1
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Oo A, Chen Z, Cao D, Cho YJ, Liang B, Schinazi RF, Kim B. Biochemical simulation of mutation synthesis and repair during SARS-CoV-2 RNA polymerization. Virology 2024; 600:110255. [PMID: 39366027 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2024.110255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2024] [Revised: 09/24/2024] [Accepted: 09/27/2024] [Indexed: 10/06/2024]
Abstract
We biochemically simulated the mutation synthesis process of SARS-CoV-2 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) complex (nsp7/nsp8/nsp12) involving two sequential mechanistic steps that occur during genomic replication: misinsertion (incorporation of incorrect nucleotides) and mismatch extension. Then, we also simulated mismatch repair process catalyzed by the viral nsp10/nsp14 ExoN complex. In these mechanistic simulations, while SARS-CoV-2 RdRp displays efficient mutation synthesis capability, the viral ExoN complex was able to effectively repair the mismatch primers generated during the mutation synthesis. Also, we observed that the delayed RNA synthesis induced by mutation synthesis process was rescued by the viral ExoN activity. Collectively, our biochemical simulations suggest that SARS-CoV-2 ExoN complex may contribute to both maintenance of proper viral genetic diversity levels and successful completion of the viral large RNA genome replication by removing mismatches generated by the viral RdRp.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian Oo
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Zhenhang Chen
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
| | - Dongdong Cao
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
| | - Young-Jae Cho
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Bo Liang
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
| | - Raymond F Schinazi
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA; Center for ViroScience and Cure, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Baek Kim
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA; Center for ViroScience and Cure, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.
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2
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Ren W, Hong W, Yang J, Zou J, Chen L, Zhou Y, Lei H, Alu A, Que H, Gong Y, Bi Z, He C, Fu M, Peng D, Yang Y, Yu W, Tang C, Huang Q, Yang M, Li B, Li J, Wang J, Ma X, Hu H, Cheng W, Dong H, Lei J, Chen L, Zhou X, Li J, Wang W, Lu G, Shen G, Yang L, Yang J, Wang Z, Jia G, Su Z, Shao B, Miao H, Yiu-Nam Lau J, Wei Y, Zhang K, Dai L, Lu S, Wei X. SARS-CoV-2 Delta and Omicron variants resist spike cleavage by human airway trypsin-like protease. J Clin Invest 2024; 134:e174304. [PMID: 39286971 PMCID: PMC11405045 DOI: 10.1172/jci174304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 09/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Soluble host factors in the upper respiratory tract can serve as the first line of defense against SARS-CoV-2 infection. In this study, we described the identification and function of a human airway trypsin-like protease (HAT), capable of reducing the infectivity of ancestral SARS-CoV-2. Further, in mouse models, HAT analogue expression was upregulated by SARS-CoV-2 infection. The antiviral activity of HAT functioned through the cleavage of the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein at R682. This cleavage resulted in inhibition of the attachment of ancestral spike proteins to host cells, which inhibited the cell-cell membrane fusion process. Importantly, exogenous addition of HAT notably reduced the infectivity of ancestral SARS-CoV-2 in vivo. However, HAT was ineffective against the Delta variant and most circulating Omicron variants, including the BQ.1.1 and XBB.1.5 subvariants. We demonstrate that the P681R mutation in Delta and P681H mutation in the Omicron variants, adjacent to the R682 cleavage site, contributed to HAT resistance. Our study reports what we believe to be a novel soluble defense factor against SARS-CoV-2 and resistance of its actions in the Delta and Omicron variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenyan Ren
- Laboratory of Aging Research and Cancer Drug Target, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Weiqi Hong
- Laboratory of Aging Research and Cancer Drug Target, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Jingyun Yang
- Laboratory of Aging Research and Cancer Drug Target, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Jun Zou
- Laboratory of Aging Research and Cancer Drug Target, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Li Chen
- Laboratory of Aging Research and Cancer Drug Target, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Yanan Zhou
- National Kunming High-level Biosafety Primate Research Center, Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Hong Lei
- Laboratory of Aging Research and Cancer Drug Target, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Aqu Alu
- Laboratory of Aging Research and Cancer Drug Target, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Haiying Que
- Laboratory of Aging Research and Cancer Drug Target, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Yanqiu Gong
- Laboratory of Aging Research and Cancer Drug Target, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Zhenfei Bi
- Laboratory of Aging Research and Cancer Drug Target, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Cai He
- Laboratory of Aging Research and Cancer Drug Target, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Minyang Fu
- Laboratory of Aging Research and Cancer Drug Target, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Dandan Peng
- Laboratory of Aging Research and Cancer Drug Target, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Yun Yang
- National Kunming High-level Biosafety Primate Research Center, Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Wenhai Yu
- National Kunming High-level Biosafety Primate Research Center, Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Cong Tang
- National Kunming High-level Biosafety Primate Research Center, Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Qing Huang
- National Kunming High-level Biosafety Primate Research Center, Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Mengli Yang
- National Kunming High-level Biosafety Primate Research Center, Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Bai Li
- National Kunming High-level Biosafety Primate Research Center, Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Jingmei Li
- National Kunming High-level Biosafety Primate Research Center, Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Junbin Wang
- National Kunming High-level Biosafety Primate Research Center, Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Xuelei Ma
- Laboratory of Aging Research and Cancer Drug Target, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Hongbo Hu
- Laboratory of Aging Research and Cancer Drug Target, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Wei Cheng
- Laboratory of Aging Research and Cancer Drug Target, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Haohao Dong
- Laboratory of Aging Research and Cancer Drug Target, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Jian Lei
- Laboratory of Aging Research and Cancer Drug Target, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Lu Chen
- Laboratory of Aging Research and Cancer Drug Target, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Xikun Zhou
- Laboratory of Aging Research and Cancer Drug Target, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Jiong Li
- Laboratory of Aging Research and Cancer Drug Target, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Wei Wang
- Laboratory of Aging Research and Cancer Drug Target, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Guangwen Lu
- Laboratory of Aging Research and Cancer Drug Target, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Guobo Shen
- Laboratory of Aging Research and Cancer Drug Target, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Li Yang
- Laboratory of Aging Research and Cancer Drug Target, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Jinliang Yang
- Laboratory of Aging Research and Cancer Drug Target, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Zhenling Wang
- Laboratory of Aging Research and Cancer Drug Target, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Guowen Jia
- Laboratory of Aging Research and Cancer Drug Target, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Zhaoming Su
- Laboratory of Aging Research and Cancer Drug Target, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Bin Shao
- Laboratory of Aging Research and Cancer Drug Target, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Hanpei Miao
- Affiliated Dongguan Hospital, Southern Medical University (Dongguan People's Hospital), Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Johnson Yiu-Nam Lau
- Department of Biology and School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yuquan Wei
- Laboratory of Aging Research and Cancer Drug Target, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Kang Zhang
- National Clinical Eye Research Center, Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Institute of AI in Medicine and Faculty of Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Taipa, Macau, China
| | - Lunzhi Dai
- Laboratory of Aging Research and Cancer Drug Target, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Shuaiyao Lu
- National Kunming High-level Biosafety Primate Research Center, Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Xiawei Wei
- Laboratory of Aging Research and Cancer Drug Target, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
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3
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Mei L, Hou Y, Zhou J, Chang Y, Liu Y, Wang D, Zhang Y, Ning S, Li X. AVM: A Manually Curated Database of Aerosol-transmitted Virus Mutations, Human Diseases, and Drugs. GENOMICS, PROTEOMICS & BIOINFORMATICS 2024; 22:qzae041. [PMID: 39353863 DOI: 10.1093/gpbjnl/qzae041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 04/23/2024] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 10/04/2024]
Abstract
Aerosol-transmitted viruses possess strong infectivity and can spread over long distances, earning the difficult-to-control title. They cause various human diseases and pose serious threats to human health. Mutations can increase the transmissibility and virulence of the strains, reducing the protection provided by vaccines and weakening the efficacy of antiviral drugs. In this study, we established a manually curated database (termed AVM) to store information on aerosol-transmitted viral mutations (VMs). The current version of the AVM contains 42,041 VMs (including 2613 immune escape mutations), 45 clinical information datasets, and 407 drugs/antibodies/vaccines. Additionally, we recorded 88 human diseases associated with viruses and found that the same virus can target multiple organs in the body, leading to diverse diseases. Furthermore, the AVM database offers a straightforward user interface for browsing, retrieving, and downloading information. This database is a comprehensive resource that can provide timely and valuable information on the transmission, treatment, and diseases caused by aerosol-transmitted viruses (http://www.bio-bigdata.center/AVM).
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Affiliation(s)
- Lan Mei
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China
| | - Yaopan Hou
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China
| | - Jiajun Zhou
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China
| | - Yetong Chang
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China
| | - Yuwei Liu
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China
| | - Di Wang
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China
| | - Yunpeng Zhang
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China
| | - Shangwei Ning
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China
| | - Xia Li
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China
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4
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Khurana MP, Curran-Sebastian J, Scheidwasser N, Morgenstern C, Rasmussen M, Fonager J, Stegger M, Tang MHE, Juul JL, Escobar-Herrera LA, Møller FT, Albertsen M, Kraemer MUG, du Plessis L, Jokelainen P, Lehmann S, Krause TG, Ullum H, Duchêne DA, Mortensen LH, Bhatt S. High-resolution epidemiological landscape from ~290,000 SARS-CoV-2 genomes from Denmark. Nat Commun 2024; 15:7123. [PMID: 39164246 PMCID: PMC11335946 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-51371-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2024] [Accepted: 08/01/2024] [Indexed: 08/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Vast amounts of pathogen genomic, demographic and spatial data are transforming our understanding of SARS-CoV-2 emergence and spread. We examined the drivers of molecular evolution and spread of 291,791 SARS-CoV-2 genomes from Denmark in 2021. With a sequencing rate consistently exceeding 60%, and up to 80% of PCR-positive samples between March and November, the viral genome set is broadly whole-epidemic representative. We identify a consistent rise in viral diversity over time, with notable spikes upon the importation of novel variants (e.g., Delta and Omicron). By linking genomic data with rich individual-level demographic data from national registers, we find that individuals aged < 15 and > 75 years had a lower contribution to molecular change (i.e., branch lengths) compared to other age groups, but similar molecular evolutionary rates, suggesting a lower likelihood of introducing novel variants. Similarly, we find greater molecular change among vaccinated individuals, suggestive of immune evasion. We also observe evidence of transmission in rural areas to follow predictable diffusion processes. Conversely, urban areas are expectedly more complex due to their high mobility, emphasising the role of population structure in driving virus spread. Our analyses highlight the added value of integrating genomic data with detailed demographic and spatial information, particularly in the absence of structured infection surveys.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark P Khurana
- Section of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Jacob Curran-Sebastian
- Section of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Neil Scheidwasser
- Section of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Christian Morgenstern
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Morten Rasmussen
- Virus Research and Development Laboratory, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jannik Fonager
- Virus Research and Development Laboratory, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Marc Stegger
- Department of Bacteria, Parasites and Fungi, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Antimicrobial Resistance and Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA, Australia
| | - Man-Hung Eric Tang
- Department of Bacteria, Parasites and Fungi, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jonas L Juul
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | | | | | - Mads Albertsen
- Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
| | | | - Louis du Plessis
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Pikka Jokelainen
- Infectious Disease Preparedness, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Sune Lehmann
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Tyra G Krause
- Epidemiological Infectious Disease Preparedness, Statens Serum Institut Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - David A Duchêne
- Section of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Laust H Mortensen
- Section of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Statistics Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Samir Bhatt
- Section of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
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5
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Fonager J, Nytofte NJS, Schouw CH, Poulsen CB, Wiese L, Fomsgaard A, Bennedbæk M, Rasmussen M, Nielsen XC. Emergence and fixation of SARS-CoV-2 minority variants in a chronically infected patient receiving therapy in Denmark. APMIS 2024. [PMID: 38961316 DOI: 10.1111/apm.13454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 06/24/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC), such as Delta and Omicron have harbored mutations, which increased viral infectivity or ability to evade neutralizing antibodies. Immunocompromised patients might be a source of some of these emerging variants. In this study, we sequenced 17 consecutive samples from an immunocompromised patient with a long-term SARS-CoV-2 infection with the pre-VOC era lineage B.1.177.35. We here describe the emergence of 73 nonsynonymous minority variants in this patient and show that 10 of these mutations became dominant in the viral population during the treatment period. Four of these were seen throughout the infection period and had a very low global prevalence, although three of them were also observed later in the Alpha, Delta, and Omicron lineages. We also found that two adjacent nsp12 variants (M785I and S786P) belonged to different quasi-species and competed during the early stages of infection and remdesivir administration. This emphasizes the importance of ongoing genome surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 among immunocpromised patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jannik Fonager
- Virus Research and Development Laboratory, Department of Virus and Microbiological Special Diagnostics, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Nikolaj Julian Skrøder Nytofte
- Department of Medicine, Zealand University Hospital, Køge, Denmark
- Centre for Thrombosis and Anticoagulation, NSR Hospitals, Næstved, Denmark
| | | | | | - Lothar Wiese
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Zealand University Hospital, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Anders Fomsgaard
- Virus Research and Development Laboratory, Department of Virus and Microbiological Special Diagnostics, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Marc Bennedbæk
- Virus Research and Development Laboratory, Department of Virus and Microbiological Special Diagnostics, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Morten Rasmussen
- Virus Research and Development Laboratory, Department of Virus and Microbiological Special Diagnostics, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Xu P, Liang S, Hahn A, Zhao V, Lo WT‘J, Haller BC, Sobkowiak B, Chitwood MH, Colijn C, Cohen T, Rhee KY, Messer PW, Wells MT, Clark AG, Kim J. e3SIM: epidemiological-ecological-evolutionary simulation framework for genomic epidemiology. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.29.601123. [PMID: 39005464 PMCID: PMC11244936 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.29.601123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/16/2024]
Abstract
Infectious disease dynamics are driven by the complex interplay of epidemiological, ecological, and evolutionary processes. Accurately modeling these interactions is crucial for understanding pathogen spread and informing public health strategies. However, existing simulators often fail to capture the dynamic interplay between these processes, resulting in oversimplified models that do not fully reflect real-world complexities in which the pathogen's genetic evolution dynamically influences disease transmission. We introduce the epidemiological-ecological-evolutionary simulator (e3SIM), an open-source framework that concurrently models the transmission dynamics and molecular evolution of pathogens within a host population while integrating environmental factors. Using an agent-based, discrete-generation, forward-in-time approach, e3SIM incorporates compartmental models, host-population contact networks, and quantitative-trait models for pathogens. This integration allows for realistic simulations of disease spread and pathogen evolution. Key features include a modular and scalable design, flexibility in modeling various epidemiological and population-genetic complexities, incorporation of time-varying environmental factors, and a user-friendly graphical interface. We demonstrate e3SIM's capabilities through simulations of realistic outbreak scenarios with SARS-CoV-2 and Mycobacterium tuberculosis, illustrating its flexibility for studying the genomic epidemiology of diverse pathogen types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peiyu Xu
- Department of Molecular Biology & Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Shenni Liang
- Department of Computational Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Andrew Hahn
- Department of Computational Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Vivian Zhao
- Department of Computational Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Wai Tung ‘Jack’ Lo
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Benjamin C. Haller
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Benjamin Sobkowiak
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Disease, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Melanie H. Chitwood
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Disease, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Caroline Colijn
- Department of Mathematics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Ted Cohen
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Disease, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Kyu Y. Rhee
- Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Philipp W. Messer
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Martin T. Wells
- Department of Statistics and Data Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Andrew G. Clark
- Department of Molecular Biology & Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Jaehee Kim
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
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7
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Du H, Du Z, Wang L, Wang H, Jia M, Zhang C, Liu Y, Zhang C, Zhang Y, Zhang R, Zhang S, Zhang N, Ma Z, Chen C, Liu W, Zeng H, Gao GF, Hou X, Bi Y. Fulminant myocarditis induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection without severe lung involvement: insights into COVID-19 pathogenesis. J Genet Genomics 2024; 51:608-616. [PMID: 38447818 DOI: 10.1016/j.jgg.2024.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 02/23/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection often leads to pulmonary complications. Cardiovascular sequelae, including myocarditis and heart failure, have also been reported. Here, the study presents two fulminant myocarditis cases infected by SARS-CoV-2 exhibiting remarkable elevation of cardiac biomarkers without significant pulmonary injury, as determined by imaging examinations. Immunohistochemical staining reveals the viral antigen within cardiomyocytes, indicating that SARS-CoV-2 could directly infect the myocardium. The full viral genomes from respiratory, anal, and myocardial specimens are obtained via next-generation sequencing. Phylogenetic analyses of the whole genome and spike gene indicate that viruses in the myocardium/pericardial effusion and anal swabs are closely related and cluster together yet diverge from those in the respiratory samples. In addition, unique mutations are found in the anal/myocardial strains compared to the respiratory strains, suggesting tissue-specific virus mutation and adaptation. These findings indicate genetically distinct SARS-CoV-2 variants have infiltrated and disseminated within myocardial tissues, independent of pulmonary injury, and point to different infection routes between the myocardium and respiratory tract, with myocardial infections potentially arising from intestinal infection. These findings highlight the potential for systemic SARS-CoV-2 infection and the importance of a thorough multi-organ assessment in patients for a comprehensive understanding of the pathogenesis of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Du
- College of Life Science and Technology, Xinjiang University, Urumchi, Xinjiang 830046, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Center for Influenza Research and Early-warning (CASCIRE), CAS-TWAS Center of Excellence for Emerging Infectious Diseases (CEEID), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Zhongtao Du
- Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Liang Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Center for Influenza Research and Early-warning (CASCIRE), CAS-TWAS Center of Excellence for Emerging Infectious Diseases (CEEID), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Hong Wang
- Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Mingjun Jia
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Center for Influenza Research and Early-warning (CASCIRE), CAS-TWAS Center of Excellence for Emerging Infectious Diseases (CEEID), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; College of Veterinary Medicine, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030031, China
| | - Chunge Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Center for Influenza Research and Early-warning (CASCIRE), CAS-TWAS Center of Excellence for Emerging Infectious Diseases (CEEID), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yun Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Center for Influenza Research and Early-warning (CASCIRE), CAS-TWAS Center of Excellence for Emerging Infectious Diseases (CEEID), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; College of Veterinary Medicine, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030031, China
| | - Cheng Zhang
- College of Life Science and Technology, Xinjiang University, Urumchi, Xinjiang 830046, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Center for Influenza Research and Early-warning (CASCIRE), CAS-TWAS Center of Excellence for Emerging Infectious Diseases (CEEID), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Ya Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Center for Influenza Research and Early-warning (CASCIRE), CAS-TWAS Center of Excellence for Emerging Infectious Diseases (CEEID), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Ruifeng Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Center for Influenza Research and Early-warning (CASCIRE), CAS-TWAS Center of Excellence for Emerging Infectious Diseases (CEEID), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Shuang Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Center for Influenza Research and Early-warning (CASCIRE), CAS-TWAS Center of Excellence for Emerging Infectious Diseases (CEEID), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Ning Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Center for Influenza Research and Early-warning (CASCIRE), CAS-TWAS Center of Excellence for Emerging Infectious Diseases (CEEID), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Zhenghai Ma
- College of Life Science and Technology, Xinjiang University, Urumchi, Xinjiang 830046, China
| | - Chen Chen
- Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100038, China
| | - Wenjun Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Center for Influenza Research and Early-warning (CASCIRE), CAS-TWAS Center of Excellence for Emerging Infectious Diseases (CEEID), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Hui Zeng
- Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100038, China.
| | - George F Gao
- College of Life Science and Technology, Xinjiang University, Urumchi, Xinjiang 830046, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Center for Influenza Research and Early-warning (CASCIRE), CAS-TWAS Center of Excellence for Emerging Infectious Diseases (CEEID), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
| | - Xiaotong Hou
- Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100029, China.
| | - Yuhai Bi
- College of Life Science and Technology, Xinjiang University, Urumchi, Xinjiang 830046, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Center for Influenza Research and Early-warning (CASCIRE), CAS-TWAS Center of Excellence for Emerging Infectious Diseases (CEEID), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
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8
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Lado S, Thannesberger J, Spettel K, Arpović J, Ferreira BI, Lavitrano M, Steininger C. Unveiling Inter- and Intra-Patient Sequence Variability with a Multi-Sample Coronavirus Target Enrichment Approach. Viruses 2024; 16:786. [PMID: 38793667 PMCID: PMC11125942 DOI: 10.3390/v16050786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2024] [Revised: 05/08/2024] [Accepted: 05/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Amid the global challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, unraveling the genomic intricacies of SARS-CoV-2 became crucial. This study explores viral evolution using an innovative high-throughput next-generation sequencing (NGS) approach. By taking advantage of nasal swab and mouthwash samples from patients who tested positive for COVID-19 across different geographical regions during sequential infection waves, our study applied a targeted enrichment protocol and pooling strategy to increase detection sensitivity. The approach was extremely efficient, yielding a large number of reads and mutations distributed across 10 distinct viral gene regions. Notably, the genes Envelope, Nucleocapsid, and Open Reading Frame 8 had the highest number of unique mutations per 1000 nucleotides, with both spike and Nucleocapsid genes showing evidence for positive selection. Focusing on the spike protein gene, crucial in virus replication and immunogenicity, our findings show a dynamic SARS-CoV-2 evolution, emphasizing the virus-host interplay. Moreover, the pooling strategy facilitated subtle sequence variability detection. Our findings painted a dynamic portrait of SARS-CoV-2 evolution, emphasizing the intricate interplay between the virus and its host populations and accentuating the importance of continuous genomic surveillance to understand viral dynamics. As SARS-CoV-2 continues to evolve, this approach proves to be a powerful, versatile, fast, and cost-efficient screening tool for unraveling emerging variants, fostering understanding of the virus's genetic landscape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Lado
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Department of Medicine 1, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (S.L.); (J.T.)
| | - Jakob Thannesberger
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Department of Medicine 1, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (S.L.); (J.T.)
| | - Kathrin Spettel
- Division of Clinical Microbiology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria;
- Division of Biomedical Science, University of Applied Sciences, FH Campus Wien, 1100 Vienna, Austria
| | - Jurica Arpović
- Department of Medical Biology, School of Medicine, University of Mostar, Bijeli Brijeg b.b., 88000 Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | - Bibiana I. Ferreira
- Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, Edf. 2, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal;
- Algarve Biomedical Center Research Institute, Campus de Gambelas, Edf. 2, lab 3.67, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
| | | | - Christoph Steininger
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Department of Medicine 1, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (S.L.); (J.T.)
- Karl-Landsteiner Institute for Microbiome Research, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
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9
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Bradley CC, Wang C, Gordon AJE, Wen AX, Luna PN, Cooke MB, Kohrn BF, Kennedy SR, Avadhanula V, Piedra PA, Lichtarge O, Shaw CA, Ronca SE, Herman C. Targeted accurate RNA consensus sequencing (tARC-seq) reveals mechanisms of replication error affecting SARS-CoV-2 divergence. Nat Microbiol 2024; 9:1382-1392. [PMID: 38649410 PMCID: PMC11384275 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-024-01655-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
RNA viruses, like SARS-CoV-2, depend on their RNA-dependent RNA polymerases (RdRp) for replication, which is error prone. Monitoring replication errors is crucial for understanding the virus's evolution. Current methods lack the precision to detect rare de novo RNA mutations, particularly in low-input samples such as those from patients. Here we introduce a targeted accurate RNA consensus sequencing method (tARC-seq) to accurately determine the mutation frequency and types in SARS-CoV-2, both in cell culture and clinical samples. Our findings show an average of 2.68 × 10-5 de novo errors per cycle with a C > T bias that cannot be solely attributed to APOBEC editing. We identified hotspots and cold spots throughout the genome, correlating with high or low GC content, and pinpointed transcription regulatory sites as regions more susceptible to errors. tARC-seq captured template switching events including insertions, deletions and complex mutations. These insights shed light on the genetic diversity generation and evolutionary dynamics of SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine C Bradley
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Baylor College of Medicine Medical Scientist Training Program, Houston, TX, USA
- Robert and Janice McNair Foundation/ McNair Medical Institute M.D./Ph.D. Scholars program, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Chen Wang
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Alasdair J E Gordon
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Alice X Wen
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Baylor College of Medicine Medical Scientist Training Program, Houston, TX, USA
- Robert and Janice McNair Foundation/ McNair Medical Institute M.D./Ph.D. Scholars program, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Pamela N Luna
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Matthew B Cooke
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Brendan F Kohrn
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Scott R Kennedy
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Vasanthi Avadhanula
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Pedro A Piedra
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Olivier Lichtarge
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Chad A Shaw
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Shannon E Ronca
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Feigin Biosafety Level 3 Facility, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
- National School of Tropical Medicine, Department of Pediatrics Tropical Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Christophe Herman
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
- Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
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10
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Samson S, Lord É, Makarenkov V. Assessing the emergence time of SARS-CoV-2 zoonotic spillover. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0301195. [PMID: 38574109 PMCID: PMC10994396 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Understanding the evolution of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and its relationship to other coronaviruses in the wild is crucial for preventing future virus outbreaks. While the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic remains uncertain, mounting evidence suggests the direct involvement of the bat and pangolin coronaviruses in the evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 genome. To unravel the early days of a probable zoonotic spillover event, we analyzed genomic data from various coronavirus strains from both human and wild hosts. Bayesian phylogenetic analysis was performed using multiple datasets, using strict and relaxed clock evolutionary models to estimate the occurrence times of key speciation, gene transfer, and recombination events affecting the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 and its closest relatives. We found strong evidence supporting the presence of temporal structure in datasets containing SARS-CoV-2 variants, enabling us to estimate the time of SARS-CoV-2 zoonotic spillover between August and early October 2019. In contrast, datasets without SARS-CoV-2 variants provided mixed results in terms of temporal structure. However, they allowed us to establish that the presence of a statistically robust clade in the phylogenies of gene S and its receptor-binding (RBD) domain, including two bat (BANAL) and two Guangdong pangolin coronaviruses (CoVs), is due to the horizontal gene transfer of this gene from the bat CoV to the pangolin CoV that occurred in the middle of 2018. Importantly, this clade is closely located to SARS-CoV-2 in both phylogenies. This phylogenetic proximity had been explained by an RBD gene transfer from the Guangdong pangolin CoV to a very recent ancestor of SARS-CoV-2 in some earlier works in the field before the BANAL coronaviruses were discovered. Overall, our study provides valuable insights into the timeline and evolutionary dynamics of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stéphane Samson
- Department of Computer Sciences, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Canada
- Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Québec, Canada
| | - Étienne Lord
- Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Québec, Canada
| | - Vladimir Makarenkov
- Department of Computer Sciences, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Canada
- Mila—Quebec AI Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada
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11
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Dostálková A, Zdeňková K, Bartáčková J, Čermáková E, Kapisheva M, Lopez Marin MA, Kouba V, Sýkora P, Chmel M, Bartoš O, Dresler J, Demnerová K, Rumlová M, Bartáček J. Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 variants in Prague wastewater determined by nanopore-based sequencing. CHEMOSPHERE 2024; 351:141162. [PMID: 38218235 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.141162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 01/07/2024] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/15/2024]
Abstract
The early detection of upcoming disease outbreaks is essential to avoid both health and economic damage. The last four years of COVID-19 pandemic have proven wastewater-based epidemiology is a reliable system for monitoring the spread of SARS-CoV-2, a causative agent of COVID-19, in an urban population. As this monitoring enables the identification of the prevalence of spreading variants of SARS-CoV-2, it could provide a critical tool in the fight against this viral disease. In this study, we evaluated the presence of variants and subvariants of SARS-CoV-2 in Prague wastewater using nanopore-based sequencing. During August 2021, the data clearly showed that the number of identified SARS-CoV-2 RNA copies increased in the wastewater earlier than in clinical samples indicating the upcoming wave of the Delta variant. New SARS-CoV-2 variants consistently prevailed in wastewater samples around a month after they already prevailed in clinical samples. We also analyzed wastewater samples from smaller sub-sewersheds of Prague and detected significant differences in SARS-CoV-2 lineage progression dynamics among individual localities studied, e.g., suggesting faster prevalence of new variants among the sites with highest population density and mobility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alžběta Dostálková
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Czech Republic; National Institute of Virology and Bacteriology, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Kamila Zdeňková
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Czech Republic.
| | - Jana Bartáčková
- Department of Water Technology and Environmental Engineering, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Eliška Čermáková
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Marina Kapisheva
- National Institute of Virology and Bacteriology, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Marco A Lopez Marin
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Vojtěch Kouba
- Department of Water Technology and Environmental Engineering, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Sýkora
- PVK a.s., Prague Water Supply and Sewerage Company, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Chmel
- Department of Infectious Diseases, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Military University Hospital Prague, Prague, Czech Republic; Military Health Institute, Military Medical Agency, Czech Republic
| | - Oldřich Bartoš
- Military Health Institute, Military Medical Agency, Czech Republic
| | - Jiří Dresler
- Military Health Institute, Military Medical Agency, Czech Republic
| | - Kateřina Demnerová
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Michaela Rumlová
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Czech Republic; National Institute of Virology and Bacteriology, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Bartáček
- Department of Water Technology and Environmental Engineering, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Czech Republic
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12
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Barreiro Pérez S, Molina Gutiérrez MÁ, Antoñanzas Bernar V, Storch-de-Gracia P, Mesa García S. Emergency department evaluation of transplanted children with COVID-19. Am J Emerg Med 2024; 77:87-90. [PMID: 38118387 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajem.2023.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 12/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Children usually have an asymptomatic or mild course of SARS-CoV-2 infection, studies in immunocompromised patients have shown a different evolution. The aim of this study was to describe the clinical, laboratory, and radiologic manifestations of pediatric solid organ transplant (SOT) and hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) patients testing positive for SARS-CoV-2. METHODS A multicenter retrospective, observational descriptive study was conducted in 3 tertiary hospitals in Madrid (Spain) between March 2020 and December 2022. Consecutive patients aged 0-18 attending the corresponding pediatric emergency departments with a positive result in the real-time polymerase chain reaction test or antigenic test to detect SARS-CoV-2 in the nasopharyngeal sample were included. RESULTS A total of 31 children were included in the study. Sixteen (51.6%) were patients with HSCT and 15 (48.3) were patients with SOT. The median time from transplantation to COVID-19 was 1.2 years (IQR:0.5-5.1). The SOT cohort included liver (n = 4, 12.9%), kidney (n = 4, 12.9%), heart (n = 3, 9.7%), multivisceral (n = 3, 9.7%), and lung (n = 1, 3.2%). Of the 31 patients, only one was asymptomatic. The most common symptom on presentation was fever (76.7%). Abnormalities were seen on chest X-ray in 8 (66.6%) of the 12 patients. There was no significant difference in clinical manifestations, lymphopenia and radiological findings regardless of the type of transplantation or immunosuppression status. Thirteen patients (41.9%) were hospitalized. There were no patient deaths. CONCLUSIONS In our study, we found that the clinical course and outcome of SOT and HSCT pediatric patients with COVID-19 were generally favorable.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Sofía Mesa García
- Emergency Department, Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, Madrid, Spain.
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13
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Choi H, Hwang M, Cornelius L, Navarathna DH, Chatterjee P, Jinadatha C. Evolution of a Distinct SARS-CoV-2 Lineage Identified during an Investigation of a Hospital Outbreak. Viruses 2024; 16:337. [PMID: 38543703 PMCID: PMC10974601 DOI: 10.3390/v16030337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Revised: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 02/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024] Open
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 virus steadily evolves, and numerous antigenically distinct variants have emerged over the past three years. Tracking the evolution of the virus would help us understand the process that generates the diverse variants and predict the future evolutionary trajectory of SARS-CoV-2. Here, we report the evolutionary trajectory of a unique Omicron lineage identified during an outbreak investigation that occurred in a residence unit in the healthcare system. The new lineage had four distinct non-synonymous and two distinct synonymous mutations apart from its parental lineage. Since this lineage of virus was exclusively found during the outbreak, we were able to track the detailed evolutionary history of the entire lineage along the transmission path. Furthermore, we estimated the evolutionary rate of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant from the analysis of the evolution of the lineage. This new Omicron sub-lineage acquired 3 mutations in a 12-day period, and the evolutionary rate was estimated as 3.05 × 10-3 subs/site/year. This study provides more insight into an ever-evolving virus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hosoon Choi
- Department of Research, Central Texas Veterans Health Care System, Temple, TX 76504, USA; (M.H.); (P.C.)
| | - Munok Hwang
- Department of Research, Central Texas Veterans Health Care System, Temple, TX 76504, USA; (M.H.); (P.C.)
| | - Lisa Cornelius
- Department of Medicine, Central Texas Veterans Health Care System, Temple, TX 76504, USA; (L.C.); (C.J.)
| | - Dhammika H. Navarathna
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Services, Central Texas Veterans Health Care System, Temple, TX 76504, USA;
| | - Piyali Chatterjee
- Department of Research, Central Texas Veterans Health Care System, Temple, TX 76504, USA; (M.H.); (P.C.)
| | - Chetan Jinadatha
- Department of Medicine, Central Texas Veterans Health Care System, Temple, TX 76504, USA; (L.C.); (C.J.)
- School of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Bryan, TX 77807, USA
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14
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Alsaeed M, Alhamid G, Tombuloglu H, Kabanja JH, Karagoz A, Tombuloglu G, Rabaan AA, Al-Suhaimi E, Unver T. Ultrasensitive and fast detection of SARS-CoV-2 using RT-LAMP without pH-dependent dye. Funct Integr Genomics 2024; 24:16. [PMID: 38242999 DOI: 10.1007/s10142-024-01297-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 01/21/2024]
Abstract
This study investigates the performance of reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay for the colorimetric detection of SARS-CoV-2 using fluorometric dye, namely, calcein. The detection limit (LoD) with the N-ID1 primer set resulted in superior performance, corresponding to ~ 2 copies/reaction or ~ 0.1 copies/μL of the RNA sample. The color development can be observed by the naked eye, using an ultraviolet (UV) transilluminator or a hand-UV light without the requirement of expensive devices. The average time-to-reaction (TTR) value was 26.2 min in high-copy number samples, while it was about 50 min in rRT-PCR. A mobile application was proposed to quantify the positive and negative results based on the three-color spaces (RGB, Lab, and HSB). Compared to rRT-PCR (n = 67), this assay allows fast and sensitive visual detection of SARS-CoV-2, with high sensitivity (90.9%), selectivity (100%), and accuracy (94.03%). Besides, the assay was sensitive regardless of variants. Since this assay uses a fluorescent dye for visual observation, it can be easily adapted in RT-LAMP assays with high sensitivity. Thus, it can be utilized in low-source centers and field testing such as conferences, sports meetings, refugee camps, companies, and schools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moneerah Alsaeed
- Department of Genetics Research, Institute for Research and Medical Consultations (IRMC), Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P.O. Box 1982, Dammam, 31441, Saudi Arabia
| | - Galyah Alhamid
- Department of Genetics Research, Institute for Research and Medical Consultations (IRMC), Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P.O. Box 1982, Dammam, 31441, Saudi Arabia
| | - Huseyin Tombuloglu
- Department of Genetics Research, Institute for Research and Medical Consultations (IRMC), Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P.O. Box 1982, Dammam, 31441, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Juma H Kabanja
- Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
| | - Aysel Karagoz
- Quality Assurance Department, Turk Pharmaceutical and Serum Ind. Inc., Ankara, Turkey
| | - Guzin Tombuloglu
- Department of Biophysics, Institute for Research and Medical Consultations (IRMC), Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P.O. Box 1982, Dammam, 31441, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ali A Rabaan
- Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, Dhahran, 31311, Saudi Arabia
- College of Medicine, Alfaisal University, Riyadh, 11533, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Public Health and Nutrition, The University of Haripur, Haripur, 22610, Pakistan
| | - Ebtesam Al-Suhaimi
- Vice Presidency for Scientific Research and Innovation, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, 31441, Saudi Arabia
| | - Turgay Unver
- Ficus Biotechnology, Ankara, Turkey
- Faculty of Engineering, Ostim Technical University, 06374, Ankara, Turkey
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15
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Wang H, Rizvi SRA, Dong D, Lou J, Wang Q, Sopipong W, Su Y, Najar F, Agarwal PK, Kozielski F, Haider S. Emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2 NSP10 highlight strong functional conservation of its binding to two non-structural proteins, NSP14 and NSP16. eLife 2023; 12:RP87884. [PMID: 38127066 PMCID: PMC10735223 DOI: 10.7554/elife.87884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 protects its RNA from being recognized by host immune responses by methylation of its 5' end, also known as capping. This process is carried out by two enzymes, non-structural protein 16 (NSP16) containing 2'-O-methyltransferase and NSP14 through its N7 methyltransferase activity, which are essential for the replication of the viral genome as well as evading the host's innate immunity. NSP10 acts as a crucial cofactor and stimulator of NSP14 and NSP16. To further understand the role of NSP10, we carried out a comprehensive analysis of >13 million globally collected whole-genome sequences (WGS) of SARS-CoV-2 obtained from the Global Initiative Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) and compared it with the reference genome Wuhan/WIV04/2019 to identify all currently known variants in NSP10. T12I, T102I, and A104V in NSP10 have been identified as the three most frequent variants and characterized using X-ray crystallography, biophysical assays, and enhanced sampling simulations. In contrast to other proteins such as spike and NSP6, NSP10 is significantly less prone to mutation due to its crucial role in replication. The functional effects of the variants were examined for their impact on the binding affinity and stability of both NSP14-NSP10 and NSP16-NSP10 complexes. These results highlight the limited changes induced by variant evolution in NSP10 and reflect on the critical roles NSP10 plays during the SARS-CoV-2 life cycle. These results also indicate that there is limited capacity for the virus to overcome inhibitors targeting NSP10 via the generation of variants in inhibitor binding pockets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huan Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Biological Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Syed RA Rizvi
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Biological Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Danni Dong
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Biological Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Jiaqi Lou
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Biological Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Qian Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Biological Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Watanyoo Sopipong
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Biological Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Yufeng Su
- College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences, Brunel University LondonUxbridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Fares Najar
- High-Performance Computing Center, Oklahoma State UniversityStillwaterUnited States
| | - Pratul K Agarwal
- High-Performance Computing Center, Oklahoma State UniversityStillwaterUnited States
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Oklahoma State UniversityStillwaterUnited States
| | - Frank Kozielski
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Biological Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Shozeb Haider
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Biological Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
- UCL Centre for Advanced Research Computing, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
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16
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Guo H, Cho B, Hinton PR, He S, Yu Y, Ramesh AK, Sivaccumar JP, Ku Z, Campo K, Holland S, Sachdeva S, Mensch C, Dawod M, Whitaker A, Eisenhauer P, Falcone A, Honce R, Botten JW, Carroll SF, Keyt BA, Womack AW, Strohl WR, Xu K, Zhang N, An Z, Ha S, Shiver JW, Fu TM. An ACE2 decamer viral trap as a durable intervention solution for current and future SARS-CoV. Emerg Microbes Infect 2023; 12:2275598. [PMID: 38078382 PMCID: PMC10768737 DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2023.2275598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
The capacity of SARS-CoV-2 to evolve poses challenges to conventional prevention and treatment options such as vaccination and monoclonal antibodies, as they rely on viral receptor binding domain (RBD) sequences from previous strains. Additionally, animal CoVs, especially those of the SARS family, are now appreciated as a constant pandemic threat. We present here a new antiviral approach featuring inhalation delivery of a recombinant viral trap composed of ten copies of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) fused to the IgM Fc. This ACE2 decamer viral trap is designed to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 entry function, regardless of viral RBD sequence variations as shown by its high neutralization potency against all known SARS-CoV-2 variants, including Omicron BQ.1, BQ.1.1, XBB.1 and XBB.1.5. In addition, it demonstrates potency against SARS-CoV-1, human NL63, as well as bat and pangolin CoVs. The multivalent trap is effective in both prophylactic and therapeutic settings since a single intranasal dosing confers protection in human ACE2 transgenic mice against viral challenges. Lastly, this molecule is stable at ambient temperature for more than twelve weeks and can sustain physical stress from aerosolization. These results demonstrate the potential of a decameric ACE2 viral trap as an inhalation solution for ACE2-dependent coronaviruses of current and future pandemic concerns.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Sijia He
- IGM Biosciences, Mountain View, CA, USA
| | | | - Ashwin Kumar Ramesh
- Texas Therapeutics Institute, Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jwala Priyadarsini Sivaccumar
- Texas Therapeutics Institute, Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Zhiqiang Ku
- Texas Therapeutics Institute, Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Annalis Whitaker
- Cellular, Molecular, and Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Philip Eisenhauer
- Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Allison Falcone
- Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Rebekah Honce
- Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Jason W. Botten
- Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Kai Xu
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Ningyan Zhang
- Texas Therapeutics Institute, Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Zhiqiang An
- Texas Therapeutics Institute, Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Sha Ha
- IGM Biosciences, Mountain View, CA, USA
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17
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Ashraf J, Bukhari SARS, Kanji A, Iqbal T, Yameen M, Nisar MI, Khan W, Hasan Z. Substitution spectra of SARS-CoV-2 genome from Pakistan reveals insights into the evolution of variants across the pandemic. Sci Rep 2023; 13:20955. [PMID: 38017265 PMCID: PMC10684861 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-48272-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Changing morbidity and mortality due to COVID-19 across the pandemic has been linked with factors such as the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants and vaccination. Mutations in the Spike glycoprotein enhanced viral transmission and virulence. We investigated whether SARS-CoV-2 mutation rates and entropy were associated COVID-19 in Pakistan, before and after the introduction of vaccinations. We analyzed 1,705 SARS-CoV-2 genomes using the Augur phylogenetic pipeline. Substitution rates and entropy across the genome, and in the Spike glycoprotein were compared between 2020, 2021 and 2022 (as periods A, B and C). Mortality was greatest in B whilst cases were highest during C. In period A, G clades were predominant, and substitution rate was 5.25 × 10-4 per site per year. In B, Delta variants dominated, and substitution rates increased to 9.74 × 10-4. In C, Omicron variants led to substitution rates of 5.02 × 10-4. Genome-wide entropy was the highest during B particularly, at Spike E484K and K417N. During C, genome-wide mutations increased whilst entropy was reduced. Enhanced SARS-CoV-2 genome substitution rates were associated with a period when more virulent SARS-CoV-2 variants were prevalent. Reduced substitution rates and stabilization of genome entropy was subsequently evident when vaccinations were introduced. Whole genome entropy analysis can help predict virus evolution to guide public health interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javaria Ashraf
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Aga Khan University, Stadium Road, P.O. Box 3500, Karachi, 74800, Pakistan
| | - Sayed Ali Raza Shah Bukhari
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Aga Khan University, Stadium Road, P.O. Box 3500, Karachi, 74800, Pakistan
| | - Akbar Kanji
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Aga Khan University, Stadium Road, P.O. Box 3500, Karachi, 74800, Pakistan
| | - Tulaib Iqbal
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Aga Khan University, Stadium Road, P.O. Box 3500, Karachi, 74800, Pakistan
| | - Maliha Yameen
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Aga Khan University, Stadium Road, P.O. Box 3500, Karachi, 74800, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Imran Nisar
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, CITRIC Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Waqasuddin Khan
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, CITRIC Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Zahra Hasan
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Aga Khan University, Stadium Road, P.O. Box 3500, Karachi, 74800, Pakistan.
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18
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Le K, Kannappan S, Kim T, Lee JH, Lee HR, Kim KK. Structural understanding of SARS-CoV-2 virus entry to host cells. Front Mol Biosci 2023; 10:1288686. [PMID: 38033388 PMCID: PMC10683510 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2023.1288686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is a major global health concern associated with millions of fatalities worldwide. Mutant variants of the virus have further exacerbated COVID-19 mortality and infection rates, emphasizing the urgent need for effective preventive strategies. Understanding the viral infection mechanism is crucial for developing therapeutics and vaccines. The entry of SARS-CoV-2 into host cells is a key step in the infection pathway and has been targeted for drug development. Despite numerous reviews of COVID-19 and the virus, there is a lack of comprehensive reviews focusing on the structural aspects of viral entry. In this review, we analyze structural changes in Spike proteins during the entry process, dividing the entry process into prebinding, receptor binding, proteolytic cleavage, and membrane fusion steps. By understanding the atomic-scale details of viral entry, we can better target the entry step for intervention strategies. We also examine the impacts of mutations in Spike proteins, including the Omicron variant, on viral entry. Structural information provides insights into the effects of mutations and can guide the development of therapeutics and vaccines. Finally, we discuss available structure-based approaches for the development of therapeutics and vaccines. Overall, this review provides a detailed analysis of the structural aspects of SARS-CoV-2 viral entry, highlighting its significance in the development of therapeutics and vaccines against COVID-19. Therefore, our review emphasizes the importance of structural information in combating SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim Le
- Department of Precision Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Institute of Antibacterial Resistance Research and Therapeutics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Shrute Kannappan
- Department of Precision Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Institute of Antibacterial Resistance Research and Therapeutics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
- Research Center for Advanced Materials Technology Core Research Institute, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Truc Kim
- Department of Precision Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Institute of Antibacterial Resistance Research and Therapeutics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Jung Heon Lee
- Research Center for Advanced Materials Technology Core Research Institute, Suwon, Republic of Korea
- School of Advanced Materials and Science Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Hye-Ra Lee
- Department of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, College of Science and Technology, Korea University, Sejong, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyeong Kyu Kim
- Department of Precision Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Institute of Antibacterial Resistance Research and Therapeutics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
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19
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Prasad R, Ajith H, Kumar Chandrakumaran N, Dnyaneshwar Khangar P, Mohan A, Nelson-Sathi S. In silico study identifies peptide inhibitors that negate the effect of non-synonymous mutations in major drug targets of SARS-CoV-2 variants. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023; 41:9551-9561. [PMID: 36377464 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2022.2143426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 10/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Since its advent in December 2019, SARS-CoV-2 has diverged into multiple variants with differing levels of virulence owing to the accumulation of mutations in its genome. The structural changes induced by non-synonymous mutations in major drug targets of the virus are known to alter the binding of potential antagonistic inhibitors. Here, we analyzed the effects of non-synonymous mutations in major targets of SARS-CoV-2 in response to potential peptide inhibitors. We screened 12 peptides reported to have anti-viral properties against RBD and 5 peptides against Mpro of SARS-CoV-2 variants using molecular docking and simulation approaches. The mutational landscape of RBD among SARS-CoV-2 variants had 21 non-synonymous mutations across 18 distinct sites. Among these, 14 mutations were present in the RBM region directly interacting with the hACE2 receptor. However, Only 3 non-synonymous mutations were observed in Mpro. We found that LCB1 - a de novo-synthesized peptide has the highest binding affinity to RBD despite non-synonymous mutations in variants and engages key residues of RBD-hACE2 interaction such as K417, E484, N487, and N501. Similarly, an antimicrobial peptide; 2JOS, was identified against Mpro with high binding affinity as it interacts with key residues in dimerization sites such as E166 and F140 crucial for viral replication. MD simulations affirm the stability of RBD-LCB1 and Mpro-2JOS complexes with an average RMSD of 1.902 and 2.476 respectively. We ascertain that LCB1 and 2JOS peptides are promising inhibitors to combat emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2 and thus warrant further investigations using in-vitro and in-vivo analysis.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roshny Prasad
- Bioinformatics Laboratory, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram, India
| | - Harikrishnan Ajith
- Bioinformatics Laboratory, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram, India
| | | | | | - Anand Mohan
- Bioinformatics Laboratory, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram, India
| | - Shijulal Nelson-Sathi
- Bioinformatics Laboratory, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram, India
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20
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Kulchar RJ, Singh R, Ding S, Alexander E, Leong KW, Daniell H. Delivery of biologics: Topical administration. Biomaterials 2023; 302:122312. [PMID: 37690380 PMCID: PMC10840840 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2023.122312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 08/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
Biologics are unaffordable to a large majority of the global population because of prohibitively expensive fermentation systems, purification and the requirement for cold chain for storage and transportation. Limitations of current production and delivery systems of biologics were evident during the recent pandemic when <2.5% of vaccines produced were available to low-income countries and ∼19 million doses were discarded in Africa due to lack of cold-chain infrastructure. Among FDA-approved biologics since 2015, >90% are delivered using invasive methods. While oral or topical drugs are highly preferred by patients because of their affordability and convenience, only two oral drugs have been approved by FDA since 2015. A newly launched oral biologic costs only ∼3% of the average cost of injectable biologics because of the simplified regulatory approval process by elimination of prohibitively expensive fermentation, purification, cold storage/transportation. In addition, the cost of developing a new biologic injectable product (∼$2.5 billion) has been dramatically reduced through oral or topical delivery. Topical delivery has the unique advantage of targeted delivery of high concentration protein drugs, without getting diluted in circulating blood. However, only very few topical drugs have been approved by the FDA. Therefore, this review highlights recent advances in oral or topical delivery of proteins at early or advanced stages of human clinical trials using chewing gums, patches or sprays, or nucleic acid drugs directly, or in combination with, nanoparticles and offers future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel J. Kulchar
- Department of Basic and Translational Sciences, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA 19104, USA
| | - Rahul Singh
- Department of Basic and Translational Sciences, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA 19104, USA
| | - Suwan Ding
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York City NY 10032, USA
| | - Elena Alexander
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York City NY 10032, USA
| | - Kam W Leong
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York City NY 10032, USA
| | - Henry Daniell
- Department of Basic and Translational Sciences, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA 19104, USA
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21
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Colson P, Bader W, Fantini J, Dudouet P, Levasseur A, Pontarotti P, Devaux C, Raoult D. From viral democratic genomes to viral wild bunch of quasispecies. J Med Virol 2023; 95:e29209. [PMID: 37937701 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.29209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023]
Abstract
The tremendous majority of RNA genomes from pathogenic viruses analyzed and deposited in databases are consensus or "democratic" genomes. They represent the genomes most frequently found in the clinical samples of patients but do not account for the huge genetic diversity of coexisting genomes, which is better described as quasispecies. A viral quasispecies is defined as the dynamic distribution of nonidentical but closely related mutants, variants, recombinant, or reassortant viral genomes. Viral quasispecies have collective behavior and dynamics and are the subject of internal interactions that comprise interference, complementation, or cooperation. In the setting of SARS-CoV-2 infection, intrahost SARS-CoV-2 genetic diversity was recently notably reported for immunocompromised, chronically infected patients, for patients treated with monoclonal antibodies targeting the viral spike protein, and for different body compartments of a single patient. A question that deserves attention is whether such diversity is generated postinfection from a clonal genome in response to selection pressure or is already present at the time of infection as a quasispecies. In the present review, we summarize the data supporting that hosts are infected by a "wild bunch" of viruses rather than by multiple virions sharing the same genome. Each virion in the "wild bunch" may have different virulence and tissue tropisms. As the number of viruses replicated during host infections is huge, a viral quasispecies at any time of infection is wide and is also influenced by host-specific selection pressure after infection, which accounts for the difficulty in deciphering and predicting the appearance of more fit variants and the evolution of epidemics of novel RNA viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philippe Colson
- IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
- Aix-Marseille Université., Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Microbes Evolution Phylogeny and Infections (MEPHI), Marseille, France
- Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille (AP-HM), Marseille, France
| | - Wahiba Bader
- IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
- Aix-Marseille Université., Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Microbes Evolution Phylogeny and Infections (MEPHI), Marseille, France
| | - Jacques Fantini
- INSERM UMR_S 1072, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France
| | - Pierre Dudouet
- IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
- Aix-Marseille Université., Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Microbes Evolution Phylogeny and Infections (MEPHI), Marseille, France
| | - Anthony Levasseur
- IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
- Aix-Marseille Université., Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Microbes Evolution Phylogeny and Infections (MEPHI), Marseille, France
| | - Pierre Pontarotti
- IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
- Department of Biological Sciences, Centre National de la Recherche 16 Scientifique (CNRS)-SNC5039, Marseille, France
| | - Christian Devaux
- IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
- Department of Biological Sciences, Centre National de la Recherche 16 Scientifique (CNRS)-SNC5039, Marseille, France
| | - Didier Raoult
- IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
- Aix-Marseille Université., Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Microbes Evolution Phylogeny and Infections (MEPHI), Marseille, France
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22
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Rueca M, Berno G, Agresta A, Spaziante M, Gruber CEM, Fabeni L, Giombini E, Butera O, Barca A, Scognamiglio P, Girardi E, Maggi F, Valli MB, Vairo F. Genomic and Epidemiologic Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in the Pandemic Period: Sequencing Network of the Lazio Region, Italy. Viruses 2023; 15:2192. [PMID: 38005872 PMCID: PMC10674723 DOI: 10.3390/v15112192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, large-scale genomic sequencing has immediately pointed out that SARS-CoV-2 has rapidly mutated during the course of the pandemic, resulting in the emergence of variants with a public health impact. In this context, strictly monitoring the circulating strains via NGS has proven to be crucial for the early identification of new emerging variants and the study of the genomic evolution and transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Following national and international guidelines, the Lazio region has created a sequencing laboratory network (WGSnet-Lazio) that works in synergy with the reference center for epidemiological surveillance (SERESMI) to monitor the circulation of SARS-CoV-2. Sequencing was carried out with the aims of characterizing outbreak transmission dynamics, performing the genomic analysis of viruses infecting specific categories of patients (i.e., immune-depressed, travelers, and people with severe symptoms) and randomly monitoring variant circulation. Here we report data emerging from sequencing activities carried out by WGSnet-Lazio (from February 2020 to October 2022) linked with epidemiological data to correlate the circulation of variants with the clinical and demographic characteristics of patients. The model of the sequencing network developed in the Lazio region proved to be a useful tool for SARS-CoV-2 surveillance and to support public health measures for epidemic containment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Rueca
- National Institute for Infectious Diseases ‘Lazzaro Spallanzani’, IRCCS, 00149 Rome, Italy; (M.R.); (G.B.); (A.A.); (M.S.); (L.F.); (E.G.); (O.B.); (P.S.); (E.G.); (F.M.); (M.B.V.); (F.V.)
| | - Giulia Berno
- National Institute for Infectious Diseases ‘Lazzaro Spallanzani’, IRCCS, 00149 Rome, Italy; (M.R.); (G.B.); (A.A.); (M.S.); (L.F.); (E.G.); (O.B.); (P.S.); (E.G.); (F.M.); (M.B.V.); (F.V.)
| | - Alessandro Agresta
- National Institute for Infectious Diseases ‘Lazzaro Spallanzani’, IRCCS, 00149 Rome, Italy; (M.R.); (G.B.); (A.A.); (M.S.); (L.F.); (E.G.); (O.B.); (P.S.); (E.G.); (F.M.); (M.B.V.); (F.V.)
| | - Martina Spaziante
- National Institute for Infectious Diseases ‘Lazzaro Spallanzani’, IRCCS, 00149 Rome, Italy; (M.R.); (G.B.); (A.A.); (M.S.); (L.F.); (E.G.); (O.B.); (P.S.); (E.G.); (F.M.); (M.B.V.); (F.V.)
| | - Cesare Ernesto Maria Gruber
- National Institute for Infectious Diseases ‘Lazzaro Spallanzani’, IRCCS, 00149 Rome, Italy; (M.R.); (G.B.); (A.A.); (M.S.); (L.F.); (E.G.); (O.B.); (P.S.); (E.G.); (F.M.); (M.B.V.); (F.V.)
| | - Lavinia Fabeni
- National Institute for Infectious Diseases ‘Lazzaro Spallanzani’, IRCCS, 00149 Rome, Italy; (M.R.); (G.B.); (A.A.); (M.S.); (L.F.); (E.G.); (O.B.); (P.S.); (E.G.); (F.M.); (M.B.V.); (F.V.)
| | - Emanuela Giombini
- National Institute for Infectious Diseases ‘Lazzaro Spallanzani’, IRCCS, 00149 Rome, Italy; (M.R.); (G.B.); (A.A.); (M.S.); (L.F.); (E.G.); (O.B.); (P.S.); (E.G.); (F.M.); (M.B.V.); (F.V.)
| | - Ornella Butera
- National Institute for Infectious Diseases ‘Lazzaro Spallanzani’, IRCCS, 00149 Rome, Italy; (M.R.); (G.B.); (A.A.); (M.S.); (L.F.); (E.G.); (O.B.); (P.S.); (E.G.); (F.M.); (M.B.V.); (F.V.)
| | - Alessandra Barca
- Direzione Regionale Salute E Integrazione Sociosanitaria, Area Promozione Della Salute E Prevenzione—Regione Lazio, 00145 Rome, Italy;
| | - Paola Scognamiglio
- National Institute for Infectious Diseases ‘Lazzaro Spallanzani’, IRCCS, 00149 Rome, Italy; (M.R.); (G.B.); (A.A.); (M.S.); (L.F.); (E.G.); (O.B.); (P.S.); (E.G.); (F.M.); (M.B.V.); (F.V.)
- Direzione Regionale Salute E Integrazione Sociosanitaria, Area Promozione Della Salute E Prevenzione—Regione Lazio, 00145 Rome, Italy;
| | - Enrico Girardi
- National Institute for Infectious Diseases ‘Lazzaro Spallanzani’, IRCCS, 00149 Rome, Italy; (M.R.); (G.B.); (A.A.); (M.S.); (L.F.); (E.G.); (O.B.); (P.S.); (E.G.); (F.M.); (M.B.V.); (F.V.)
| | - Fabrizio Maggi
- National Institute for Infectious Diseases ‘Lazzaro Spallanzani’, IRCCS, 00149 Rome, Italy; (M.R.); (G.B.); (A.A.); (M.S.); (L.F.); (E.G.); (O.B.); (P.S.); (E.G.); (F.M.); (M.B.V.); (F.V.)
| | - Maria Beatrice Valli
- National Institute for Infectious Diseases ‘Lazzaro Spallanzani’, IRCCS, 00149 Rome, Italy; (M.R.); (G.B.); (A.A.); (M.S.); (L.F.); (E.G.); (O.B.); (P.S.); (E.G.); (F.M.); (M.B.V.); (F.V.)
| | - Francesco Vairo
- National Institute for Infectious Diseases ‘Lazzaro Spallanzani’, IRCCS, 00149 Rome, Italy; (M.R.); (G.B.); (A.A.); (M.S.); (L.F.); (E.G.); (O.B.); (P.S.); (E.G.); (F.M.); (M.B.V.); (F.V.)
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23
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Oh C, Zhou A, O'Brien K, Schmidt AR, Geltz J, Shisler JL, Schmidt AR, Keefer L, Brown WM, Nguyen TH. Improved performance of nucleic acid-based assays for genetically diverse norovirus surveillance. Appl Environ Microbiol 2023; 89:e0033123. [PMID: 37791775 PMCID: PMC10654041 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00331-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Nucleic acid-based assays, such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR), that amplify and detect organism-specific genome sequences are a standard method for infectious disease surveillance. However, challenges arise for virus surveillance because of their genetic diversity. Here, we calculated the variability of nucleotides within the genomes of 10 human viral species in silico and found that endemic viruses exhibit a high percentage of variable nucleotides (e.g., 51.4% for norovirus genogroup II). This genetic diversity led to the variable probability of detection of PCR assays (the proportion of viral sequences that contain the assay's target sequences divided by the total number of viral sequences). We then experimentally confirmed that the probability of the target sequence detection is indicative of the number of mismatches between PCR assays and norovirus genomes. Next, we developed a degenerate PCR assay that detects 97% of known norovirus genogroup II genome sequences and recognized norovirus in eight clinical samples. By contrast, previously developed assays with 31% and 16% probability of detection had 1.1 and 2.5 mismatches on average, respectively, which negatively impacted RNA quantification. In addition, the two PCR assays with a lower probability of detection also resulted in false negatives for wastewater-based epidemiology. Our findings suggest that the probability of detection serves as a simple metric for evaluating nucleic acid-based assays for genetically diverse virus surveillance.IMPORTANCENucleic acid-based assays, such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR), that amplify and detect organism-specific genome sequences are employed widely as a standard method for infectious disease surveillance. However, challenges arise for virus surveillance because of the rapid evolution and genetic variation of viruses. The study analyzed clinical and wastewater samples using multiple PCR assays and found significant performance variation among the PCR assays for genetically diverse norovirus surveillance. This finding suggests that some PCR assays may miss detecting certain virus strains, leading to a compromise in detection sensitivity. To address this issue, we propose a metric called the probability of detection, which can be simply calculated in silico using a code developed in this study, to evaluate nucleic acid-based assays for genetically diverse virus surveillance. This new approach can help improve the sensitivity and accuracy of virus detection, which is crucial for effective infectious disease surveillance and control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chamteut Oh
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
- Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Aijia Zhou
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Kate O'Brien
- School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Arthur R. Schmidt
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Joshua Geltz
- Division of Laboratories, Illinois Department of Public Health, Springfield, Illinois, USA
| | - Joanna L. Shisler
- Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Arthur R. Schmidt
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Laura Keefer
- Illinois State Water Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - William M. Brown
- Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Thanh H. Nguyen
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
- Institute of Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
- Carle Illinois College of Medicine, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
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24
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George U, George O, Oguzie J, Osasona O, Motayo B, Kamani J, Eromon P, Folarin O, Happi A, Komolafe I, Happi C. Genomic characterization of Alphacoronavirus from Mops condylurus bats in Nigeria. Virus Res 2023; 334:199174. [PMID: 37467933 PMCID: PMC10392604 DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2023.199174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023]
Abstract
Coronaviruses (CoVs) are responsible for sporadic, epidemic and pandemic respiratory diseases worldwide. Bats have been identified as the reservoir for CoVs. To increase the number of complete coronavirus genomes in Africa and to comprehend the molecular epidemiology of bat Alphacoronaviruses (AlphaCoVs), we used deep metagenomics shotgun sequencing to obtain three (3) near-complete genomes of AlphaCoVs from Mops condylurus (Angolan free-tailed) bat in Nigeria. Phylogenetic and pairwise identity analysis of open reading frame 1ab (ORF1ab), spike (S), envelope (E), membrane (M) and nucleocapsid (N) genes of AlphaCoV in this study to previously described AlphaCoVs subgenera showed that the Nigerian AlphaCoVs may be members of potentially unique AlphaCoV subgenera circulating exclusively in bats in the Molossidae bat family. Recombination events were detected, suggesting the evolution of AlphaCoVs within the Molossidae family. The pairwise identity of the S gene in this study and previously published S gene sequences of other AlphaCoVs indicate that the Nigerian strains may have a genetically unique spike protein that is distantly related to other AlphaCoVs. Variations involving non-polar to polar amino acid substitution in both the Heptad Repeat (HR) regions 1 and 2 were observed. Further monitoring of bats to understand the host receptor use requirements of CoVs and interspecies CoV transmission in Africa is necessary to identify and prevent the potential danger that bat CoVs pose to public health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uwem George
- African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases, Redeemer's University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria; Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Redeemer's University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
| | | | - Judith Oguzie
- African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases, Redeemer's University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria; Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Redeemer's University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
| | - Oluwadamilola Osasona
- African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases, Redeemer's University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria; Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Redeemer's University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
| | - Babatunde Motayo
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, Nigeria
| | - Joshua Kamani
- Parasitology Division National Veterinary Research Institute NVRI PMB 01, Vom, Plateau state Nigeria
| | - Philomena Eromon
- African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases, Redeemer's University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
| | - Onikepe Folarin
- African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases, Redeemer's University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria; Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Redeemer's University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
| | - Anise Happi
- African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases, Redeemer's University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
| | - Isaac Komolafe
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Redeemer's University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
| | - Christian Happi
- African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases, Redeemer's University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria; Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Redeemer's University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria.
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25
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Kremer C, Torneri A, Libin PJK, Meex C, Hayette MP, Bontems S, Durkin K, Artesi M, Bours V, Lemey P, Darcis G, Hens N, Meuris C. Reconstruction of SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks in a primary school using epidemiological and genomic data. Epidemics 2023; 44:100701. [PMID: 37379776 PMCID: PMC10273772 DOI: 10.1016/j.epidem.2023.100701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Revised: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Mathematical modelling studies have shown that repetitive screening can be used to mitigate SARS-CoV-2 transmission in primary schools while keeping schools open. However, not much is known about how transmission progresses within schools and whether there is a risk of importation to households. During the academic year 2020-2021, a prospective surveillance study using repetitive screening was conducted in a primary school and associated households in Liège (Belgium). SARS-CoV-2 screening was performed via throat washing either once or twice a week. We used genomic and epidemiological data to reconstruct the observed school outbreaks using two different models. The outbreaker2 model combines information on the generation time and contact patterns with a model of sequence evolution. For comparison we also used SCOTTI, a phylogenetic model based on the structured coalescent. In addition, we performed a simulation study to investigate how the accuracy of estimated positivity rates in a school depends on the proportion of a school that is sampled in a repetitive screening strategy. We found no difference in SARS-CoV-2 positivity between children and adults and children were not more often asymptomatic compared to adults. Both models for outbreak reconstruction revealed that transmission occurred mainly within the school environment. Uncertainty in outbreak reconstruction was lowest when including genomic as well as epidemiological data. We found that observed weekly positivity rates are a good approximation to the true weekly positivity rate, especially in children, even when only 25% of the school population is sampled. These results indicate that, in addition to reducing infections as shown in modelling studies, repetitive screening in school settings can lead to a better understanding of the extent of transmission in schools during a pandemic and importation risk at the community level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cécile Kremer
- Interuniversity Institute for Biostatistics and statistical Bioinformatics, Data Science Institute, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium.
| | - Andrea Torneri
- Interuniversity Institute for Biostatistics and statistical Bioinformatics, Data Science Institute, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Pieter J K Libin
- Interuniversity Institute for Biostatistics and statistical Bioinformatics, Data Science Institute, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium; Artificial Intelligence Lab, Department of Computer Science, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium; Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Cécile Meex
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | | | - Sébastien Bontems
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Keith Durkin
- Laboratory of Human Genetics, GIGA-Institute, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Maria Artesi
- Laboratory of Human Genetics, GIGA-Institute, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Vincent Bours
- Laboratory of Human Genetics, GIGA-Institute, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Philippe Lemey
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Gilles Darcis
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Liège University Hospital, Liège, Belgium
| | - Niel Hens
- Interuniversity Institute for Biostatistics and statistical Bioinformatics, Data Science Institute, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium; Centre for Health Economics Research and Modelling Infectious Diseases, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Christelle Meuris
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Liège University Hospital, Liège, Belgium
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26
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Kawasaki Y, Abe H, Yasuda J. Comparison of genome replication fidelity between SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A virus in cell culture. Sci Rep 2023; 13:13105. [PMID: 37567927 PMCID: PMC10421855 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-40463-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Since the emergence of COVID-19, several SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) variants have emerged and spread widely. These variants are produced through replication errors of the viral genome by viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). Seasonal epidemics of influenza are also known to occur because of new variants of influenza A virus (IAV), which are generated by the introduction of mutations by viral RdRp with low fidelity. Variants with different antigenicities appear because of mutations in envelope glycoproteins. In this study, we calculated and compared the mutation rates in genome replication of IAV and SARS-CoV-2. Average mutation rates per passage were 9.01 × 10-5 and 3.76 × 10-6 substitutions/site for IAV and SARS-CoV-2, respectively. The mutation rate of SARS-CoV-2 was 23.9-fold lower than that of IAV because of the proofreading activity of the SARS-CoV-2 RdRp complex. Our data could be useful in establishing effective countermeasures against COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshiko Kawasaki
- Department of Emerging Infectious Diseases, National Research Center for the Control and Prevention of Infectious Diseases (CCPID), Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki, Nagasaki, 852-8523, Japan
- Department of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Institute of Tropical Medicine (NEKKEN), Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki, Nagasaki, 852-8523, Japan
| | - Haruka Abe
- Department of Emerging Infectious Diseases, National Research Center for the Control and Prevention of Infectious Diseases (CCPID), Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki, Nagasaki, 852-8523, Japan
- Department of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Institute of Tropical Medicine (NEKKEN), Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki, Nagasaki, 852-8523, Japan
| | - Jiro Yasuda
- Department of Emerging Infectious Diseases, National Research Center for the Control and Prevention of Infectious Diseases (CCPID), Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki, Nagasaki, 852-8523, Japan.
- Department of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Institute of Tropical Medicine (NEKKEN), Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki, Nagasaki, 852-8523, Japan.
- Graduate School of Biomedical Science, Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki, Nagasaki, 852-8523, Japan.
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27
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Bozidis P, Petridi E, Gartzonika K. An ARMS-Multiplex PCR Targeting SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Sub-Variants. Pathogens 2023; 12:1017. [PMID: 37623977 PMCID: PMC10459702 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12081017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
As of November 2021, the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant had made its appearance, gradually replacing the predominant Delta variant. Since its emergence, the Omicron variant has been continuously evolving through more than 500 strains, most of which belong to five sub-variants known as BA.1, BA.2, BA.3, BA.4, and BA.5. The aim of this study was to develop a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) that will be able to distinguish the basic sub-variants of Omicron in a rapid and specific way. Full genome sequences of Omicron strains with high frequency and wide geographical distribution were retrieved by the NCBI Virus and ENA databases. These sequences were compared to each other in order to locate single nucleotide polymorphisms common to all strains of the same sub-variant. These polymorphisms should also be capable of distinguishing Omicron sub-variants not only from each other but from previously circulating variants of SARS-CoV-2 as well. Thus, specific primers targeting characteristic polymorphisms of the four Omicron main branches BA.1, BA.2, BA.4, and BA.5 were designed according to the principles of the amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS) and with the ability to react under multiplex PCR conditions. According to our results, the ARMS-multiplex PCR could successfully distinguish all Omicron sub-variants that carry the corresponding mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petros Bozidis
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece; (E.P.); (K.G.)
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28
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Lamothe G, Carbonneau J, Joly Beauparlant C, Vincent T, Quessy P, Guedon A, Kobinger G, Lemay JF, Boivin G, Droit A, Turgeon N, Tremblay JP. Rapid and Technically Simple Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Variants Using CRISPR Cas12 and Cas13. CRISPR J 2023; 6:369-385. [PMID: 37347931 DOI: 10.1089/crispr.2023.0007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The worldwide proliferation of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the past 3 years has allowed the virus to accumulate numerous mutations. Dangerous lineages have emerged one after another, each leading to a new wave of the pandemic. In this study, we have developed the THRASOS pipeline to rapidly discover lineage-specific mutation signatures and thus advise the development of Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)-based diagnostic tests. We also optimized a strategy to modify loop-mediated isothermal amplification amplicons for downstream use with Cas12 and Cas13 for future multiplexing. The close ancestry of the BA.1 and BA.2 variants of SARS-CoV-2 (Omicron) made these excellent candidates for the development of a first test using this workflow. With a quick turnaround time and low requirements for laboratory equipment, the test we have created is ideally suited for settings such as mobile clinics lacking equipment such as Next-Generation Sequencers or Sanger Sequencers and the personnel to run these devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel Lamothe
- Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec, Québec, Québec, Canada; Québec, Québec, Canada
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Laval University, Québec, Québec, Canada; Québec, Québec, Canada
| | - Julie Carbonneau
- Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec, Québec, Québec, Canada; Québec, Québec, Canada
- Infectiology Research Center, CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada; Québec, Québec, Canada
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada; Québec, Québec, Canada
| | - Charles Joly Beauparlant
- Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec, Québec, Québec, Canada; Québec, Québec, Canada
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Laval University, Québec, Québec, Canada; Québec, Québec, Canada
| | - Thierry Vincent
- Centre de Recherche sur la fonction, la structure et l'ingénierie des protéines, Québec, Québec, Canada; Québec, Québec, Canada
- Département de Génie chimique, Faculté des Sciences, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada; Québec, Québec, Canada
| | - Patrik Quessy
- CNETE, Shawinigan, Québec, Canada; Québec, Québec, Canada
- PROTEO, Québec, Québec, Canada; Québec, Québec, Canada
| | - Anthony Guedon
- CNETE, Shawinigan, Québec, Canada; Québec, Québec, Canada
- PROTEO, Québec, Québec, Canada; Québec, Québec, Canada
| | - Gary Kobinger
- Galveston National Laboratory, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA; and Québec, Québec, Canada
| | - Jean-Francois Lemay
- CNETE, Shawinigan, Québec, Canada; Québec, Québec, Canada
- PROTEO, Québec, Québec, Canada; Québec, Québec, Canada
| | - Guy Boivin
- Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec, Québec, Québec, Canada; Québec, Québec, Canada
- Infectiology Research Center, CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada; Québec, Québec, Canada
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada; Québec, Québec, Canada
| | - Arnaud Droit
- Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec, Québec, Québec, Canada; Québec, Québec, Canada
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Laval University, Québec, Québec, Canada; Québec, Québec, Canada
| | - Nathalie Turgeon
- Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec, Québec, Québec, Canada; Québec, Québec, Canada
- Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec, Québec, Québec, Canada
| | - Jacques P Tremblay
- Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec, Québec, Québec, Canada; Québec, Québec, Canada
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Laval University, Québec, Québec, Canada; Québec, Québec, Canada
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29
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Fang L, Xu J, Zhao Y, Fan J, Shen J, Liu W, Cao G. The effects of amino acid substitution of spike protein and genomic recombination on the evolution of SARS-CoV-2. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1228128. [PMID: 37560529 PMCID: PMC10409611 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1228128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Over three years' pandemic of 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), multiple variants and novel subvariants have emerged successively, outcompeted earlier variants and become predominant. The sequential emergence of variants reflects the evolutionary process of mutation-selection-adaption of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Amino acid substitution/insertion/deletion in the spike protein causes altered viral antigenicity, transmissibility, and pathogenicity of SARS-CoV-2. Early in the pandemic, D614G mutation conferred virus with advantages over previous variants and increased transmissibility, and it also laid a conservative background for subsequent substantial mutations. The role of genomic recombination in the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 raised increasing concern with the occurrence of novel recombinants such as Deltacron, XBB.1.5, XBB.1.9.1, and XBB.1.16 in the late phase of pandemic. Co-circulation of different variants and co-infection in immunocompromised patients accelerate the emergence of recombinants. Surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 genomic variations, particularly spike protein mutation and recombination, is essential to identify ongoing changes in the viral genome and antigenic epitopes and thus leads to the development of new vaccine strategies and interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Letian Fang
- Key Laboratory of Biological Defense, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Bioprotection, Shanghai, China
- Department of Epidemiology, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jie Xu
- Department of Foreign Languages, International Exchange Center for Military Medicine, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yue Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Biological Defense, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Bioprotection, Shanghai, China
- Department of Epidemiology, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Junyan Fan
- Key Laboratory of Biological Defense, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Bioprotection, Shanghai, China
- Department of Epidemiology, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiaying Shen
- School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wenbin Liu
- Key Laboratory of Biological Defense, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Bioprotection, Shanghai, China
- Department of Epidemiology, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Guangwen Cao
- Key Laboratory of Biological Defense, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Bioprotection, Shanghai, China
- Department of Epidemiology, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
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30
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de Araújo dos Santos SF, de Souza UJB, Oliveira MT, Jaime J, Spilki FR, Franco AC, Roehe PM, Campos FS. Recovery of complete genomes of canine parvovirus from clinical samples. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.07.12.548703. [PMID: 37502963 PMCID: PMC10369981 DOI: 10.1101/2023.07.12.548703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Canine parvovirus (CPV) is a highly pathogenic virus that affects dogs, especially puppies. CPV is believed to have evolved from feline panleukopenia virus (FPV), eventually giving rise to three antigenic types, CPV-2a, 2b, and 2c. CPV-2 is recognized for its resilience in contaminated environments, ease of transmission among dogs, and pathogenicity for puppies. Despite the relevance of the virus, complete genome sequences of CPV available at GenBank, to date, are scarce. In the current study, we have developed a methodology to allow the recovery of complete CPV-2 genomes directly from clinical samples. For this, seven fecal samples from Gurupi, Tocantins, North Brazil, were collected from puppies with clinical signals of viral enteritis, and submitted to viral DNA isolation and amplification. Two multiplex PCR strategies were designed including primers targeting fragments of 400 base pairs (bp) and 1,000 bp along the complete genome. Sequencing was performed with the Nanopore® technology and results obtained with the two approaches were compared. Genome assembly revealed that the 400 bp amplicons generated larger numbers of reads, allowing a more reliable coverage of the whole genome than those attained with primers targeting the larger (1000 bp) amplicons. Nevertheless, both enrichment methodologies were efficient in amplification and sequencing. Viral genome sequences were of high quality and allowed more precise typing and subtyping of viral genomes compared to the commonly employed strategy relying solely on the analysis of the VP2 region, which is limited in scope. The CPV-2 genomes recovered in this study belong to the CPV2a and CPV-2c subtypes, closely related to isolates from the neighboring Amazonian region. In conclusion, the technique reported here may contribute to increase the number of full CPV genomes available, which is essential for understanding the genetic mechanisms underlying the evolution and spread of CPV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ueric José Borges de Souza
- Bioinformatics and Biotechnology Laboratory, Campus of Gurupi, Federal University of Tocantins, Gurupi 77410-570, Brazil
| | - Martha Trindade Oliveira
- Virology Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology, Institute of Basic Health Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre 90035-003, Brazil
| | - Jairo Jaime
- Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Bogotá. Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y de Zootecnia, Departamento de Salud Animal. Centro de Investigación en Infectología e Inmunología Veterinaria (CI3V). Carrera 30 # 45-03, Bogotá D.C. CP 11132. Colombia
| | | | - Ana Cláudia Franco
- Virology Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology, Institute of Basic Health Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre 90035-003, Brazil
| | - Paulo Michel Roehe
- Virology Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology, Institute of Basic Health Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre 90035-003, Brazil
| | - Fabrício Souza Campos
- Bioinformatics and Biotechnology Laboratory, Campus of Gurupi, Federal University of Tocantins, Gurupi 77410-570, Brazil
- Virology Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology, Institute of Basic Health Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre 90035-003, Brazil
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31
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Cordsmeier A, Jungnickl D, Herrmann A, Korn K, Ensser A. Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Variants with Recombinant Reporter Viruses Created from a Bacmid System. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24098156. [PMID: 37175863 PMCID: PMC10179725 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24098156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Revised: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19, has spread around the world with more than 700 million cases and 6.8 million deaths. Various variants of concern (VoC) have emerged due to mutations and recombination and concurrent selection for increased viral fitness and immune evasion. The viral protein that primarily determines the pathogenicity, infectivity, and transmissibility is the Spike protein. To analyze the specific impact of variant Spike proteins on infection dynamics, we constructed SARS-CoV-2 with a uniform B.1 backbone but with alternative Spike proteins. In addition, ORF6 was replaced by EYFP as a biological safety measure, and for use of this well-established reporter. We show that namely the delta variant Spike proteins cause a distinct phenotype from the wild type (B.1, D614G) and other variants of concern. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the omicron BA.1 Spike results in lower viral loads and a less efficient spread in vitro. Finally, we utilized viruses with the two different reporters EYFP and mCherry to establish a competitive growth assay, demonstrating that most but not all Spike variant viruses were able to outcompete wild type SARS-CoV-2 B.1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arne Cordsmeier
- Institute for Clinical and Molecular Virology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Doris Jungnickl
- Institute for Clinical and Molecular Virology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Alexandra Herrmann
- Institute for Clinical and Molecular Virology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Klaus Korn
- Institute for Clinical and Molecular Virology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Armin Ensser
- Institute for Clinical and Molecular Virology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
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32
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Zafar H, Saier MH. Understanding the Relationship of the Human Bacteriome with COVID-19 Severity and Recovery. Cells 2023; 12:cells12091213. [PMID: 37174613 PMCID: PMC10177376 DOI: 10.3390/cells12091213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Revised: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) first emerged in 2019 in China and has resulted in millions of human morbidities and mortalities across the globe. Evidence has been provided that this novel virus originated in animals, mutated, and made the cross-species jump to humans. At the time of this communication, the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) may be on its way to an endemic form; however, the threat of the virus is more for susceptible (older and immunocompromised) people. The human body has millions of bacterial cells that influence health and disease. As a consequence, the bacteriomes in the human body substantially influence human health and disease. The bacteriomes in the body and the immune system seem to be in constant association during bacterial and viral infections. In this review, we identify various bacterial spp. In major bacteriomes (oral, nasal, lung, and gut) of the body in healthy humans and compare them with dysbiotic bacteriomes of COVID-19 patients. We try to identify key bacterial spp. That have a positive effect on the functionality of the immune system and human health. These select bacterial spp. Could be used as potential probiotics to counter or prevent COVID-19 infections. In addition, we try to identify key metabolites produced by probiotic bacterial spp. That could have potential anti-viral effects against SARS-CoV-2. These metabolites could be subject to future therapeutic trials to determine their anti-viral efficacies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hassan Zafar
- Department of Molecular Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, CA 92093-0116, USA
- Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Milton H Saier
- Department of Molecular Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, CA 92093-0116, USA
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Kralj-Hans I, Li K, Wesek A, Lamorgese A, Omar F, Ranasinghe K, McGee M, Brack K, Li S, Aggarwal R, Bulle A, Kodre A, Sharma S, Fluck D, John I, Sharma P, Belsey JD, Li L, Seshasai SRK, Li HL, Marczin N, Chen Z. Leflunomide treatment for patients hospitalised with COVID-19: DEFEAT-COVID randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open 2023; 13:e068179. [PMID: 37055207 PMCID: PMC10105917 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-068179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/15/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of leflunomide (L) added to the standard-of-care (SOC) treatment in COVID-19 patients hospitalised with moderate/critical clinical symptoms. DESIGN Prospective, open-label, multicentre, stratified, randomised clinical trial. SETTING Five hospitals in UK and India, from September 2020 to May 2021. PARTICIPANTS Adults with PCR confirmed COVID-19 infection with moderate/critical symptoms within 15 days of onset. INTERVENTION Leflunomide 100 mg/day (3 days) followed by 10-20 mg/day (7 days) added to standard care. PRIMARY OUTCOMES The time to clinical improvement (TTCI) defined as two-point reduction on a clinical status scale or live discharge prior to 28 days; safety profile measured by the incidence of adverse events (AEs) within 28 days. RESULTS Eligible patients (n=214; age 56.3±14.9 years; 33% female) were randomised to SOC+L (n=104) and SOC group (n=110), stratified according to their clinical risk profile. TTCI was 7 vs 8 days in SOC+L vs SOC group (HR 1.317; 95% CI 0.980 to 1.768; p=0.070). Incidence of serious AEs was similar between the groups and none was attributed to leflunomide. In sensitivity analyses, excluding 10 patients not fulfilling the inclusion criteria and 3 who withdrew consent before leflunomide treatment, TTCI was 7 vs 8 days (HR 1.416, 95% CI 1.041 to 1.935; p=0.028), indicating a trend in favour of the intervention group. All-cause mortality rate was similar between groups, 9/104 vs 10/110. Duration of oxygen dependence was shorter in the SOC+L group being a median 6 days (IQR 4-8) compared with 7 days (IQR 5-10) in SOC group (p=0.047). CONCLUSION Leflunomide, added to the SOC treatment for COVID-19, was safe and well tolerated but had no major impact on clinical outcomes. It may shorten the time of oxygen dependence by 1 day and thereby improve TTCI/hospital discharge in moderately affected COVID-19 patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBERS EudraCT Number: 2020-002952-18, NCT05007678.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kuo Li
- Imperial College, London, UK
| | | | | | - Fatima Omar
- Ashford and Saint Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust, Chertsey, UK
| | | | - Megan McGee
- Ashford and Saint Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust, Chertsey, UK
| | - Kieran Brack
- Ashford and Saint Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust, Chertsey, UK
| | - Shiliang Li
- East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | | | - Ajay Bulle
- Meditrina Institute of Medical Science, Nagpur, India
| | | | - Shashank Sharma
- St Peters Hospital Emergency Department, Ashford and Saint Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust, Chertsey, UK
| | - David Fluck
- Cardiology, Ashford and Saint Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust, Chertsey, UK
| | - Isaac John
- Ashford and Saint Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust, Chertsey, UK
| | | | | | - Ling Li
- Department of Engineering, City University, London, UK
| | | | - Hong Lin Li
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, Shanghai, China
| | | | - Zhong Chen
- Ashford and Saint Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust, Chertsey, UK
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Zabidi NZ, Liew HL, Farouk IA, Puniyamurti A, Yip AJW, Wijesinghe VN, Low ZY, Tang JW, Chow VTK, Lal SK. Evolution of SARS-CoV-2 Variants: Implications on Immune Escape, Vaccination, Therapeutic and Diagnostic Strategies. Viruses 2023; 15:v15040944. [PMID: 37112923 PMCID: PMC10145020 DOI: 10.3390/v15040944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Revised: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 is associated with a lower fatality rate than its SARS and MERS counterparts. However, the rapid evolution of SARS-CoV-2 has given rise to multiple variants with varying pathogenicity and transmissibility, such as the Delta and Omicron variants. Individuals with advanced age or underlying comorbidities, including hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, are at a higher risk of increased disease severity. Hence, this has resulted in an urgent need for the development of better therapeutic and preventive approaches. This review describes the origin and evolution of human coronaviruses, particularly SARS-CoV-2 and its variants as well as sub-variants. Risk factors that contribute to disease severity and the implications of co-infections are also considered. In addition, various antiviral strategies against COVID-19, including novel and repurposed antiviral drugs targeting viral and host proteins, as well as immunotherapeutic strategies, are discussed. We critically evaluate strategies of current and emerging vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 and their efficacy, including immune evasion by new variants and sub-variants. The impact of SARS-CoV-2 evolution on COVID-19 diagnostic testing is also examined. Collectively, global research and public health authorities, along with all sectors of society, need to better prepare against upcoming variants and future coronavirus outbreaks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nur Zawanah Zabidi
- School of Science, Monash University Malaysia, Subang Jaya 47500, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Hern Liang Liew
- School of Science, Monash University Malaysia, Subang Jaya 47500, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Isra Ahmad Farouk
- School of Science, Monash University Malaysia, Subang Jaya 47500, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Ashwini Puniyamurti
- School of Science, Monash University Malaysia, Subang Jaya 47500, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Ashley Jia Wen Yip
- School of Science, Monash University Malaysia, Subang Jaya 47500, Selangor, Malaysia
| | | | - Zheng Yao Low
- School of Science, Monash University Malaysia, Subang Jaya 47500, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Julian W Tang
- Department of Respiratory Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK
| | - Vincent T K Chow
- Infectious Diseases Translational Research Program, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117545, Singapore
| | - Sunil K Lal
- School of Science, Monash University Malaysia, Subang Jaya 47500, Selangor, Malaysia
- Tropical Medicine & Biology Platform, Monash University, Subang Jaya 47500, Selangor, Malaysia
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Jagtap S, Pattabiraman C, Sankaradoss A, Krishna S, Roy R. Evolutionary dynamics of dengue virus in India. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1010862. [PMID: 37011104 PMCID: PMC10101646 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023] Open
Abstract
More than a hundred thousand dengue cases are diagnosed in India annually, and about half of the country's population carries dengue virus-specific antibodies. Dengue propagates and adapts to the selection pressures imposed by a multitude of factors that can lead to the emergence of new variants. Yet, there has been no systematic analysis of the evolution of the dengue virus in the country. Here, we present a comprehensive analysis of all DENV gene sequences collected between 1956 and 2018 from India. We examine the spatio-temporal dynamics of India-specific genotypes, their evolutionary relationship with global and local dengue virus strains, interserotype dynamics and their divergence from the vaccine strains. Our analysis highlights the co-circulation of all DENV serotypes in India with cyclical outbreaks every 3-4 years. Since 2000, genotype III of DENV-1, cosmopolitan genotype of DENV-2, genotype III of DENV-3 and genotype I of DENV-4 have been dominating across the country. Substitution rates are comparable across the serotypes, suggesting a lack of serotype-specific evolutionary divergence. Yet, the envelope (E) protein displays strong signatures of evolution under immune selection. Apart from drifting away from its ancestors and other contemporary serotypes in general, we find evidence for recurring interserotype drift towards each other, suggesting selection via cross-reactive antibody-dependent enhancement. We identify the emergence of the highly divergent DENV-4-Id lineage in South India, which has acquired half of all E gene mutations in the antigenic sites. Moreover, the DENV-4-Id is drifting towards DENV-1 and DENV-3 clades, suggesting the role of cross-reactive antibodies in its evolution. Due to the regional restriction of the Indian genotypes and immunity-driven virus evolution in the country, ~50% of all E gene differences with the current vaccines are focused on the antigenic sites. Our study shows how the dengue virus evolution in India is being shaped in complex ways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suraj Jagtap
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
| | | | - Arun Sankaradoss
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
| | - Sudhir Krishna
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
- School of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Goa, Ponda, India
| | - Rahul Roy
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
- Center for BioSystems Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
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Hulme J. COVID-19 and Diarylamidines: The Parasitic Connection. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:6583. [PMID: 37047556 PMCID: PMC10094973 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24076583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Revised: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023] Open
Abstract
As emerging severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants (Omicron) continue to outpace and negate combinatorial vaccines and monoclonal antibody therapies targeting the spike protein (S) receptor binding domain (RBD), the appetite for developing similar COVID-19 treatments has significantly diminished, with the attention of the scientific community switching to long COVID treatments. However, treatments that reduce the risk of "post-COVID-19 syndrome" and associated sequelae remain in their infancy, particularly as no established criteria for diagnosis currently exist. Thus, alternative therapies that reduce infection and prevent the broad range of symptoms associated with 'post-COVID-19 syndrome' require investigation. This review begins with an overview of the parasitic-diarylamidine connection, followed by the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) and associated angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSSR2) involved in SARS-CoV-2 infection. Subsequently, the ability of diarylamidines to inhibit S-protein binding and various membrane serine proteases associated with SARS-CoV-2 and parasitic infections are discussed. Finally, the roles of diarylamidines (primarily DIZE) in vaccine efficacy, epigenetics, and the potential amelioration of long COVID sequelae are highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Hulme
- Department of Bionano Technology, Gachon Bionano Research Institute, Gachon University, 1342 Sungnam-daero, Sujung-gu, Seongnam-si 461-701, Republic of Korea
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Taylor MK, Williams EP, Xue Y, Jenjaroenpun P, Wongsurawat T, Smith AP, Smith AM, Parvathareddy J, Kong Y, Vogel P, Cao X, Reichard W, Spruill-Harrell B, Samarasinghe AE, Nookaew I, Fitzpatrick EA, Smith MD, Aranha M, Smith JC, Jonsson CB. Dissecting Phenotype from Genotype with Clinical Isolates of SARS-CoV-2 First Wave Variants. Viruses 2023; 15:611. [PMID: 36992320 PMCID: PMC10059853 DOI: 10.3390/v15030611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The emergence and availability of closely related clinical isolates of SARS-CoV-2 offers a unique opportunity to identify novel nonsynonymous mutations that may impact phenotype. Global sequencing efforts show that SARS-CoV-2 variants have emerged and then been replaced since the beginning of the pandemic, yet we have limited information regarding the breadth of variant-specific host responses. Using primary cell cultures and the K18-hACE2 mouse, we investigated the replication, innate immune response, and pathology of closely related, clinical variants circulating during the first wave of the pandemic. Mathematical modeling of the lung viral replication of four clinical isolates showed a dichotomy between two B.1. isolates with significantly faster and slower infected cell clearance rates, respectively. While isolates induced several common immune host responses to infection, one B.1 isolate was unique in the promotion of eosinophil-associated proteins IL-5 and CCL11. Moreover, its mortality rate was significantly slower. Lung microscopic histopathology suggested further phenotypic divergence among the five isolates showing three distinct sets of phenotypes: (i) consolidation, alveolar hemorrhage, and inflammation, (ii) interstitial inflammation/septal thickening and peribronchiolar/perivascular lymphoid cells, and (iii) consolidation, alveolar involvement, and endothelial hypertrophy/margination. Together these findings show divergence in the phenotypic outcomes of these clinical isolates and reveal the potential importance of nonsynonymous mutations in nsp2 and ORF8.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariah K. Taylor
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
| | - Evan P. Williams
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
| | - Yi Xue
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
| | - Piroon Jenjaroenpun
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA
| | - Thidathip Wongsurawat
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA
| | - Amanda P. Smith
- Department of Pediatrics, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38103, USA
| | - Amber M. Smith
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38103, USA
- Institute for the Study of Host-Pathogen Systems, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
| | - Jyothi Parvathareddy
- Regional Biocontainment Laboratory, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
| | - Ying Kong
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
| | - Peter Vogel
- Veterinary Pathology Core Laboratory, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Xueyuan Cao
- Department of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
| | - Walter Reichard
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
| | - Briana Spruill-Harrell
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
| | - Amali E. Samarasinghe
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38103, USA
| | - Intawat Nookaew
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA
| | - Elizabeth A. Fitzpatrick
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
- Institute for the Study of Host-Pathogen Systems, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
| | - Micholas Dean Smith
- Center for Molecular Biophysics, University of Tennessee-Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Tennessee- Knoxville, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
| | - Michelle Aranha
- Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Tennessee- Knoxville, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
| | - Jeremy C. Smith
- Center for Molecular Biophysics, University of Tennessee-Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Tennessee- Knoxville, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
| | - Colleen B. Jonsson
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
- Institute for the Study of Host-Pathogen Systems, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
- Regional Biocontainment Laboratory, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
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Jenkins VA, Hoet B, Hochrein H, De Moerlooze L. The Quest for a Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccine for Older Adults: Thinking beyond the F Protein. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:382. [PMID: 36851260 PMCID: PMC9963583 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11020382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Revised: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/03/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common cause of paediatric respiratory tract infection and causes a significant health burden in older adults. Natural immunity to RSV is incomplete, permitting recurrent symptomatic infection over an individual's lifespan. When combined with immunosenescence, this increases older adults' susceptibility to more severe disease symptoms. As RSV prophylaxis is currently limited to infants, older adults represent an important target population for RSV vaccine development. The relationship between RSV and our immune systems is complex, and these interactions require deeper understanding to tailor an effective vaccine candidate towards older adults. To date, vaccine candidates targeting RSV antigens, including pre-F, F, G (A), G (B), M2-1, and N, have shown efficacy against RSV infection in older adults in clinical trial settings. Although vaccine candidates have demonstrated robust neutralising IgG and cellular responses, it is important that research continues to investigate the RSV immune response in order to further understand how the choice of antigenic target site may impact vaccine effectiveness. In this article, we discuss the Phase 3 vaccine candidates being tested in older adults and review the hurdles that must be overcome to achieve effective protection against RSV.
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Sant’Anna FH, Finger Andreis T, Salvato RS, Muterle Varela AP, Comerlato J, Gregianini TS, Barcellos RB, de Souza Godinho FM, Resende PC, da Luz Wallau G, y Castro TR, Casarin BC, de Almeida Vieira A, Schwarzbold AV, de Arruda Trindade P, Tumioto Giannini GL, Freese L, Bristot G, Brasil CS, de Oliveira Rocha B, Martins PB, de Oliveira FH, van Oosterhout C, Wendland E. Incipient Parallel Evolution of SARS-CoV-2 Deltacron Variant in South Brazil. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:vaccines11020212. [PMID: 36851091 PMCID: PMC9961971 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11020212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2022] [Revised: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
With the coexistence of multiple lineages and increased international travel, recombination and gene flow are likely to become increasingly important in the adaptive evolution of SARS-CoV-2. These processes could result in genetic introgression and the incipient parallel evolution of multiple recombinant lineages. However, identifying recombinant lineages is challenging, and the true extent of recombinant evolution in SARS-CoV-2 may be underestimated. This study describes the first SARS-CoV-2 Deltacron recombinant case identified in Brazil. We demonstrate that the recombination breakpoint is at the beginning of the Spike gene. The 5' genome portion (circa 22 kb) resembles the AY.101 (Delta), and the 3' genome portion (circa 8 kb nucleotides) is most similar to the BA.1.1 (Omicron). Furthermore, evolutionary genomic analyses indicate that the new strain emerged after a single recombination event between lineages of diverse geographical locations in December 2021 in South Brazil. This Deltacron, AYBA-RS, is one of the dozens of recombinants described in 2022. The submission of only four sequences in the GISAID database suggests that this lineage had a minor epidemiological impact. However, the recent emergence of this and other Deltacron recombinant lineages (XD, XF, and XS) suggests that gene flow and recombination may play an increasingly important role in the COVID-19 pandemic. We explain the evolutionary and population genetic theory that supports this assertion, concluding that this stresses the need for continued genomic surveillance. This monitoring is vital for countries where multiple variants are present, as well as for countries that receive significant inbound international travel.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Richard Steiner Salvato
- Centro de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Centro Estadual de Vigilância em Saúde, Secretaria Estadual da Saúde do Rio Grande do Sul (CDCT/CEVS/SES-RS), Porto Alegre 90450-190, RS, Brazil
| | | | | | - Tatiana Schäffer Gregianini
- Laboratório Central de Saúde Pública, Centro Estadual de Vigilância em Saúde, Secretaria Estadual da Saúde do Rio Grande do Sul (LACEN/CEVS/SES-RS), Porto Alegre 90450-190, RS, Brazil
| | - Regina Bones Barcellos
- Centro de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Centro Estadual de Vigilância em Saúde, Secretaria Estadual da Saúde do Rio Grande do Sul (CDCT/CEVS/SES-RS), Porto Alegre 90450-190, RS, Brazil
| | - Fernanda Marques de Souza Godinho
- Centro de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Centro Estadual de Vigilância em Saúde, Secretaria Estadual da Saúde do Rio Grande do Sul (CDCT/CEVS/SES-RS), Porto Alegre 90450-190, RS, Brazil
| | - Paola Cristina Resende
- Laboratory of Respiratory Viruses and Measles, Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), Rio de Janeiro 21040-900, RJ, Brazil
| | - Gabriel da Luz Wallau
- Departamento de Entomologia e Núcleo de Bioinformática, Instituto Aggeu Magalhães, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz Pernambuco (FIOCRUZ-PE), Recife 50740-465, PE, Brazil
| | - Thaís Regina y Castro
- Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria 97105-900, RS, Brazil
| | - Bruna Campestrini Casarin
- Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria 97105-900, RS, Brazil
| | - Andressa de Almeida Vieira
- Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria 97105-900, RS, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - Luana Freese
- Hospital Moinhos de Vento, Porto Alegre 90035-000, RS, Brazil
| | - Giovana Bristot
- Hospital Moinhos de Vento, Porto Alegre 90035-000, RS, Brazil
| | | | | | | | | | - Cock van Oosterhout
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
- Correspondence:
| | - Eliana Wendland
- Hospital Moinhos de Vento, Porto Alegre 90035-000, RS, Brazil
- Graduate Program in Biosciences, Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre 90050-170, RS, Brazil
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Bader W, Delerce J, Aherfi S, La Scola B, Colson P. Quasispecies Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 of 15 Different Lineages during the First Year of the Pandemic Prompts Scratching under the Surface of Consensus Genome Sequences. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:15658. [PMID: 36555300 PMCID: PMC9779826 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232415658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Revised: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The tremendous majority of SARS-CoV-2 genomic data so far neglected intra-host genetic diversity. Here, we studied SARS-CoV-2 quasispecies based on data generated by next-generation sequencing (NGS) of complete genomes. SARS-CoV-2 raw NGS data had been generated for nasopharyngeal samples collected between March 2020 and February 2021 by the Illumina technology on a MiSeq instrument, without prior PCR amplification. To analyze viral quasispecies, we designed and implemented an in-house Excel file (“QuasiS”) that can characterize intra-sample nucleotide diversity along the genomes using data of the mapping of NGS reads. We compared intra-sample genetic diversity and global genetic diversity available from Nextstrain. Hierarchical clustering of all samples based on the intra-sample genetic diversity was performed and visualized with the Morpheus web application. NGS mapping data from 110 SARS-CoV-2-positive respiratory samples characterized by a mean depth of 169 NGS reads/nucleotide position and for which consensus genomes that had been obtained were classified into 15 viral lineages were analyzed. Mean intra-sample nucleotide diversity was 0.21 ± 0.65%, and 5357 positions (17.9%) exhibited significant (>4%) diversity, in ≥2 genomes for 1730 (5.8%) of them. ORF10, spike, and N genes had the highest number of positions exhibiting diversity (0.56%, 0.34%, and 0.24%, respectively). Nine hot spots of intra-sample diversity were identified in the SARS-CoV-2 NSP6, NSP12, ORF8, and N genes. Hierarchical clustering delineated a set of six genomes of different lineages characterized by 920 positions exhibiting intra-sample diversity. In addition, 118 nucleotide positions (0.4%) exhibited diversity at both intra- and inter-patient levels. Overall, the present study illustrates that the SARS-CoV-2 consensus genome sequences are only an incomplete and imperfect representation of the entire viral population infecting a patient, and that quasispecies analysis may allow deciphering more accurately the viral evolutionary pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wahiba Bader
- IHU Méditerranée Infection, 19–21 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005 Marseille, France
- Microbes Evolution Phylogeny and Infections (MEPHI), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Aix-Marseille University, 27 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005 Marseille, France
| | - Jeremy Delerce
- IHU Méditerranée Infection, 19–21 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005 Marseille, France
| | - Sarah Aherfi
- IHU Méditerranée Infection, 19–21 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005 Marseille, France
- Microbes Evolution Phylogeny and Infections (MEPHI), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Aix-Marseille University, 27 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005 Marseille, France
- Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille (AP-HM), 264 rue Saint-Pierre, 13005 Marseille, France
| | - Bernard La Scola
- IHU Méditerranée Infection, 19–21 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005 Marseille, France
- Microbes Evolution Phylogeny and Infections (MEPHI), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Aix-Marseille University, 27 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005 Marseille, France
- Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille (AP-HM), 264 rue Saint-Pierre, 13005 Marseille, France
| | - Philippe Colson
- IHU Méditerranée Infection, 19–21 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005 Marseille, France
- Microbes Evolution Phylogeny and Infections (MEPHI), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Aix-Marseille University, 27 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005 Marseille, France
- Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille (AP-HM), 264 rue Saint-Pierre, 13005 Marseille, France
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Chao CH, Cheng D, Huang SW, Chuang YC, Yeh TM, Wang JR. Serological responses triggered by different SARS-CoV-2 vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 variants in Taiwan. Front Immunol 2022; 13:1023943. [PMID: 36458016 PMCID: PMC9705976 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1023943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Broadly neutralizing ability is critical for developing the next-generation SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. We collected sera samples between December 2021-January 2022 from 113 Taiwan naïve participants after their second dose of homologous vaccine (AZD1222, mRNA-1273, BNT162-b2, and MVC-COV1901) and compared the differences in serological responses of various SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. Compared to AZD1222, the two mRNA vaccines could elicit a higher level of anti-S1-RBD binding antibodies with higher broadly neutralizing ability evaluated using pseudoviruses of various SARS-CoV-2 lineages. The antigenic maps produced from the neutralization data implied that Omicron represents very different antigenic characteristics from the ancestral lineage. These results suggested that constantly administering the vaccine with ancestral Wuhan spike is insufficient for the Omicron outbreak. In addition, we found that anti-ACE2 autoantibodies were significantly increased in all four vaccinated groups compared to the unvaccinated pre-pandemic group, which needed to be investigated in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiao-Hsuan Chao
- Department of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Dayna Cheng
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Sheng-Wen Huang
- National Mosquito-Borne Diseases Control Research Center, National Health Research Institutes, Tainan, Taiwan
| | | | - Trai-Ming Yeh
- Department of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
- Center of Infectious Disease and Signaling Research, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Jen-Ren Wang
- Department of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
- Center of Infectious Disease and Signaling Research, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
- National Institute of Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology, National Health Research Institutes, Tainan, Taiwan
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van den Dijssel J, Hagen RR, de Jongh R, Steenhuis M, Rispens T, Geerdes DM, Mok JY, Kragten AHM, Duurland MC, Verstegen NJM, van Ham SM, van Esch WJE, van Gisbergen KPJM, Hombrink P, ten Brinke A, van de Sandt CE. Parallel detection of SARS-CoV-2 epitopes reveals dynamic immunodominance profiles of CD8 + T memory cells in convalescent COVID-19 donors. Clin Transl Immunology 2022; 11:e1423. [PMID: 36254196 PMCID: PMC9568370 DOI: 10.1002/cti2.1423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2022] [Revised: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives High-magnitude CD8+ T cell responses are associated with mild COVID-19 disease; however, the underlying characteristics that define CD8+ T cell-mediated protection are not well understood. The antigenic breadth and the immunodominance hierarchies of epitope-specific CD8+ T cells remain largely unexplored and are essential for the development of next-generation broad-protective vaccines. This study identified a broad spectrum of conserved SARS-CoV-2 CD8+ T cell epitopes and defined their respective immunodominance and phenotypic profiles following SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods CD8+ T cells from 51 convalescent COVID-19 donors were analysed for their ability to recognise 133 predicted and previously described SARS-CoV-2-derived peptides restricted by 11 common HLA class I allotypes using heterotetramer combinatorial coding, which combined with phenotypic markers allowed in-depth ex vivo profiling of CD8+ T cell responses at quantitative and phenotypic levels. Results A comprehensive panel of 49 mostly conserved SARS-CoV-2-specific CD8+ T cell epitopes, including five newly identified low-magnitude epitopes, was established. We confirmed the immunodominance of HLA-A*01:01/ORF1ab1637-1646 and B*07:02/N105-113 and identified B*35:01/N325-333 as a third epitope with immunodominant features. The magnitude of subdominant epitope responses, including A*03:01/N361-369 and A*02:01/S269-277, depended on the donors' HLA-I context. All epitopes expressed prevalent memory phenotypes, with the highest memory frequencies in severe COVID-19 donors. Conclusion SARS-CoV-2 infection induces a predominant CD8+ T memory response directed against a broad spectrum of conserved SARS-CoV-2 epitopes, which likely contributes to long-term protection against severe disease. The observed immunodominance hierarchy emphasises the importance of T cell epitopes derived from nonspike proteins to the overall protective and cross-reactive immune response, which could aid future vaccine strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jet van den Dijssel
- Department of HematopoiesisSanquin ResearchAmsterdamThe Netherlands,Landsteiner LaboratoryAmsterdam UMC location University of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands,Department of Experimental ImmunohematologySanquin ResearchAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Ruth R Hagen
- Department of HematopoiesisSanquin ResearchAmsterdamThe Netherlands,Landsteiner LaboratoryAmsterdam UMC location University of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands,Department of Experimental ImmunohematologySanquin ResearchAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Rivka de Jongh
- Landsteiner LaboratoryAmsterdam UMC location University of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands,Department of ImmunopathologySanquin ResearchAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Maurice Steenhuis
- Landsteiner LaboratoryAmsterdam UMC location University of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands,Department of ImmunopathologySanquin ResearchAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Theo Rispens
- Landsteiner LaboratoryAmsterdam UMC location University of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands,Department of ImmunopathologySanquin ResearchAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | | | - Juk Yee Mok
- Sanquin Reagents B.V.AmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | | | - Mariël C Duurland
- Landsteiner LaboratoryAmsterdam UMC location University of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands,Department of ImmunopathologySanquin ResearchAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Niels JM Verstegen
- Landsteiner LaboratoryAmsterdam UMC location University of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands,Department of ImmunopathologySanquin ResearchAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - S Marieke van Ham
- Landsteiner LaboratoryAmsterdam UMC location University of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands,Department of ImmunopathologySanquin ResearchAmsterdamThe Netherlands,Swammerdam Institute for Life SciencesUniversity of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | | | - Klaas PJM van Gisbergen
- Department of HematopoiesisSanquin ResearchAmsterdamThe Netherlands,Landsteiner LaboratoryAmsterdam UMC location University of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Pleun Hombrink
- Department of HematopoiesisSanquin ResearchAmsterdamThe Netherlands,Landsteiner LaboratoryAmsterdam UMC location University of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Anja ten Brinke
- Landsteiner LaboratoryAmsterdam UMC location University of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands,Department of ImmunopathologySanquin ResearchAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Carolien E van de Sandt
- Department of HematopoiesisSanquin ResearchAmsterdamThe Netherlands,Landsteiner LaboratoryAmsterdam UMC location University of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and ImmunityUniversity of MelbourneMelbourneVICAustralia
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Tegally H, San JE, Cotten M, Moir M, Tegomoh B, Mboowa G, Martin DP, Baxter C, Lambisia AW, Diallo A, Amoako DG, Diagne MM, Sisay A, Zekri ARN, Gueye AS, Sangare AK, Ouedraogo AS, Sow A, Musa AO, Sesay AK, Abias AG, Elzagheid AI, Lagare A, Kemi AS, Abar AE, Johnson AA, Fowotade A, Oluwapelumi AO, Amuri AA, Juru A, Kandeil A, Mostafa A, Rebai A, Sayed A, Kazeem A, Balde A, Christoffels A, Trotter AJ, Campbell A, Keita AK, Kone A, Bouzid A, Souissi A, Agweyu A, Naguib A, Gutierrez AV, Nkeshimana A, Page AJ, Yadouleton A, Vinze A, Happi AN, Chouikha A, Iranzadeh A, Maharaj A, Batchi-Bouyou AL, Ismail A, Sylverken AA, Goba A, Femi A, Sijuwola AE, Marycelin B, Salako BL, Oderinde BS, Bolajoko B, Diarra B, Herring BL, Tsofa B, Lekana-Douki B, Mvula B, Njanpop-Lafourcade BM, Marondera BT, Khaireh BA, Kouriba B, Adu B, Pool B, McInnis B, Brook C, Williamson C, Nduwimana C, Anscombe C, Pratt CB, Scheepers C, Akoua-Koffi CG, Agoti CN, Mapanguy CM, Loucoubar C, Onwuamah CK, Ihekweazu C, Malaka CN, Peyrefitte C, Grace C, Omoruyi CE, Rafaï CD, Morang’a CM, Erameh C, Lule DB, Bridges DJ, Mukadi-Bamuleka D, Park D, Rasmussen DA, Baker D, Nokes DJ, Ssemwanga D, Tshiabuila D, Amuzu DSY, Goedhals D, Grant DS, Omuoyo DO, Maruapula D, Wanjohi DW, Foster-Nyarko E, Lusamaki EK, Simulundu E, Ong’era EM, Ngabana EN, Abworo EO, Otieno E, Shumba E, Barasa E, Ahmed EB, Ahmed EA, Lokilo E, Mukantwari E, Philomena E, Belarbi E, Simon-Loriere E, Anoh EA, Manuel E, Leendertz F, Taweh FM, Wasfi F, Abdelmoula F, Takawira FT, Derrar F, Ajogbasile FV, Treurnicht F, Onikepe F, Ntoumi F, Muyembe FM, Ragomzingba FEZ, Dratibi FA, Iyanu FA, Mbunsu GK, Thilliez G, Kay GL, Akpede GO, van Zyl GU, Awandare GA, Kpeli GS, Schubert G, Maphalala GP, Ranaivoson HC, Omunakwe HE, Onywera H, Abe H, Karray H, Nansumba H, Triki H, Kadjo HAA, Elgahzaly H, Gumbo H, Mathieu H, Kavunga-Membo H, Smeti I, Olawoye IB, Adetifa IMO, Odia I, Ben Boubaker IB, Mohammad IA, Ssewanyana I, Wurie I, Konstantinus IS, Halatoko JWA, Ayei J, Sonoo J, Makangara JCC, Tamfum JJM, Heraud JM, Shaffer JG, Giandhari J, Musyoki J, Nkurunziza J, Uwanibe JN, Bhiman JN, Yasuda J, Morais J, Kiconco J, Sandi JD, Huddleston J, Odoom JK, Morobe JM, Gyapong JO, Kayiwa JT, Okolie JC, Xavier JS, Gyamfi J, Wamala JF, Bonney JHK, Nyandwi J, Everatt J, Nakaseegu J, Ngoi JM, Namulondo J, Oguzie JU, Andeko JC, Lutwama JJ, Mogga JJH, O’Grady J, Siddle KJ, Victoir K, Adeyemi KT, Tumedi KA, Carvalho KS, Mohammed KS, Dellagi K, Musonda KG, Duedu KO, Fki-Berrajah L, Singh L, Kepler LM, Biscornet L, de Oliveira Martins L, Chabuka L, Olubayo L, Ojok LD, Deng LL, Ochola-Oyier LI, Tyers L, Mine M, Ramuth M, Mastouri M, ElHefnawi M, Mbanne M, Matsheka MI, Kebabonye M, Diop M, Momoh M, Lima Mendonça MDL, Venter M, Paye MF, Faye M, Nyaga MM, Mareka M, Damaris MM, Mburu MW, Mpina MG, Owusu M, Wiley MR, Tatfeng MY, Ayekaba MO, Abouelhoda M, Beloufa MA, Seadawy MG, Khalifa MK, Matobo MM, Kane M, Salou M, Mbulawa MB, Mwenda M, Allam M, Phan MVT, Abid N, Rujeni N, Abuzaid N, Ismael N, Elguindy N, Top NM, Dia N, Mabunda N, Hsiao NY, Silochi NB, Francisco NM, Saasa N, Bbosa N, Murunga N, Gumede N, Wolter N, Sitharam N, Ndodo N, Ajayi NA, Tordo N, Mbhele N, Razanajatovo NH, Iguosadolo N, Mba N, Kingsley OC, Sylvanus O, Femi O, Adewumi OM, Testimony O, Ogunsanya OA, Fakayode O, Ogah OE, Oludayo OE, Faye O, Smith-Lawrence P, Ondoa P, Combe P, Nabisubi P, Semanda P, Oluniyi PE, Arnaldo P, Quashie PK, Okokhere PO, Bejon P, Dussart P, Bester PA, Mbala PK, Kaleebu P, Abechi P, El-Shesheny R, Joseph R, Aziz RK, Essomba RG, Ayivor-Djanie R, Njouom R, Phillips RO, Gorman R, Kingsley RA, Neto Rodrigues RMDESA, Audu RA, Carr RAA, Gargouri S, Masmoudi S, Bootsma S, Sankhe S, Mohamed SI, Femi S, Mhalla S, Hosch S, Kassim SK, Metha S, Trabelsi S, Agwa SH, Mwangi SW, Doumbia S, Makiala-Mandanda S, Aryeetey S, Ahmed SS, Ahmed SM, Elhamoumi S, Moyo S, Lutucuta S, Gaseitsiwe S, Jalloh S, Andriamandimby SF, Oguntope S, Grayo S, Lekana-Douki S, Prosolek S, Ouangraoua S, van Wyk S, Schaffner SF, Kanyerezi S, Ahuka-Mundeke S, Rudder S, Pillay S, Nabadda S, Behillil S, Budiaki SL, van der Werf S, Mashe T, Mohale T, Le-Viet T, Velavan TP, Schindler T, Maponga TG, Bedford T, Anyaneji UJ, Chinedu U, Ramphal U, George UE, Enouf V, Nene V, Gorova V, Roshdy WH, Karim WA, Ampofo WK, Preiser W, Choga WT, Ahmed YA, Ramphal Y, Bediako Y, Naidoo Y, Butera Y, de Laurent ZR, Ouma AEO, von Gottberg A, Githinji G, Moeti M, Tomori O, Sabeti PC, Sall AA, Oyola SO, Tebeje YK, Tessema SK, de Oliveira T, Happi C, Lessells R, Nkengasong J, Wilkinson E. The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance. Science 2022; 378:eabq5358. [PMID: 36108049 PMCID: PMC9529057 DOI: 10.1126/science.abq5358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Investment in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing in Africa over the past year has led to a major increase in the number of sequences that have been generated and used to track the pandemic on the continent, a number that now exceeds 100,000 genomes. Our results show an increase in the number of African countries that are able to sequence domestically and highlight that local sequencing enables faster turnaround times and more-regular routine surveillance. Despite limitations of low testing proportions, findings from this genomic surveillance study underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic and illuminate the distinct dispersal dynamics of variants of concern-particularly Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron-on the continent. Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve while the continent faces many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century.
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Affiliation(s)
- Houriiyah Tegally
- Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI), School of Data Science and Computational Thinking, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
- KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP), Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - James E. San
- Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI), School of Data Science and Computational Thinking, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
- KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP), Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Matthew Cotten
- MRC/UVRI and LSHTM Uganda Research Unit, Entebbe, Uganda
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK
| | - Monika Moir
- Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI), School of Data Science and Computational Thinking, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Bryan Tegomoh
- The Biotechnology Centre of the University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon
- CDC Foundation, Atlanta, Georgia, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Gerald Mboowa
- Institute of Pathogen Genomics, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Darren P. Martin
- Institute of Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine, Department of Integrative Biomedical Sciences, Computational Biology Division, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Division of Medical Virology, Wellcome Centre for Infectious Diseases in Africa, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Cheryl Baxter
- Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI), School of Data Science and Computational Thinking, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
- Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA), Durban, South Africa
| | | | - Amadou Diallo
- Virology Department, Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Dakar, Senegal
| | - Daniel G. Amoako
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) of the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Health Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
| | | | - Abay Sisay
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Department of Microbial, Cellular and Molecular Biology, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Abdel-Rahman N. Zekri
- Cancer Biology Department, Virology and Immunology Unit, National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Abdou Salam Gueye
- World Health Organization, Africa Region, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
| | - Abdoul K. Sangare
- Centre d’Infectiologie Charles Mérieux-Mali (CICM-Mali), Bamako, Mali
| | - Abdoul-Salam Ouedraogo
- Bacteriology and Virology Department Souro Sanou University Hospital, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | | | - Abdualmoniem O. Musa
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Kassala University, Kassala City, Sudan
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medical Laboratory Sciences, University of Gezira, Gezira, Sudan
- General Administration of Laboratories and Blood Banks, Ministry of Health, Kassala State, Sudan
| | | | - Abe G. Abias
- National Public Health Laboratory, Ministry of Health, Juba, Republic of South Sudan
| | | | - Adamou Lagare
- Center for Medical and Sanitary Research (CERMES), Niamey, Niger
| | | | - Aden Elmi Abar
- Laboratoire de la Caisse Nationale de Sécurité Sociale, Djibouti, Republic of Djibouti
| | - Adeniji A. Johnson
- Department of Virology, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
- Infectious Disease Institute, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Adeola Fowotade
- Medical Microbiology and Parasitology Department, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
- Biorepository Clinical Virology Laboratory, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Adeyemi O. Oluwapelumi
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Basic Clinical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria
- The Pirbright Institute, Woking, UK
| | - Adrienne A. Amuri
- Pathogen Sequencing Lab, Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB), Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Université de Kinshasa (UNIKIN), Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Agnes Juru
- National Microbiology Reference Laboratory, Harare, Zimbabwe
| | - Ahmed Kandeil
- Center of Scientific Excellence for Influenza Viruses, National Research Centre (NRC), Cairo, Egypt
| | - Ahmed Mostafa
- Center of Scientific Excellence for Influenza Viruses, National Research Centre (NRC), Cairo, Egypt
| | - Ahmed Rebai
- Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Screening Processes, Centre of Biotechnology of Sfax, University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia
| | - Ahmed Sayed
- Genomics and Epigenomics Program, Research Department CCHE57357, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Akano Kazeem
- African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID), Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
| | - Aladje Balde
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular Jean Piaget, Bissau, Guinea-Bissau
- University Jean Piaget in Guinea-Bissau, Bissau, Guinea-Bissau
| | - Alan Christoffels
- Institute of Pathogen Genomics, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- SAMRC Bioinformatics Unit, SA Bioinformatics Institute, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa
| | | | - Allan Campbell
- Central Public Health Reference Laboratories, Freetown, Sierra Leone
| | - Alpha K. Keita
- Centre de Recherche et de Formation en Infectiologie de Guinée (CERFIG), Université de Conakry, Conakry, Guinea
- TransVIHMI, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Montpellier University, 34090, Montpellier, France
| | - Amadou Kone
- University Clinical Research Center (UCRC), University of Sciences, Techniques and Technology of Bamako, Bamako, Mali
| | - Amal Bouzid
- Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Screening Processes, Centre of Biotechnology of Sfax, University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia
- Sharjah Institute for Medical Research, College of Medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Amal Souissi
- Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Screening Processes, Centre of Biotechnology of Sfax, University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia
| | | | - Amel Naguib
- Central Public Health Laboratories (CPHL), Cairo, Egypt
| | | | | | | | - Anges Yadouleton
- Laboratoire des Fièvres Hémorragiques Virales du Benin, Cotonou, Benin
| | - Anika Vinze
- Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Anise N. Happi
- African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID), Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
| | - Anissa Chouikha
- Laboratory of Clinical Virology, WHO Reference Laboratory for Poliomyelitis and Measles in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, Pasteur Institute of Tunis, University Tunis El Manar (UTM), Tunis 1002, Tunisia
- Research Laboratory “Virus, Vectors and Hosts: One Health Apporach and Technological Innovation for a Better Health”, LR20IPT02, Pasteur Institute, Tunis 1002, Tunisia
| | - Arash Iranzadeh
- Institute of Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine, Department of Integrative Biomedical Sciences, Computational Biology Division, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Division of Medical Virology, Wellcome Centre for Infectious Diseases in Africa, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Arisha Maharaj
- Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI), School of Data Science and Computational Thinking, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Armel L. Batchi-Bouyou
- Fondation Congolaise pour la Recherche Médicale, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
- Marien Ngouabi, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
| | - Arshad Ismail
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) of the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Augustina A. Sylverken
- Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Department of Theoretical and Applied Biology, Kumasi, Ghana
- Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Augustine Goba
- Viral Haemorrhagic Fever Laboratory, Kenema Government Hospital, Kenema, Sierra Leone
- Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Freetown, Sierra Leone
| | - Ayoade Femi
- African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID), Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
| | - Ayotunde E. Sijuwola
- African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID), Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
| | - Baba Marycelin
- Department of Immunology, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, P.M.B. 1414, Maiduguri, Nigeria
- Department of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Medical Sciences, University of Maiduguri, P.M.B. 1069, Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria
| | - Babatunde L. Salako
- The Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria
- Infectious Disease Institute, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Bamidele S. Oderinde
- Department of Immunology, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, P.M.B. 1414, Maiduguri, Nigeria
| | - Bankole Bolajoko
- African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID), Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
| | - Bassirou Diarra
- University Clinical Research Center (UCRC), University of Sciences, Techniques and Technology of Bamako, Bamako, Mali
| | - Belinda L. Herring
- World Health Organization, Africa Region, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
| | | | - Bernard Lekana-Douki
- Centre Interdisciplinaires de Recherches Medicales de Franceville (CIRMF), Franceville, Gabon
- Département de Parasitologie-Mycologie Université des Sciences de la Santé (USS), Libreville, Gabon
| | - Bernard Mvula
- National HIV Reference Laboratory, Community Health Sciences Unit, Ministry of Health, Lilongwe, Malawi
| | | | | | - Bouh Abdi Khaireh
- National Medical and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Ministry of Health, Djibouti, Republic of Djibouti
- Africa CDC, Rapid Responder, Team Djibouti, Djibouti, Djibouti
| | - Bourema Kouriba
- Centre d’Infectiologie Charles Mérieux-Mali (CICM-Mali), Bamako, Mali
| | - Bright Adu
- Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana
| | - Brigitte Pool
- Seychelles Public Health Laboratory, Public Health Authority, Ministry of Health Seychelles, Victoria, Seychelles
| | - Bronwyn McInnis
- Cancer Biology Department, Virology and Immunology Unit, National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Cara Brook
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- Virology Unit, Institut Pasteur de Madagascar, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Carolyn Williamson
- Division of Medical Virology, Wellcome Centre for Infectious Diseases in Africa, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA), Durban, South Africa
- National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), Cape Town, South Africa
| | | | - Catherine Anscombe
- Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, Malawi
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK
| | | | - Cathrine Scheepers
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) of the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), Johannesburg, South Africa
- SAMRC Antibody Immunity Research Unit, School of Pathology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Chantal G. Akoua-Koffi
- CHU de Bouaké, Laboratoire/Unité de Diagnostic des Virus des Fièvres Hémorragiques et Virus Émergents, Bouaké, Côte d’Ivoire
- UFR Sciences Médicales, Universite Alassane Ouattara, Bouaké, Côte d’Ivoire
| | - Charles N. Agoti
- KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
- School of Public Health, Pwani University, Kilifi, Kenya
| | - Chastel M. Mapanguy
- Fondation Congolaise pour la Recherche Médicale, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
- Faculty of Science and Techniques, University Marien Ngouabi, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
| | | | - Chika K. Onwuamah
- Centre for Human Virology and Genomics, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria
| | - Chikwe Ihekweazu
- Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Abuja, Nigeria
| | - Christian N. Malaka
- Laboratoire des Arbovirus, Fièvres Hémorragiques virales, Virus Emergents et Zoonoses, Institut Pasteur de Bangui, Bangui, Central African Republic
| | | | - Chukwa Grace
- African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID), Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
| | - Chukwuma E. Omoruyi
- Medical Microbiology and Parasitology Department, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
- Biorepository Clinical Virology Laboratory, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Clotaire D. Rafaï
- Le Laboratoire National de Biologie Clinique et de Santé Publique (LNBCSP), Bangui, Central African Republic
| | - Collins M. Morang’a
- West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Cyril Erameh
- Institute of Lassa Fever Research and Control, Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua, Nigeria
| | - Daniel B. Lule
- MRC/UVRI and LSHTM Uganda Research Unit, Entebbe, Uganda
| | | | - Daniel Mukadi-Bamuleka
- Pathogen Sequencing Lab, Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB), Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Danny Park
- Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - David A. Rasmussen
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
- Bioinformatics Research Center, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | | | - David J. Nokes
- KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
- School of Life Sciences and Zeeman Institute for Systems Biology and Infectious Disease Epidemiology Research (SBIDER), University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | - Deogratius Ssemwanga
- MRC/UVRI and LSHTM Uganda Research Unit, Entebbe, Uganda
- Uganda Virus Research Institute, Entebbe, Uganda
| | - Derek Tshiabuila
- KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP), Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Dominic S. Y. Amuzu
- West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Dominique Goedhals
- PathCare Vermaak, Pretoria, South Africa and Division of Virology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
| | - Donald S. Grant
- Viral Haemorrhagic Fever Laboratory, Kenema Government Hospital, Kenema, Sierra Leone
- Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Freetown, Sierra Leone
- College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences, University of Sierra Leone, Freetown, Sierra Leone
| | | | - Dorcas Maruapula
- Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership and Botswana Harvard HIV Reference Laboratory, Gaborone, Botswana
| | - Dorcas W. Wanjohi
- Institute of Pathogen Genomics, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | | | - Eddy K. Lusamaki
- Pathogen Sequencing Lab, Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB), Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Université de Kinshasa (UNIKIN), Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- TransVIHMI, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Montpellier University, 34090, Montpellier, France
| | | | | | - Edith N. Ngabana
- Pathogen Sequencing Lab, Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB), Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Université de Kinshasa (UNIKIN), Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Edward O. Abworo
- International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Edward Otieno
- KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
| | - Edwin Shumba
- African Society for Laboratory Medicine, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Edwine Barasa
- KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
| | - El Bara Ahmed
- INRSP, Nouakchott, Mauritania
- Faculté de Médecine de Nouakchott, Nouakchott, Mauritani
| | - Elhadi A. Ahmed
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medical Laboratory Sciences, University of Gezira, Gezira, Sudan
| | - Emmanuel Lokilo
- Pathogen Sequencing Lab, Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB), Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | | | - Eromon Philomena
- African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID), Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
| | | | | | - Etilé A. Anoh
- CHU de Bouaké, Laboratoire/Unité de Diagnostic des Virus des Fièvres Hémorragiques et Virus Émergents, Bouaké, Côte d’Ivoire
| | - Eusebio Manuel
- Direcção Nacional da Saúde Pública, Ministério da Saúde, Luanda, Angola
| | | | - Fahn M. Taweh
- National Public Health Reference Laboratory–National Public Health Institute of Liberia, Monrovia, Liberia
| | - Fares Wasfi
- Laboratory of Clinical Virology, WHO Reference Laboratory for Poliomyelitis and Measles in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, Pasteur Institute of Tunis, University Tunis El Manar (UTM), Tunis 1002, Tunisia
| | - Fatma Abdelmoula
- Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Screening Processes, Centre of Biotechnology of Sfax, University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia
- Faculty of Pharmacy of Monastir, Monastir, Tunisia
| | | | - Fawzi Derrar
- National Influenza Centre, Institut Pasteur d’Algérie, Algiers, Algeria
| | - Fehintola V. Ajogbasile
- African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID), Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
| | - Florette Treurnicht
- Department of Virology, National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Folarin Onikepe
- African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID), Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
| | - Francine Ntoumi
- Fondation Congolaise pour la Recherche Médicale, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Francisca M. Muyembe
- Pathogen Sequencing Lab, Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB), Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Université de Kinshasa (UNIKIN), Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | | | - Fred A. Dratibi
- WHO Int Comoros, Moroni, Union of Comoros
- World Health Organization, Africa Region, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
| | - Fred-Akintunwa Iyanu
- African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID), Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
| | - Gabriel K. Mbunsu
- Université de Kinshasa (UNIKIN), Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | | | | | - George O. Akpede
- Institute of Lassa Fever Research and Control, Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua, Nigeria
| | - Gert U. van Zyl
- Division of Medical Virology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa
- National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Gordon A. Awandare
- West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Grace S. Kpeli
- UHAS COVID-19 Testing and Research Centre, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Health and Allied Sciences, PMB 31, Ho, Ghana
| | | | - Gugu P. Maphalala
- Ministry of Health, COVID-19 Testing Laboratory, Mbabane, Kingdom of Eswatini
| | | | - Hannah E. Omunakwe
- Satellite Molecular Laboratory, Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
| | - Harris Onywera
- Institute of Pathogen Genomics, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Haruka Abe
- Department of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Hela Karray
- CHU Habib Bourguiba, Laboratory of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine of Sfax, University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia
| | | | - Henda Triki
- Laboratory of Clinical Virology, WHO Reference Laboratory for Poliomyelitis and Measles in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, Pasteur Institute of Tunis, University Tunis El Manar (UTM), Tunis 1002, Tunisia
| | | | - Hesham Elgahzaly
- Faculty of Medicine Ain Shams Research Institute (MASRI), Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Hlanai Gumbo
- National Microbiology Reference Laboratory, Harare, Zimbabwe
| | - Hota Mathieu
- Doctoral School of Technical and Environmental Sciences, Department of Biology and Human Health, N’Djamena, Chad
| | - Hugo Kavunga-Membo
- Pathogen Sequencing Lab, Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB), Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Ibtihel Smeti
- Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Screening Processes, Centre of Biotechnology of Sfax, University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia
| | - Idowu B. Olawoye
- African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID), Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
| | - Ifedayo M. O. Adetifa
- Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Abuja, Nigeria
- Department of Infectious Diseases Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Ikponmwosa Odia
- Institute of Lassa Fever Research and Control, Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua, Nigeria
| | - Ilhem Boutiba Ben Boubaker
- Charles Nicolle Hospital, Laboratory of Microbiology, National Influenza Center, Tunis, Tunisia
- University of Tunis El Manar, Faculty of Medicine of Tunis, Research Laboratory LR99ES09, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Iluoreh Ahmed Mohammad
- African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID), Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
| | | | - Isatta Wurie
- College of Medicine and Allied Health Science, University of Sierra Leone, Freetown, Sierra Leone
| | | | | | - James Ayei
- National Public Health Laboratory, Ministry of Health, Juba, Republic of South Sudan
| | - Janaki Sonoo
- Virology/Molecular Biology Department, Central Health Laboratory, Victoria Hospital, Ministry of Health and Wellness, Port Louis, Mauritius
| | - Jean-Claude C. Makangara
- Pathogen Sequencing Lab, Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB), Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Université de Kinshasa (UNIKIN), Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Jean-Jacques M. Tamfum
- Pathogen Sequencing Lab, Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB), Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Université de Kinshasa (UNIKIN), Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Jean-Michel Heraud
- Virology Department, Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Dakar, Senegal
- Virology Unit, Institut Pasteur de Madagascar, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Jeffrey G. Shaffer
- Department of Biostatistics and Data Science, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Jennifer Giandhari
- KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP), Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | | | | | - Jessica N. Uwanibe
- African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID), Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
| | - Jinal N. Bhiman
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) of the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Jiro Yasuda
- Department of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Joana Morais
- Grupo de Investigação Microbiana e Imunológica, Instituto Nacional de Investigação em Saúde (National Institute for Health Research), Luanda, Angola
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Agostinho Neto, Luanda, Angola
| | | | - John D. Sandi
- Viral Haemorrhagic Fever Laboratory, Kenema Government Hospital, Kenema, Sierra Leone
- Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Freetown, Sierra Leone
| | - John Huddleston
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - John K. Odoom
- Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana
| | | | - John O. Gyapong
- UHAS COVID-19 Testing and Research Centre, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana
| | - John T. Kayiwa
- MRC/UVRI and LSHTM Uganda Research Unit, Entebbe, Uganda
| | - Johnson C. Okolie
- African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID), Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
| | - Joicymara S. Xavier
- Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI), School of Data Science and Computational Thinking, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
- Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Unaí, Brazil
| | - Jones Gyamfi
- UHAS COVID-19 Testing and Research Centre, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana
| | | | - Joseph H. K. Bonney
- Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana
| | - Joseph Nyandwi
- National Institute of Public Health, Bujumbura, Burundi
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Burundi, Bujumbura, Burundi
| | - Josie Everatt
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) of the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), Johannesburg, South Africa
| | | | - Joyce M. Ngoi
- West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | | | - Judith U. Oguzie
- African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID), Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
| | - Julia C. Andeko
- Centre Interdisciplinaires de Recherches Medicales de Franceville (CIRMF), Franceville, Gabon
| | | | | | | | - Katherine J. Siddle
- Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Kayode T. Adeyemi
- African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID), Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
| | - Kefentse A. Tumedi
- Botswana Institute for Technology Research and Innovation, Gaborone, Botswana
| | | | | | | | | | - Kwabena O. Duedu
- UHAS COVID-19 Testing and Research Centre, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Health and Allied Sciences, PMB 31, Ho, Ghana
| | - Lamia Fki-Berrajah
- CHU Habib Bourguiba, Laboratory of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine of Sfax, University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia
| | - Lavanya Singh
- KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP), Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Lenora M. Kepler
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
- Bioinformatics Research Center, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Leon Biscornet
- Seychelles Public Health Laboratory, Public Health Authority, Ministry of Health Seychelles, Victoria, Seychelles
| | | | | | - Luicer Olubayo
- Institute of Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine, Department of Integrative Biomedical Sciences, Computational Biology Division, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Lul Deng Ojok
- National Public Health Laboratory, Ministry of Health, Juba, Republic of South Sudan
| | - Lul Lojok Deng
- National Public Health Laboratory, Ministry of Health, Juba, Republic of South Sudan
| | | | - Lynn Tyers
- Division of Medical Virology, Wellcome Centre for Infectious Diseases in Africa, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Madisa Mine
- National Health Laboratory, Gaborone, Botswana
| | - Magalutcheemee Ramuth
- Virology/Molecular Biology Department, Central Health Laboratory, Victoria Hospital, Ministry of Health and Wellness, Port Louis, Mauritius
| | - Maha Mastouri
- Laboratory of Transmissible Diseases and Biologically Active Substances (LR99ES27), Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Monastir, Monastir, Tunisia
- Laboratory of Microbiology, University Hospital of Monastir, Monastir, Tunisia
| | - Mahmoud ElHefnawi
- Biomedical Informatics and Chemoinformatics Group, Informatics and Systems Department, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Maimouna Mbanne
- Virology Department, Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Dakar, Senegal
| | | | | | - Mamadou Diop
- Virology Department, Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Dakar, Senegal
| | - Mambu Momoh
- Viral Haemorrhagic Fever Laboratory, Kenema Government Hospital, Kenema, Sierra Leone
- Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Freetown, Sierra Leone
- Eastern Technical University of Sierra Leone, Kenema, Sierra Leone
| | | | - Marietjie Venter
- Zoonotic Arbo and Respiratory Virus Program, Centre for Viral Zoonoses, Department of Medical Virology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Marietou F. Paye
- Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Martin Faye
- Virology Department, Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Dakar, Senegal
| | - Martin M. Nyaga
- Next Generation Sequencing Unit and Division of Virology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
| | | | - Matoke-Muhia Damaris
- Centre for Biotechnology Research and Development, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
| | | | - Maximillian G. Mpina
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones de Baney, Baney, Equatorial Guinea
- Ifakara Health Insitute, Ifakara, Tanzania
| | - Michael Owusu
- Department of Medical Diagnostics, Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Michael R. Wiley
- University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), Omaha, NE, USA
- PraesensBio, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Mirabeau Y. Tatfeng
- Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Niger Delta University, Bayelsa State, Nigeria
| | | | - Mohamed Abouelhoda
- Systems and Biomedical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
- King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | | | - Mohamed G. Seadawy
- Biological Prevention Department, Ministry of Defence, Cairo, Egypt
- Faculty of Science, Fayoum University, Fayoum, Egypt
| | | | | | - Mouhamed Kane
- Virology Department, Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Dakar, Senegal
| | | | | | | | - Mushal Allam
- Department of Genetics and Genomics, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - My V. T. Phan
- MRC/UVRI and LSHTM Uganda Research Unit, Entebbe, Uganda
| | - Nabil Abid
- Laboratory of Transmissible Diseases and Biologically Active Substances (LR99ES27), Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Monastir, Monastir, Tunisia
- High Institute of Biotechnology of Monastir, University of Monastir, Rue Taher Haddad 5000, Monastir, Tunisia
| | - Nadine Rujeni
- Rwanda National Joint Task Force COVID-19, Rwanda Biomedical Centre, Ministry of Health, Kigali, Rwanda
- School of Health Sciences, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda
| | - Nadir Abuzaid
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Omdurman Islamic University, Sudan
| | - Nalia Ismael
- Instituto Nacional de Saúde (INS), Marracuene, Mozambique
| | | | | | - Ndongo Dia
- Virology Department, Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Dakar, Senegal
| | - Nédio Mabunda
- Instituto Nacional de Saúde (INS), Marracuene, Mozambique
| | - Nei-yuan Hsiao
- Division of Medical Virology, Wellcome Centre for Infectious Diseases in Africa, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), Cape Town, South Africa
| | | | - Ngiambudulu M. Francisco
- Grupo de Investigação Microbiana e Imunológica, Instituto Nacional de Investigação em Saúde (National Institute for Health Research), Luanda, Angola
| | - Ngonda Saasa
- Department of Disease Control, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia
| | - Nicholas Bbosa
- MRC/UVRI and LSHTM Uganda Research Unit, Entebbe, Uganda
| | | | - Nicksy Gumede
- World Health Organization, Africa Region, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
| | - Nicole Wolter
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) of the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Nikita Sitharam
- Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI), School of Data Science and Computational Thinking, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Nnaemeka Ndodo
- Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Abuja, Nigeria
| | - Nnennaya A. Ajayi
- Internal Medicine Department, Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, Nigeria
| | - Noël Tordo
- Institut Pasteur de Guinée, Conarky, Guinea
| | - Nokuzola Mbhele
- Division of Medical Virology, Wellcome Centre for Infectious Diseases in Africa, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | | | - Nosamiefan Iguosadolo
- African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID), Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
| | - Nwando Mba
- Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Abuja, Nigeria
| | - Ojide C. Kingsley
- Virology Laboratory, Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, Nigeria
| | - Okogbenin Sylvanus
- Institute of Lassa Fever Research and Control, Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua, Nigeria
| | - Oladiji Femi
- Department of Epidemiology and Community Health, Faculty of Clinical Sciences. College of Health Sciences. University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria
| | - Olubusuyi M. Adewumi
- Department of Virology, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
- Infectious Disease Institute, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Olumade Testimony
- African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID), Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
| | - Olusola A. Ogunsanya
- African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID), Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
| | - Oluwatosin Fakayode
- Department of Public Health, Ministry of Health, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria
| | - Onwe E. Ogah
- Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, Nigeria
| | - Ope-Ewe Oludayo
- African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID), Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
| | - Ousmane Faye
- Virology Department, Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Dakar, Senegal
| | | | - Pascale Ondoa
- African Society for Laboratory Medicine, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | | | - Patricia Nabisubi
- The African Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Data-Intensive Sciences, The Infectious Diseases Institute, Kampala, Uganda
- Immunology and Molecular Biology, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | | | - Paul E. Oluniyi
- African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID), Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
| | - Paulo Arnaldo
- Instituto Nacional de Saúde (INS), Marracuene, Mozambique
| | - Peter Kojo Quashie
- West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Peter O. Okokhere
- Institute of Lassa Fever Research and Control, Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua, Nigeria
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Clinical Sciences, College of Medicine, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State, Nigeria
| | - Philip Bejon
- KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
| | - Philippe Dussart
- Virology Unit, Institut Pasteur de Madagascar, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Phillip A. Bester
- Division of Virology, National Health Laboratory Service and University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
| | - Placide K. Mbala
- Pathogen Sequencing Lab, Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB), Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Université de Kinshasa (UNIKIN), Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Pontiano Kaleebu
- MRC/UVRI and LSHTM Uganda Research Unit, Entebbe, Uganda
- Uganda Virus Research Institute, Entebbe, Uganda
| | - Priscilla Abechi
- African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID), Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
| | - Rabeh El-Shesheny
- Center of Scientific Excellence for Influenza Viruses, National Research Centre (NRC), Cairo, Egypt
- Infectious Hazards Preparedness, World Health Organization, Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Rageema Joseph
- Division of Medical Virology, Wellcome Centre for Infectious Diseases in Africa, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Ramy Karam Aziz
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
- Microbiology and Immunology Research Program, Children’s Cancer Hospital Egypt, Cairo, Egypt
| | - René G. Essomba
- National Public Health Laboratory, Ministry of Public Health of Cameroon, Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Reuben Ayivor-Djanie
- West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
- UHAS COVID-19 Testing and Research Centre, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Health and Allied Sciences, PMB 31, Ho, Ghana
| | - Richard Njouom
- Virology Service, Centre Pasteur of Cameroun, Yaounde, Cameroon
| | - Richard O. Phillips
- Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Richmond Gorman
- Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | | | - Rosa Maria D. E. S. A. Neto Rodrigues
- Coordenadora da rede do Diagnóstico Tuberculose/HIV/COVID-19 na Instituição - Laboratório Nacional de Referência da Tuberculose em São Tomé e Príncipe, São Tomé, São Tomé and Principe
- Ponto focal para Melhoria da qualidade dos Laboratórios (SLIPTA) ao nível de São Tomé e Príncipe, São Tomé, São Tomé and Principe
| | - Rosemary A. Audu
- The Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria
| | - Rosina A. A. Carr
- UHAS COVID-19 Testing and Research Centre, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Health and Allied Sciences, PMB 31, Ho, Ghana
| | - Saba Gargouri
- CHU Habib Bourguiba, Laboratory of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine of Sfax, University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia
| | - Saber Masmoudi
- Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Screening Processes, Centre of Biotechnology of Sfax, University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia
| | | | - Safietou Sankhe
- Virology Department, Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Dakar, Senegal
| | | | - Saibu Femi
- African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID), Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
| | - Salma Mhalla
- University of Tunis El Manar, Faculty of Medicine of Tunis, Research Laboratory LR99ES09, Tunis, Tunisia
- Faculty of Medicine of Monastir, University of Monastir, Monastir, Tunisia
| | - Salome Hosch
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Samar Kamal Kassim
- Faculty of Medicine Ain Shams Research Institute (MASRI), Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Samar Metha
- Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Sameh Trabelsi
- Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology Lab, LR16SP02, National Center of Pharmacovigilance, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Sara Hassan Agwa
- Faculty of Medicine Ain Shams Research Institute (MASRI), Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Sarah Wambui Mwangi
- Institute of Pathogen Genomics, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Seydou Doumbia
- University Clinical Research Center (UCRC), University of Sciences, Techniques and Technology of Bamako, Bamako, Mali
| | - Sheila Makiala-Mandanda
- Pathogen Sequencing Lab, Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB), Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Université de Kinshasa (UNIKIN), Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Sherihane Aryeetey
- Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | | | | | - Siham Elhamoumi
- Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Sikhulile Moyo
- Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership and Botswana Harvard HIV Reference Laboratory, Gaborone, Botswana
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Silvia Lutucuta
- Grupo de Investigação Microbiana e Imunológica, Instituto Nacional de Investigação em Saúde (National Institute for Health Research), Luanda, Angola
| | - Simani Gaseitsiwe
- Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership and Botswana Harvard HIV Reference Laboratory, Gaborone, Botswana
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Simbirie Jalloh
- Viral Haemorrhagic Fever Laboratory, Kenema Government Hospital, Kenema, Sierra Leone
- Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Freetown, Sierra Leone
| | | | - Sobajo Oguntope
- African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID), Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
| | | | - Sonia Lekana-Douki
- Centre Interdisciplinaires de Recherches Medicales de Franceville (CIRMF), Franceville, Gabon
| | | | - Soumeya Ouangraoua
- Centre MURAZ, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
- National Institute of Public Health of Burkina Faso (INSP/BF), Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
| | - Stephanie van Wyk
- Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI), School of Data Science and Computational Thinking, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Stephen F. Schaffner
- Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Stephen Kanyerezi
- The African Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Data-Intensive Sciences, The Infectious Diseases Institute, Kampala, Uganda
- Immunology and Molecular Biology, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Steve Ahuka-Mundeke
- Pathogen Sequencing Lab, Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB), Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Université de Kinshasa (UNIKIN), Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | | | - Sureshnee Pillay
- KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP), Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Susan Nabadda
- Central Public Health Laboratories (CPHL), Kampala, Uganda
| | - Sylvie Behillil
- National Reference Center for Respiratory Viruses, Molecular Genetics of RNA Viruses, UMR 3569 CNRS, Université Paris Cité, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | | | - Sylvie van der Werf
- National Reference Center for Respiratory Viruses, Molecular Genetics of RNA Viruses, UMR 3569 CNRS, Université Paris Cité, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Tapfumanei Mashe
- National Microbiology Reference Laboratory, Harare, Zimbabwe
- World Health Organization, Harare, Zimbabwe
| | - Thabo Mohale
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) of the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), Johannesburg, South Africa
| | | | - Thirumalaisamy P. Velavan
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Vietnamese-German Center for Medical Research, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Tobias Schindler
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones de Baney, Baney, Equatorial Guinea
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Tongai G. Maponga
- Division of Medical Virology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Trevor Bedford
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Ugochukwu J. Anyaneji
- KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP), Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Ugwu Chinedu
- African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID), Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
| | - Upasana Ramphal
- KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP), Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
- Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA), Durban, South Africa
- Sub-Saharan African Network For TB/HIV Research Excellence (SANTHE), Durban, South Africa
| | - Uwem E. George
- African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID), Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
| | - Vincent Enouf
- National Reference Center for Respiratory Viruses, Molecular Genetics of RNA Viruses, UMR 3569 CNRS, Université Paris Cité, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Vishvanath Nene
- International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Vivianne Gorova
- World Health Organization, WHO Lesotho, Maseru, Lesotho
- Med24 Medical Centre, Ruwa, Zimbabwe
| | | | - Wasim Abdul Karim
- Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI), School of Data Science and Computational Thinking, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - William K. Ampofo
- Department of Virology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana
| | - Wolfgang Preiser
- Division of Medical Virology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa
- National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Wonderful T. Choga
- Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership and Botswana Harvard HIV Reference Laboratory, Gaborone, Botswana
- Division of Human Genetics, Department of Pathology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Yahaya Ali Ahmed
- World Health Organization, Africa Region, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
| | - Yajna Ramphal
- Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI), School of Data Science and Computational Thinking, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Yaw Bediako
- West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
- Yemaachi Biotech, Accra, Ghana
| | - Yeshnee Naidoo
- KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP), Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Yvan Butera
- Rwanda National Joint Task Force COVID-19, Rwanda Biomedical Centre, Ministry of Health, Kigali, Rwanda
- Center for Human Genetics, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda
- Laboratory of Human Genetics, GIGA Research Institute, Liège, Belgium
| | | | - Africa Pathogen Genomics Initiative (Africa PGI)
- Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI), School of Data Science and Computational Thinking, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
- KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP), Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
- MRC/UVRI and LSHTM Uganda Research Unit, Entebbe, Uganda
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK
- The Biotechnology Centre of the University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon
- CDC Foundation, Atlanta, Georgia, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Lincoln, NE, USA
- Institute of Pathogen Genomics, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Institute of Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine, Department of Integrative Biomedical Sciences, Computational Biology Division, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Division of Medical Virology, Wellcome Centre for Infectious Diseases in Africa, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA), Durban, South Africa
- KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
- Virology Department, Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Dakar, Senegal
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) of the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Health Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Department of Microbial, Cellular and Molecular Biology, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Cancer Biology Department, Virology and Immunology Unit, National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
- World Health Organization, Africa Region, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
- Centre d’Infectiologie Charles Mérieux-Mali (CICM-Mali), Bamako, Mali
- Bacteriology and Virology Department Souro Sanou University Hospital, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
- West African Health Organisation, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Kassala University, Kassala City, Sudan
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medical Laboratory Sciences, University of Gezira, Gezira, Sudan
- General Administration of Laboratories and Blood Banks, Ministry of Health, Kassala State, Sudan
- MRC Unit The Gambia at LSHTM, Fajara, Gambia
- National Public Health Laboratory, Ministry of Health, Juba, Republic of South Sudan
- Libyan Biotechnology Research Center, Tripoli, Libya
- Center for Medical and Sanitary Research (CERMES), Niamey, Niger
- The Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria
- Laboratoire de la Caisse Nationale de Sécurité Sociale, Djibouti, Republic of Djibouti
- Department of Virology, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
- Infectious Disease Institute, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
- Medical Microbiology and Parasitology Department, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
- Biorepository Clinical Virology Laboratory, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Basic Clinical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria
- The Pirbright Institute, Woking, UK
- Pathogen Sequencing Lab, Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB), Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Université de Kinshasa (UNIKIN), Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- National Microbiology Reference Laboratory, Harare, Zimbabwe
- Center of Scientific Excellence for Influenza Viruses, National Research Centre (NRC), Cairo, Egypt
- Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Screening Processes, Centre of Biotechnology of Sfax, University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia
- Genomics and Epigenomics Program, Research Department CCHE57357, Cairo, Egypt
- African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID), Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular Jean Piaget, Bissau, Guinea-Bissau
- University Jean Piaget in Guinea-Bissau, Bissau, Guinea-Bissau
- SAMRC Bioinformatics Unit, SA Bioinformatics Institute, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa
- Quadram Institute Bioscience, Norwich, UK
- Central Public Health Reference Laboratories, Freetown, Sierra Leone
- Centre de Recherche et de Formation en Infectiologie de Guinée (CERFIG), Université de Conakry, Conakry, Guinea
- TransVIHMI, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Montpellier University, 34090, Montpellier, France
- University Clinical Research Center (UCRC), University of Sciences, Techniques and Technology of Bamako, Bamako, Mali
- Sharjah Institute for Medical Research, College of Medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
- Central Public Health Laboratories (CPHL), Cairo, Egypt
- National Institute of Public Health, Bujumbura, Burundi
- Laboratoire des Fièvres Hémorragiques Virales du Benin, Cotonou, Benin
- Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Laboratory of Clinical Virology, WHO Reference Laboratory for Poliomyelitis and Measles in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, Pasteur Institute of Tunis, University Tunis El Manar (UTM), Tunis 1002, Tunisia
- Research Laboratory “Virus, Vectors and Hosts: One Health Apporach and Technological Innovation for a Better Health”, LR20IPT02, Pasteur Institute, Tunis 1002, Tunisia
- Fondation Congolaise pour la Recherche Médicale, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
- Marien Ngouabi, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
- Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Department of Theoretical and Applied Biology, Kumasi, Ghana
- Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
- Viral Haemorrhagic Fever Laboratory, Kenema Government Hospital, Kenema, Sierra Leone
- Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Freetown, Sierra Leone
- Department of Immunology, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, P.M.B. 1414, Maiduguri, Nigeria
- Department of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Medical Sciences, University of Maiduguri, P.M.B. 1069, Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria
- Centre Interdisciplinaires de Recherches Medicales de Franceville (CIRMF), Franceville, Gabon
- Département de Parasitologie-Mycologie Université des Sciences de la Santé (USS), Libreville, Gabon
- National HIV Reference Laboratory, Community Health Sciences Unit, Ministry of Health, Lilongwe, Malawi
- African Society for Laboratory Medicine, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- National Medical and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Ministry of Health, Djibouti, Republic of Djibouti
- Africa CDC, Rapid Responder, Team Djibouti, Djibouti, Djibouti
- Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana
- Seychelles Public Health Laboratory, Public Health Authority, Ministry of Health Seychelles, Victoria, Seychelles
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- Virology Unit, Institut Pasteur de Madagascar, Antananarivo, Madagascar
- National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), Cape Town, South Africa
- Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, Malawi
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK
- University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), Omaha, NE, USA
- SAMRC Antibody Immunity Research Unit, School of Pathology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- CHU de Bouaké, Laboratoire/Unité de Diagnostic des Virus des Fièvres Hémorragiques et Virus Émergents, Bouaké, Côte d’Ivoire
- UFR Sciences Médicales, Universite Alassane Ouattara, Bouaké, Côte d’Ivoire
- School of Public Health, Pwani University, Kilifi, Kenya
- Faculty of Science and Techniques, University Marien Ngouabi, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
- Centre for Human Virology and Genomics, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria
- Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Abuja, Nigeria
- Laboratoire des Arbovirus, Fièvres Hémorragiques virales, Virus Emergents et Zoonoses, Institut Pasteur de Bangui, Bangui, Central African Republic
- Le Laboratoire National de Biologie Clinique et de Santé Publique (LNBCSP), Bangui, Central African Republic
- West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
- Institute of Lassa Fever Research and Control, Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua, Nigeria
- PATH, Lusaka, Zambia
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
- Bioinformatics Research Center, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
- School of Life Sciences and Zeeman Institute for Systems Biology and Infectious Disease Epidemiology Research (SBIDER), University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
- Uganda Virus Research Institute, Entebbe, Uganda
- PathCare Vermaak, Pretoria, South Africa and Division of Virology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
- College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences, University of Sierra Leone, Freetown, Sierra Leone
- Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership and Botswana Harvard HIV Reference Laboratory, Gaborone, Botswana
- Macha Research Trust, Choma, Zambia
- International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Nairobi, Kenya
- INRSP, Nouakchott, Mauritania
- Faculté de Médecine de Nouakchott, Nouakchott, Mauritani
- Rwanda National Reference Laboratory, Kigali, Rwanda
- Robert Koch-Institute, Berlin, Germany
- G5 Evolutionary Genomics of RNA Viruses, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
- Direcção Nacional da Saúde Pública, Ministério da Saúde, Luanda, Angola
- National Public Health Reference Laboratory–National Public Health Institute of Liberia, Monrovia, Liberia
- Faculty of Pharmacy of Monastir, Monastir, Tunisia
- National Influenza Centre, Institut Pasteur d’Algérie, Algiers, Algeria
- Department of Virology, National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Ministère de Santé Publique et de la Solidarité Nationale, Ndjamena, Chad
- WHO Int Comoros, Moroni, Union of Comoros
- World Health Organization, Africa Region, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
- Division of Medical Virology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa
- National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa
- UHAS COVID-19 Testing and Research Centre, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Health and Allied Sciences, PMB 31, Ho, Ghana
- Ministry of Health, COVID-19 Testing Laboratory, Mbabane, Kingdom of Eswatini
- Satellite Molecular Laboratory, Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
- Department of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
- CHU Habib Bourguiba, Laboratory of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine of Sfax, University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia
- Central Public Health Laboratories (CPHL), Kampala, Uganda
- Institut Pasteur de Côte d’Ivoire, Departement des Virus Epidemiques, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
- Faculty of Medicine Ain Shams Research Institute (MASRI), Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
- Doctoral School of Technical and Environmental Sciences, Department of Biology and Human Health, N’Djamena, Chad
- Department of Infectious Diseases Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
- Charles Nicolle Hospital, Laboratory of Microbiology, National Influenza Center, Tunis, Tunisia
- University of Tunis El Manar, Faculty of Medicine of Tunis, Research Laboratory LR99ES09, Tunis, Tunisia
- College of Medicine and Allied Health Science, University of Sierra Leone, Freetown, Sierra Leone
- Namibia Institute of Pathology, Windhoek, Namibia
- National Institute of Hygiene, Lomé, Togo
- Virology/Molecular Biology Department, Central Health Laboratory, Victoria Hospital, Ministry of Health and Wellness, Port Louis, Mauritius
- Department of Biostatistics and Data Science, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
- WHO Burundi, Gitega, Burundi
- Grupo de Investigação Microbiana e Imunológica, Instituto Nacional de Investigação em Saúde (National Institute for Health Research), Luanda, Angola
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Agostinho Neto, Luanda, Angola
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
- Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Unaí, Brazil
- WHO South Sudan, Juba, South Sudan
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Burundi, Bujumbura, Burundi
- Pasteur Network, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
- Botswana Institute for Technology Research and Innovation, Gaborone, Botswana
- Instituto Nacional de Saúde Pública, Praia, Cape Verde
- Zambia National Public Health Institute, Lusaka, Zambia
- Public Health Institute of Malawi, Lilongwe, Malawi
- National Health Laboratory, Gaborone, Botswana
- Laboratory of Transmissible Diseases and Biologically Active Substances (LR99ES27), Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Monastir, Monastir, Tunisia
- Laboratory of Microbiology, University Hospital of Monastir, Monastir, Tunisia
- Biomedical Informatics and Chemoinformatics Group, Informatics and Systems Department, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt
- Ministry of Health and Wellness, Gaborone, Botswana
- Eastern Technical University of Sierra Leone, Kenema, Sierra Leone
- Zoonotic Arbo and Respiratory Virus Program, Centre for Viral Zoonoses, Department of Medical Virology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
- Next Generation Sequencing Unit and Division of Virology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
- National Reference Laboratory Lesotho, Maseru, Lesotho
- Centre for Biotechnology Research and Development, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones de Baney, Baney, Equatorial Guinea
- Ifakara Health Insitute, Ifakara, Tanzania
- Department of Medical Diagnostics, Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
- PraesensBio, Lincoln, NE, USA
- Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Niger Delta University, Bayelsa State, Nigeria
- Systems and Biomedical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
- King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- Biological Prevention Department, Ministry of Defence, Cairo, Egypt
- Faculty of Science, Fayoum University, Fayoum, Egypt
- Molecular Pathology Lab, Children’s Cancer Hospital, Cairo, Egypt
- Laboratoire Biolim FSS/Université de Lomé, Lomé, Togo
- Department of Genetics and Genomics, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- High Institute of Biotechnology of Monastir, University of Monastir, Rue Taher Haddad 5000, Monastir, Tunisia
- Rwanda National Joint Task Force COVID-19, Rwanda Biomedical Centre, Ministry of Health, Kigali, Rwanda
- School of Health Sciences, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Omdurman Islamic University, Sudan
- Instituto Nacional de Saúde (INS), Marracuene, Mozambique
- Department of Disease Control, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia
- Internal Medicine Department, Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, Nigeria
- Institut Pasteur de Guinée, Conarky, Guinea
- Virology Laboratory, Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, Nigeria
- Department of Epidemiology and Community Health, Faculty of Clinical Sciences. College of Health Sciences. University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria
- Department of Public Health, Ministry of Health, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria
- Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, Nigeria
- Mayotte Hospital Center, Mayotte, France
- The African Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Data-Intensive Sciences, The Infectious Diseases Institute, Kampala, Uganda
- Immunology and Molecular Biology, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Clinical Sciences, College of Medicine, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State, Nigeria
- Division of Virology, National Health Laboratory Service and University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
- Infectious Hazards Preparedness, World Health Organization, Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office, Cairo, Egypt
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
- Microbiology and Immunology Research Program, Children’s Cancer Hospital Egypt, Cairo, Egypt
- National Public Health Laboratory, Ministry of Public Health of Cameroon, Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé, Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Virology Service, Centre Pasteur of Cameroun, Yaounde, Cameroon
- Coordenadora da rede do Diagnóstico Tuberculose/HIV/COVID-19 na Instituição - Laboratório Nacional de Referência da Tuberculose em São Tomé e Príncipe, São Tomé, São Tomé and Principe
- Ponto focal para Melhoria da qualidade dos Laboratórios (SLIPTA) ao nível de São Tomé e Príncipe, São Tomé, São Tomé and Principe
- National Public Health Reference Laboratory (NPHRL), Mogadishu, Somalia
- Faculty of Medicine of Monastir, University of Monastir, Monastir, Tunisia
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology Lab, LR16SP02, National Center of Pharmacovigilance, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Centre MURAZ, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
- National Institute of Public Health of Burkina Faso (INSP/BF), Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
- National Reference Center for Respiratory Viruses, Molecular Genetics of RNA Viruses, UMR 3569 CNRS, Université Paris Cité, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
- World Health Organization, Harare, Zimbabwe
- Vietnamese-German Center for Medical Research, Hanoi, Vietnam
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Sub-Saharan African Network For TB/HIV Research Excellence (SANTHE), Durban, South Africa
- World Health Organization, WHO Lesotho, Maseru, Lesotho
- Med24 Medical Centre, Ruwa, Zimbabwe
- Department of Virology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana
- Division of Human Genetics, Department of Pathology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Yemaachi Biotech, Accra, Ghana
- Center for Human Genetics, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda
- Laboratory of Human Genetics, GIGA Research Institute, Liège, Belgium
- Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Pwani University, Kilifi, Kenya
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Ahmed E. O. Ouma
- Institute of Pathogen Genomics, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Anne von Gottberg
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) of the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - George Githinji
- KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
- Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Pwani University, Kilifi, Kenya
| | - Matshidiso Moeti
- World Health Organization, Africa Region, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
| | - Oyewale Tomori
- African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID), Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
| | - Pardis C. Sabeti
- Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Amadou A. Sall
- Virology Department, Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Dakar, Senegal
| | - Samuel O. Oyola
- International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Yenew K. Tebeje
- Institute of Pathogen Genomics, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Sofonias K. Tessema
- Institute of Pathogen Genomics, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Tulio de Oliveira
- Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI), School of Data Science and Computational Thinking, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
- KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP), Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
- Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA), Durban, South Africa
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Christian Happi
- African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID), Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
| | - Richard Lessells
- KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP), Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - John Nkengasong
- Institute of Pathogen Genomics, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Eduan Wilkinson
- Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI), School of Data Science and Computational Thinking, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
- KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP), Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
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COVID-19 Whole-Genome Resequencing with Redundant Tiling PCR and Subtract-Based Amplicon Normalization Successfully Characterized SARS-CoV-2 Variants in Clinical Specimens. Interdiscip Perspect Infect Dis 2022; 2022:2109641. [PMID: 36212105 PMCID: PMC9534710 DOI: 10.1155/2022/2109641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
With an increasing number of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequences gathered worldwide, we recognize that deletion mutants and nucleotide substitutions that may affect whole-genome sequencing are accumulating. Here, we propose an additional strategy for tiling PCR for whole-genome resequencing, which can make the pipeline robust for mutations at the primer annealing site by a redundant amplicon scheme. We further demonstrated that subtracting overrepresented amplicons from the multiplex PCR products reduced the bias of the next-generation sequencing (NGS) library, resulting in decreasing required sequencing reads per sample. We applied this sequencing strategy to clinical specimens collected in Bangladesh. More than 80% out of the 304 samples were successfully sequenced. Less than 5% were ambiguous nucleotides, and several known variants were detected. With the additional strategies presented here, we believe that whole-genome resequencing of SARS-CoV-2 from clinical samples can be optimized.
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Alhamid G, Tombuloglu H, Rabaan AA, Al-Suhaimi E. SARS-CoV-2 detection methods: A comprehensive review. Saudi J Biol Sci 2022; 29:103465. [PMID: 36186678 PMCID: PMC9512523 DOI: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2022.103465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2022] [Revised: 08/28/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The ongoing novel COVID-19 has remained the center of attention, since its declaration as a pandemic in March 2020, due to its rapid and uncontrollable worldwide spread. Diagnostic tests are the first line of defense against the transmission of this infectious disease among individuals, with reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) being the approved gold standard for showing high sensitivity and specificity in detecting SARS-CoV-2. However, alternative tests are being invested due to the global demand for facilities, reagents, and healthcare workers needed for rapid population-based testing. Also, the rapid evolution of the viral genome and the emergence of new variants necessitates updating the existing methods. Scientists are aiming to improve tests to be affordable, simple, fast, and at the same time accurate, and efficient, as well as friendly user testing. The current diagnostic methods are either molecular-based that detect nucleic acids abundance, like RT-qPCR and reverse-transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP); or immunologically based that detect the presence of antigens or antibodies in patients’ specimens, like enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), lateral flow assay (LFA), chemiluminescent immunoassay (CLIA), and neutralization assay. In addition to these strategies, sensor-based or CRISPR applications are promising tools for the rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2. This review summarizes the most recent updates on the SARS-CoV-2 detection methods with their limitations. It will guide researchers, epidemiologists, and clinicians in identifying a more rapid, reliable, and sensitive method of diagnosing SARS-CoV-2 including the most recent variant of concern Omicron.
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Affiliation(s)
- Galyah Alhamid
- Department of Genetics Research, Institute for Research and Medical Consultations (IRMC), Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P.O. Box 1982, Dammam, 31441, Saudi Arabia.,Biotechnology Master Program, Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal University, Saudi Arabia
| | - Huseyin Tombuloglu
- Department of Genetics Research, Institute for Research and Medical Consultations (IRMC), Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P.O. Box 1982, Dammam, 31441, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ali A Rabaan
- Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ebtesam Al-Suhaimi
- Department of Biology, College of Science and Institute of Research and Medical Consultations (IRMC), Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, 31441, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
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46
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Berno G, Fabeni L, Matusali G, Gruber CEM, Rueca M, Giombini E, Garbuglia AR. SARS-CoV-2 Variants Identification: Overview of Molecular Existing Methods. Pathogens 2022; 11:1058. [PMID: 36145490 PMCID: PMC9504725 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11091058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Revised: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Since the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic the Real Time sharing of genome sequences of circulating virus supported the diagnostics and surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 and its transmission dynamics. SARS-CoV-2 straightaway showed its tendency to mutate and adapt to the host, culminating in the emergence of variants; so it immediately became of crucial importance to be able to detect them quickly but also to be able to monitor in depth the changes on the whole genome to early identify the new possibly emerging variants. In this scenario, this manuscript aims to provide an overview of the existing methods for the identification of SARS-CoV-2 variants (from rapid method based on identification of one or more specific mutations to Whole Genome sequencing approach-WGS), taking into account limitations, advantages and applications of them in the field of diagnosis and surveillance of SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Anna Rosa Garbuglia
- Laboratory of Virology, National Institute for Infectious Diseases “Lazzaro Spallanzani” (IRCCS), 00149 Rome, Italy
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Gorzalski AJ, Boyles C, Sepcic V, Verma S, Sevinsky J, Libuit K, Van Hooser S, Pandori MW. Rapid repeat infection of SARS-CoV-2 by two highly distinct delta-lineage viruses. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis 2022; 104:115747. [PMID: 35843112 PMCID: PMC9217632 DOI: 10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2022.115747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Revised: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
An instance of sequential infection of an individual with, firstly, the Delta variant and secondly a Delta-sub-lineage has been identified. The individual was found positive for the AY.26 lineage 22 days after being found positive for the Delta [B.1.617.2] variant. The viruses associated with the cases showed dramatic genomic difference, including 31 changes that resulted in deletions or amino acid substitutions. Seven of these differences were observed in the Spike protein. The patient in question was between 30 and 35 years old and had no underlying health conditions. Though singular, this case illustrates the possibility that infection with the Delta variant may not itself be fully protective against a population of SARS-CoV-2 variants that are becoming increasingly diverse.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Victoria Sepcic
- Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Public and Behavioral Health, Carson City, NV, USA
| | - Subhash Verma
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Nevada, School of Medicine, Reno, NV, USA
| | | | | | | | - Mark W Pandori
- Nevada State Public Health Laboratory, Reno, NV, USA; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Nevada, School of Medicine, Reno, NV, USA.
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48
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The SARS-CoV-2 Variants and their Impacts. JOURNAL OF PURE AND APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.22207/jpam.16.3.45] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Since the first detection of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus remains a public health concern. Several public health measures have been implemented in an effort to curb the infections. However, the effectiveness of these strategies was threatened with the emergence of numerous SARS-CoV-2 variants in all parts of the globe, due to the persistent mutations as part of the viral evolution. Mutations that usually occur in its spike glycoprotein, allow SARS-CoV-2 to possess advantageous characteristics for its survivability and persistence. This has led to poor performance of diagnostic kits which have caused non-specific and insensitive detection of these variants, resulting in undetermined infection. The variants also have caused the increased severity of COVID-19, involving hospitalisation rates, ICU admissions, and deaths. Many have reported the vaccine-breakthrough infections and reduced effectiveness of vaccination, which is supposed to provide an effective degree of protection against COVID-19 infections. Due to these issues, this review summarises the impacts related to SARS-CoV-2 variants emergence towards the performance of diagnostic kits, transmissibility of the virus, severity of disease, and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines.
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49
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Alhamid G, Tombuloglu H. Perspective Chapter: Recent Progressions on the Colorimetric Diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 by Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) Assay. Infect Dis (Lond) 2022. [DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.105911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022] Open
Abstract
A simple, fast, and accurate diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 is of great importance for the patient’s isolation, treatment, and the control of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although RT-qPCR is accepted as the gold standard, studies to improve fast, simple, and more reliable diagnostic methods are continuing. Colorimetric reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) is a method that allows visual detection of SARS-CoV-2 without needing expensive fluorescence readers. However, the performance of the assay depends on some factors, such as selection of a target gene (i.e., N, RdRp, S, E, M), primer design, the dye used for visual observation—neutral red, calcein, cresol red, or phenol red—and the reaction conditions such as the buffer pH, reaction temperature, and enzyme concentration. In the last 2 years, plenty of research has been conducted to obtain the best performance. In this chapter, the recent progressions on colorimetric RT-LAMP assay for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 are comprehensively elucidated.
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50
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Ortega MA, García-Montero C, Fraile-Martinez O, Colet P, Baizhaxynova A, Mukhtarova K, Alvarez-Mon M, Kanatova K, Asúnsolo A, Sarría-Santamera A. Recapping the Features of SARS-CoV-2 and Its Main Variants: Status and Future Paths. J Pers Med 2022; 12:995. [PMID: 35743779 PMCID: PMC9225183 DOI: 10.3390/jpm12060995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2022] [Revised: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Over the two years that we have been experiencing the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, our challenges have been the race to develop vaccines and the difficulties in fighting against new variants due to the rapid ability of the virus to evolve. In this sense, different organizations have identified and classified the different variants that have been emerging, distinguishing between variants of concern (VOC), variants of interest (VOI), or variants under monitoring (VUM). The following review aims to describe the latest updates focusing on VOC and already de-escalated variants, as well as to describe the impact these have had on the global situation. Understanding the intrinsic properties of SARS-CoV-2 and its interaction with the immune system and vaccination is essential to make out the underlying mechanisms that have led to the appearance of these variants, helping to determine the next steps for better public management of this pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel A. Ortega
- Department of Medicine and Medical Specialities, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcalá, 28801 Alcala de Henares, Spain; (M.A.O.); (C.G.-M.); (O.F.-M.); (M.A.-M.)
- Ramón y Cajal Institute of Sanitary Research (IRYCIS), 28034 Madrid, Spain
| | - Cielo García-Montero
- Department of Medicine and Medical Specialities, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcalá, 28801 Alcala de Henares, Spain; (M.A.O.); (C.G.-M.); (O.F.-M.); (M.A.-M.)
- Ramón y Cajal Institute of Sanitary Research (IRYCIS), 28034 Madrid, Spain
| | - Oscar Fraile-Martinez
- Department of Medicine and Medical Specialities, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcalá, 28801 Alcala de Henares, Spain; (M.A.O.); (C.G.-M.); (O.F.-M.); (M.A.-M.)
- Ramón y Cajal Institute of Sanitary Research (IRYCIS), 28034 Madrid, Spain
| | - Paolo Colet
- Department of Medicine, Nazarbayev University School of Medicine, Nur-Sultan 010000, Kazakhstan; (P.C.); (A.B.); (K.M.); (K.K.)
| | - Ardak Baizhaxynova
- Department of Medicine, Nazarbayev University School of Medicine, Nur-Sultan 010000, Kazakhstan; (P.C.); (A.B.); (K.M.); (K.K.)
| | - Kymbat Mukhtarova
- Department of Medicine, Nazarbayev University School of Medicine, Nur-Sultan 010000, Kazakhstan; (P.C.); (A.B.); (K.M.); (K.K.)
| | - Melchor Alvarez-Mon
- Department of Medicine and Medical Specialities, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcalá, 28801 Alcala de Henares, Spain; (M.A.O.); (C.G.-M.); (O.F.-M.); (M.A.-M.)
- Ramón y Cajal Institute of Sanitary Research (IRYCIS), 28034 Madrid, Spain
- Immune System Diseases-Rheumatology, Oncology Service an Internal Medicine (CIBEREHD), University Hospital Príncipe de Asturias, 28806 Alcala de Henares, Spain
| | - Kaznagul Kanatova
- Department of Medicine, Nazarbayev University School of Medicine, Nur-Sultan 010000, Kazakhstan; (P.C.); (A.B.); (K.M.); (K.K.)
| | - Angel Asúnsolo
- Ramón y Cajal Institute of Sanitary Research (IRYCIS), 28034 Madrid, Spain
- Department of Surgery, Medical and Social Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcalá, 28801 Alcala de Henares, Spain
| | - Antonio Sarría-Santamera
- Department of Medicine, Nazarbayev University School of Medicine, Nur-Sultan 010000, Kazakhstan; (P.C.); (A.B.); (K.M.); (K.K.)
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