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Super-spreaders in infectious diseases
Open accessAbstract
Early studies that explored host-pathogen interactions assumed that infected individuals within a population have equal chances of transmitting the infection to others. Subsequently, in what became known as the 20/80 rule, a small percentage of individuals within any population was observed to control most transmission events. This empirical rule was shown to govern inter-individual transmission dynamics for many pathogens in several species, and individuals who infect disproportionately more secondary contacts, as compared to most others, became known as super-spreaders. Studies conducted in the wake of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) pandemic revealed that, in the absence of super-spreading events, most individuals infect few, if any, secondary contacts. The analysis of SARS transmission, and reports from other outbreaks, unveil a complex scenario in which super-spreading events are shaped by multiple factors, including co-infection with another pathogen, immune suppression, changes in airflow dynamics, delayed hospital admission, misdiagnosis, and inter-hospital transfers. Predicting and identifying super-spreaders open significant medical and public health challenges, and represent important facets of infectious disease management and pandemic preparedness plans.
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Metadata
- Authors
- Stein, R. A.
- Affiliations
- Princeton University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Stein, Richard A.
- ORCID
- Stein, Richard A.
- Venue
- International Journal of Infectious Diseases
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2011-08
- Volume
- 15
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- e510-e513
- ISSN
- 1201-9712 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC7110524
- OpenAlex
- W2007300619
- Cited by
- 388
- References
- 53
- Citations by year
- 2026: 18 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 23 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 44 · 2021: 61 · 2020: 90 · 2019: 24 · 2018: 16 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 18 · 2015: 22 · 2014: 12 · 2013: 8 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 8.40
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- International Journal of Infectious Diseases (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Mathematics › Modeling and Simulation › COVID-19 epidemiological studies
- Physical Sciences › Mathematics › Applied Mathematics › Mathematical and Theoretical Epidemiology and Ecology Models
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › Viral Infections and Outbreaks Research
- Keywords
- superspreaders, superspreading events, Pareto principle, SARS, infectious disease transmission, host-pathogen interaction, co-infection, immunosuppression, airflow dynamics, misdiagnosis, interhospital transfer, pandemic preparedness, transmission dynamics
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Communicable Diseases, Environment, Humans, Public Health, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, Host-Pathogen Interactions, Pandemics, Coinfection
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