PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Helen Y Chu
AU  - Michael Boeckh
AU  - Janet A Englund
AU  - Michael Famulare
AU  - Barry Lutz
AU  - Deborah A Nickerson
AU  - Mark Rieder
AU  - Lea M Starita
AU  - Amanda Adler
AU  - Elisabeth Brandstetter
AU  - Chris D Frazer
AU  - Peter D Han
AU  - Reena K Gulati
AU  - James Hadfield
AU  - Michael Jackson
AU  - Anahita Kiavand
AU  - Louise E Kimball
AU  - Kirsten Lacombe
AU  - Kira Newman
AU  - Thomas R Sibley
AU  - Jennifer K Logue
AU  - Victoria Rachel Lyon
AU  - Caitlin R Wolf
AU  - Monica Zigman Suchsland
AU  - Jay Shendure
AU  - Trevor Bedford
TI  - The Seattle Flu Study: a multiarm community-based prospective study protocol for assessing influenza prevalence, transmission and genomic epidemiology
AID  - 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-037295
DP  - 2020 Oct 01
TA  - BMJ Open
PG  - e037295
VI  - 10
IP  - 10
4099  - http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/10/10/e037295.short
4100  - http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/10/10/e037295.full
SO  - BMJ Open2020 Oct 01; 10
AB  - Introduction Influenza epidemics and pandemics cause significant morbidity and mortality. An effective response to a potential pandemic requires the infrastructure to rapidly detect, characterise, and potentially contain new and emerging influenza strains at both an individual and population level. The objective of this study is to use data gathered simultaneously from community and hospital sites to develop a model of how influenza enters and spreads in a population.Methods and analysis Starting in the 2018–2019 season, we have been enrolling individuals with acute respiratory illness from community sites throughout the Seattle metropolitan area, including clinics, childcare facilities, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, workplaces, college campuses and homeless shelters. At these sites, we collect clinical data and mid-nasal swabs from individuals with at least two acute respiratory symptoms. Additionally, we collect residual nasal swabs and data from individuals who seek care for respiratory symptoms at four regional hospitals. Samples are tested using a multiplex molecular assay, and influenza whole genome sequencing is performed for samples with influenza detected. Geospatial mapping and computational modelling platforms are in development to characterise the regional spread of influenza and other respiratory pathogens.Ethics and dissemination The study was approved by the University of Washington’s Institutional Review Board (STUDY00006181). Results will be disseminated through talks at conferences, peer-reviewed publications and on the study website (www.seattleflu.org).