PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
Mutations have driven the evolution and development of new variants of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) with potential implications for increased transmissibility, disease severity and vaccine escape among others. Genome sequencing is a technique that allows scientists to read the genetic code of an organism and has become a powerful tool for studying emerging infectious diseases. Here, we conducted a cross-sectional study in selected districts of the Eastern Province of Zambia, from November 2021 to February 2022. We analyzed SARS-CoV-2 samples (n = 76) using high-throughput sequencing. A total of 4097 mutations were identified in 69 SARS-CoV-2 genomes with 47% (1925/4097) of the mutations occurring in the spike protein. We identified 83 unique amino acid mutations in the spike protein of the seven Omicron sublineages (BA.1, BA.1.1, BA.1.14, BA.1.18, BA.1.21, BA.2, BA.2.23 and XT). Of these, 43.4% (36/83) were present in the receptor binding domain, while 14.5% (12/83) were in the receptor binding motif. While we identified a potential recombinant XT strain, the highly transmissible BA.2 sublineage was more predominant (40.8%). We observed the substitution of other variants with the Omicron strain in the Eastern Province. This work shows the importance of pandemic preparedness and the need to monitor disease in the general population.
摘要：
突变推动了严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）新变种的进化和发展，潜在的传播性增加，疾病严重程度和疫苗逃逸等。基因组测序是一种允许科学家阅读生物体遗传密码的技术，并已成为研究新兴传染病的有力工具。这里,我们在赞比亚东部省的某些地区进行了横断面研究，从2021年11月到2022年2月。我们使用高通量测序分析了SARS-CoV-2样品(n=76)。在69个SARS-CoV-2基因组中鉴定出总共4097个突变,其中47%(1925/4097)的突变发生在刺突蛋白中。我们在七个Omicron亚谱系（BA.1，BA.1.1，BA.1.14，BA.1.18，BA.1.21，BA.2，BA.2.23和XT）的刺突蛋白中鉴定了83个独特的氨基酸突变。其中,43.4％（36/83）存在于受体结合域中，而14.5%(12/83)在受体结合基序中。虽然我们确定了一个潜在的重组XT菌株，高度传播的BA.2亚谱系占主导地位（40.8％）。我们观察到东部省Omicron菌株对其他变体的替代。这项工作表明了大流行防备的重要性以及监测普通人群疾病的必要性。
