.4% sensitivity and 92.3% specificity; household membership (OR: 219.10, 95% CI: 112.66–325.53), same sport (OR: 15.19, 95% CI: 9.75–20.63), and same school (OR: 51.5, 95% CI: 36.38–66.61) were linked to transmission linkage, while greater household distance reduced odds (OR: 0.46, 95% CI: 0.44–0.48).
The findingWhy it mattersWhat they didThe result
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