Genetic suppression occurs when the phenotypic defects caused by a mutation in a particular gene are rescued by a mutation in a second gene. To explore the principles of genetic suppression, we examined both literature-curated and unbiased experimental data, involving systematic genetic mapping and whole-genome sequencing, to generate a large-scale suppression network among yeast genes. Most suppression pairs identified novel relationships among functionally related genes, providing new insights into the functional wiring diagram of the cell. In addition to suppressor mutations, we identified frequent secondary mutations, in a subset of genes, that likely cause a delay in the onset of stationary phase, which appears to promote their enrichment within a propagating population. These findings allow us to formulate and quantify general mechanisms of genetic suppression.
Highlights
Health professional students can effectively implement a contact tracing initiative
A replicable workflow and onboarding system aids in efficient contact tracing
Testing capacity, community buy-in, and sparse resources can impact contact tracing
Purpose
Contact tracing has proven successful at controlling COVID-19 globally and the Center for Health Security has recommended that the United States add 100,000 contact tracers to the current workforce.
Methods
To address gaps in local contact tracing, health professional students partnered with their academic institution to conduct contact tracing for all COVID-19 cases diagnosed on site, which included identifying and reaching their contacts, educating participants and providing social resources to support effective quarantine and isolation.
Results
From March 24
th
to May 28
th
, 536 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases were contacted and reported an average of 2.6 contacts. Contacts were informed of their exposure, asked to quarantine and monitored for the onset of symptoms. Callers reached 94% of cases and 84% of contacts. 74% of cases reported at least 1 contact. Household members had higher rates of reporting symptoms (OR 1.65, 95% CI 1.19:2.28). The average test turnaround time decreased from 21.8 days for the first patients of this program to 2.3 days on the eleventh week.
Conclusions
This provides evidence for the untapped potential of community contact tracing to respond to regional needs, confront barriers to effective quarantine and mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
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