| Autor: |
Moros ZC; Laboratorio de Virología Celular, Centro de Microbiología y Biología Celular, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas, Caracas 1020, Venezuela., Zambrano JL; Laboratorio de Virología Celular, Centro de Microbiología y Biología Celular, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas, Caracas 1020, Venezuela., Sulbaran Y; Laboratorio de Virología Molecular, Centro de Microbiología y Biología Celular, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas, Caracas 1020, Venezuela., Loureiro CL; Laboratorio de Virología Molecular, Centro de Microbiología y Biología Celular, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas, Caracas 1020, Venezuela., Marulanda E; Laboratorio de Biología Molecular CasaLab 2020, Caracas 1052, Venezuela., Bracho F; Laboratorio de Biología Molecular CasaLab 2020, Caracas 1052, Venezuela., D'Angelo P; Dirección de Diagnóstico y Vigilancia Epidemiológica, Instituto Nacional de Higiene 'Rafael Rangel', Caracas 1053, Venezuela., Rodríguez L; Dirección de Diagnóstico y Vigilancia Epidemiológica, Instituto Nacional de Higiene 'Rafael Rangel', Caracas 1053, Venezuela., Liprandi F; Laboratorio de Biología de Virus, Centro de Microbiología y Biología Celular, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas, Caracas 1020, Venezuela., Rangel HR; Laboratorio de Virología Molecular, Centro de Microbiología y Biología Celular, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas, Caracas 1020, Venezuela., Jaspe RC; Laboratorio de Virología Molecular, Centro de Microbiología y Biología Celular, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas, Caracas 1020, Venezuela., Pujol FH; Laboratorio de Virología Molecular, Centro de Microbiología y Biología Celular, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas, Caracas 1020, Venezuela. |
| Abstrakt: |
The emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Concern (VOC), Omicron, has been characterized by an explosive number of cases in almost every part of the world. The dissemination of different sub-lineages and recombinant genomes also led to several posterior waves in many countries. The circulation of this VOC and its major sub-lineages (BA.1 to BA.5) was monitored in community cases and in international travelers returning to Venezuela by a rapid partial sequencing method. The specific sub-lineage assignment was performed by complete genome sequencing. Epidemic waves of SARS-CoV-2 cases were observed among international travelers during 2022, a situation not seen before December 2021. The succession of the Omicron VOC sub-lineages BA.1 to BA.5 occurred sequentially, except for BA.3, which was almost not detected. However, the sub-lineages generally circulated two months earlier in international travelers than in community cases. The diversity of Omicron sub-lineages found in international travelers was related to the one found in the USA, consistent with the most frequent destination of international travel from Venezuela this year. These differences are compatible with the delay observed sometimes in Latin American countries in the circulation of the different lineages of the Omicron VOC. Once the sub-lineages were introduced in the country, community transmission was responsible for generating a characteristic distribution of them, with a predominance of sub-lineages not necessarily similar to the one observed in travelers or neighboring countries. |
