Table 2.

Study aims (applications of NGS) of included studies (Jan 2015 to Sep 2018: n = 275)

Study aim(s)
Outbreak investigations (n = 164)
Source tracing	78
Identify transmission routes	85
Inform outbreak management: feedback on key phenotypic attributes	11
Control-oriented surveillance (n = 41)
Understand transmission dynamics (identify transmission networks/clusters)	15
Early outbreak detection	23
Overview of circulating strains to identify the emergence of new threats	12
Strategy-oriented surveillance (n = 70)
Understand transmission dynamics to develop prevention strategies	21
Overview of circulating strains (long-term trends)	38
Impact assessment of prevention and control programs	29
Identification of risk factors and risk groups	6

One study can have multiple study aims