| Autor: |
Lado S; Division of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Department of Medicine 1, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria., Thannesberger J; Division of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Department of Medicine 1, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria., Spettel K; 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., Arpović J; Department of Medical Biology, School of Medicine, University of Mostar, Bijeli Brijeg b.b., 88000 Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina., Ferreira BI; 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., Lavitrano M; School of Medicine and Surgery, Milano-Bicocca University, 20900 Monza, Italy., Steininger C; Division of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Department of Medicine 1, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria.; Karl-Landsteiner Institute for Microbiome Research, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria. |
| Abstrakt: |
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. |
