Catch Me if You Can: Superspreading of COVID-19

Seema S. Lakdawala, Vineet D. Menachery

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

Abstract

While significant insights have been gained concerning COVID-19, superspreading of coronaviruses remains a mystery. The vast majority of cases have been linked to a relatively small portion of infected individuals. Yet, the genetic sequence of the virus, severity of disease, and underlying host parameters, such as age, sex, and health conditions, are not clearly driving the superspreading phenomenon. In this commentary we discuss what is known and what is not known about coronavirus superspreader transmission and explore whether characteristics of the virion, the donor, or the environment contribute to this phenomenon.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)919-929
Number of pages11
JournalTrends in Microbiology
Volume29
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2021

Keywords

  • COVID-19
  • Coronavirus
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • superspreading
  • transmission

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Microbiology
  • Microbiology (medical)
  • Virology
  • Infectious Diseases

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