tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Pathogens
. 2021 Aug 5;10(8):988.
doi: 10.3390/pathogens10080988.
Predominance of the SARS-CoV-2 Lineage P.1 and Its Sublineage P.1.2 in Patients from the Metropolitan Region of Porto Alegre, Southern Brazil in March 2021
Vinícius Bonetti Franceschi[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Gabriel Dickin Caldana[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Christiano Perin[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Alexandre Horn[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Camila Peter[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Gabriela Bettella Cybis[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Patrícia Aline Gröhs Ferrareze[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Liane Nanci Rotta[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Flávio Adsuara Cadegiani[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Ricardo Ariel Zimerman[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Claudia Elizabeth Thompson[SUP] 1 2 7 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Almost a year after the COVID-19 pandemic had begun, new lineages (B.1.1.7, B.1.351, P.1, and B.1.617.2) associated with enhanced transmissibility, immunity evasion, and mortality were identified in the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Brazil. The previous most prevalent lineages in the state of Rio Grande do Sul (RS, Southern Brazil), B.1.1.28 and B.1.1.33, were rapidly replaced by P.1 and P.2, two B.1.1.28-derived lineages harboring the E484K mutation. To perform a genomic characterization from the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre, we sequenced viral samples to: (i) identify the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 lineages in the region, the state, and bordering countries/regions; (ii) characterize the mutation spectra; (iii) hypothesize viral dispersal routes by using phylogenetic and phylogeographic approaches. We found that 96.4% of the samples belonged to the P.1 lineage and approximately 20% of them were assigned as the novel P.1.2, a P.1-derived sublineage harboring signature substitutions recently described in other Brazilian states and foreign countries. Moreover, sequences from this study were allocated in distinct branches of the P.1 phylogeny, suggesting multiple introductions in RS and placing this state as a potential diffusion core of P.1-derived clades and the emergence of P.1.2. It is uncertain whether the emergence of P.1.2 and other P.1 clades is related to clinical or epidemiological consequences. However, the clear signs of molecular diversity from the recently introduced P.1 warrant further genomic surveillance.
Keywords: COVID-19; high-throughput nucleotide sequencing; infectious diseases; molecular epidemiology; molecular evolution; phylogeny; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.
. 2021 Aug 5;10(8):988.
doi: 10.3390/pathogens10080988.
Predominance of the SARS-CoV-2 Lineage P.1 and Its Sublineage P.1.2 in Patients from the Metropolitan Region of Porto Alegre, Southern Brazil in March 2021
Vinícius Bonetti Franceschi[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Gabriel Dickin Caldana[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Christiano Perin[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Alexandre Horn[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Camila Peter[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Gabriela Bettella Cybis[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Patrícia Aline Gröhs Ferrareze[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Liane Nanci Rotta[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Flávio Adsuara Cadegiani[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Ricardo Ariel Zimerman[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Claudia Elizabeth Thompson[SUP] 1 2 7 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 34451453
- DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10080988
Abstract
Almost a year after the COVID-19 pandemic had begun, new lineages (B.1.1.7, B.1.351, P.1, and B.1.617.2) associated with enhanced transmissibility, immunity evasion, and mortality were identified in the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Brazil. The previous most prevalent lineages in the state of Rio Grande do Sul (RS, Southern Brazil), B.1.1.28 and B.1.1.33, were rapidly replaced by P.1 and P.2, two B.1.1.28-derived lineages harboring the E484K mutation. To perform a genomic characterization from the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre, we sequenced viral samples to: (i) identify the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 lineages in the region, the state, and bordering countries/regions; (ii) characterize the mutation spectra; (iii) hypothesize viral dispersal routes by using phylogenetic and phylogeographic approaches. We found that 96.4% of the samples belonged to the P.1 lineage and approximately 20% of them were assigned as the novel P.1.2, a P.1-derived sublineage harboring signature substitutions recently described in other Brazilian states and foreign countries. Moreover, sequences from this study were allocated in distinct branches of the P.1 phylogeny, suggesting multiple introductions in RS and placing this state as a potential diffusion core of P.1-derived clades and the emergence of P.1.2. It is uncertain whether the emergence of P.1.2 and other P.1 clades is related to clinical or epidemiological consequences. However, the clear signs of molecular diversity from the recently introduced P.1 warrant further genomic surveillance.
Keywords: COVID-19; high-throughput nucleotide sequencing; infectious diseases; molecular epidemiology; molecular evolution; phylogeny; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.