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115 results on '"Bernardo Gutierrez"'

1. Advancing Molecular Spectroscopy Efficiency with Extensive Parallelism

Author

Jiaqi Li, Rodrigo Fernandez, Bernardo Gutierrez, Jan Pedersen, and Yan Zhou

Subjects
molecular spectroscopy, chirped-pulsed Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy (CP-FTMW), optical frequency comb (OFC) spectroscopy, parallelism, Electronic computers. Computer science, QA75.5-76.95, Applied mathematics. Quantitative methods, T57-57.97
Abstract

Molecular spectroscopy, with a legacy spanning over a century, has profoundly enriched our understanding of the microscopic world, driving major advancements across science and engineering. Over time, this field has steadily advanced, incorporating innovations such as lasers and digital computers to reach new levels of precision and sensitivity. Over the past decade, the integration of high-speed embedded electronic systems and advanced light sources has ushered molecular spectroscopy into a new era, characterized by extensive parallelism and enhanced sensitivity. This review delves into two pioneering technologies that embody recent advancements in molecular spectroscopy: Chirped-Pulse Fourier Transform Microwave (CP-FTMW) spectroscopy and optical frequency comb (OFC) spectroscopy. We provide an overview of the fundamental principles behind these methods, examine their most impactful applications across diverse fields, and discuss their potential to drive future developments in molecular spectroscopy. By highlighting these technologies, we aim to underscore the transformative impact of integrating high-speed digital electronics and advanced light sources with molecular spectroscopy, enabling extensive parallelism and paving the way for groundbreaking discoveries and innovations in this rapidly evolving field.

Published
2024
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2. Reemergence of Cosmopolitan Genotype Dengue Virus Serotype 2, Southern Vietnam

Author

Vi T. Tran, Rhys P.D. Inward, Bernardo Gutierrez, Nguyet M. Nguyen, Phong T. Nguyen, Isabelle Rajendiran, Tam T. Cao, Kien T.H. Duong, Moritz U.G. Kraemer, and Sophie Yacoub

Subjects
dengue virus, viruses, arboviruses, mosquito-borne infections, DENV serotype 2, climatic factors, Medicine, Infectious and parasitic diseases, RC109-216
Abstract

We performed phylogenetic analysis on dengue virus serotype 2 Cosmopolitan genotype in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. We document virus emergence, probable routes of introduction, and timeline of events. Our findings highlight the need for continuous, systematic genomic surveillance to manage outbreaks and forecast future epidemics.

Published
2023
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3. Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) Genotypes in an Ecuadorian Population: A Preliminary Study

Author

Miguel Moncayo, Enrique Teran, Bernardo Gutierrez, Jorge Reyes, Johanna Cortez, Rodrigo Tobar, Gabriela Yerovi, Marcia Robalino, Ana Aguilar, and Daniel Garzon-Chavez

Subjects
Microbiology, QR1-502
Abstract

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection affects 257–291 million people worldwide. The World Health Organization reported 890,000 HBV-related deaths in 2019, higher than reported previously. There are 10 HBV genotypes (A–J) subdivided into several subgenotypes that differ considerably by geography. Various virologic factors, including genotype and subgenotype, impact the odds of acquiring a chronic HBV infection, the type of treatment prescribed, and the risk of developing hepatocarcinoma. Information on the HBV genotypes and subgenotypes that circulate in Ecuador remains low. To address this gap, the current study took a preliminary look at HBV-infected human samples from this region to identify the most common genotypes and subgenotypes. Samples from 44 patients in the Andean, Coastal, and Amazon regions of Ecuador were amplified and two major genotypes were identified, genotype F (42/44; 95.5%) and genotype E (2 patients; 4.5%). The genotype F subgenotypes were F3 (35/42; 83.33%), F4 (6/42; 14.28%), and F1b (1/42, 2.39%). This is the first epidemiological study to assess the distribution of HBV genotypes in Ecuador. The findings can inform antiviral drug effectivity studies specific to HBV genotypes prevalent in South America.

Published
2024
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4. Convergent trends and spatiotemporal patterns of Aedes-borne arboviruses in Mexico and Central America.

Author

Bernardo Gutierrez, Darlan da Silva Candido, Sumali Bajaj, Abril Paulina Rodriguez Maldonado, Fabiola Garces Ayala, María de la Luz Torre Rodriguez, Adnan Araiza Rodriguez, Claudia Wong Arámbula, Ernesto Ramírez González, Irma López Martínez, José Alberto Díaz-Quiñónez, Mauricio Vázquez Pichardo, Sarah C Hill, Julien Thézé, Nuno R Faria, Oliver G Pybus, Lorena Preciado-Llanes, Arturo Reyes-Sandoval, Moritz U G Kraemer, and Marina Escalera-Zamudio

Subjects
Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine, RC955-962, Public aspects of medicine, RA1-1270
Abstract

BackgroundAedes-borne arboviruses cause both seasonal epidemics and emerging outbreaks with a significant impact on global health. These viruses share mosquito vector species, often infecting the same host population within overlapping geographic regions. Thus, comparative analyses of the virus evolutionary and epidemiological dynamics across spatial and temporal scales could reveal convergent trends.Methodology/principal findingsFocusing on Mexico as a case study, we generated novel chikungunya and dengue (CHIKV, DENV-1 and DENV-2) virus genomes from an epidemiological surveillance-derived historical sample collection, and analysed them together with longitudinally-collected genome and epidemiological data from the Americas. Aedes-borne arboviruses endemically circulating within the country were found to be introduced multiple times from lineages predominantly sampled from the Caribbean and Central America. For CHIKV, at least thirteen introductions were inferred over a year, with six of these leading to persistent transmission chains. For both DENV-1 and DENV-2, at least seven introductions were inferred over a decade.Conclusions/significanceOur results suggest that CHIKV, DENV-1 and DENV-2 in Mexico share evolutionary and epidemiological trajectories. The southwest region of the country was determined to be the most likely location for viral introductions from abroad, with a subsequent spread into the Pacific coast towards the north of Mexico. Virus diffusion patterns observed across the country are likely driven by multiple factors, including mobility linked to human migration from Central towards North America. Considering Mexico's geographic positioning displaying a high human mobility across borders, our results prompt the need to better understand the role of anthropogenic factors in the transmission dynamics of Aedes-borne arboviruses, particularly linked to land-based human migration.

Published
2023
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5. Comparing the evolutionary dynamics of predominant SARS-CoV-2 virus lineages co-circulating in Mexico

Author

Hugo G Castelán-Sánchez, Luis Delaye, Rhys PD Inward, Simon Dellicour, Bernardo Gutierrez, Natalia Martinez de la Vina, Celia Boukadida, Oliver G Pybus, Guillermo de Anda Jáuregui, Plinio Guzmán, Marisol Flores-Garrido, Óscar Fontanelli, Maribel Hernández Rosales, Amilcar Meneses, Gabriela Olmedo-Alvarez, Alfredo Heriberto Herrera-Estrella, Alejandro Sánchez-Flores, José Esteban Muñoz-Medina, Andreu Comas-García, Bruno Gómez-Gil, Selene Zárate, Blanca Taboada, Susana López, Carlos F Arias, Moritz UG Kraemer, Antonio Lazcano, and Marina Escalera Zamudio

Subjects
genomic epidemiology, phylodynamics, SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, Latin America, Medicine, Science, Biology (General), QH301-705.5
Abstract

Over 200 different SARS-CoV-2 lineages have been observed in Mexico by November 2021. To investigate lineage replacement dynamics, we applied a phylodynamic approach and explored the evolutionary trajectories of five dominant lineages that circulated during the first year of local transmission. For most lineages, peaks in sampling frequencies coincided with different epidemiological waves of infection in Mexico. Lineages B.1.1.222 and B.1.1.519 exhibited similar dynamics, constituting clades that likely originated in Mexico and persisted for >12 months. Lineages B.1.1.7, P.1 and B.1.617.2 also displayed similar dynamics, characterized by multiple introduction events leading to a few successful extended local transmission chains that persisted for several months. For the largest B.1.617.2 clades, we further explored viral lineage movements across Mexico. Many clades were located within the south region of the country, suggesting that this area played a key role in the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in Mexico.

Published
2023
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6. Origin and dispersion pathways of guava in the Galapagos Islands inferred through genetics and historical records

Author

Diego Urquía, Bernardo Gutierrez, Gabriela Pozo, Maria Jose Pozo, and Maria de Lourdes Torres

Subjects
colonization pathway, Galapagos Islands, genetic diversity, guava, invasive species, Ecology, QH540-549.5
Abstract

Abstract Guava (Psidium guajava) is an aggressive invasive plant in the Galapagos Islands. Determining its provenance and genetic diversity could explain its adaptability and spread, and how this relates to past human activities. With this purpose, we analyzed 11 SSR markers in guava individuals from Isabela, Santa Cruz, San Cristobal, and Floreana islands in the Galapagos, as well as from mainland Ecuador. The mainland guava population appeared genetically differentiated from the Galapagos populations, with higher genetic diversity levels found in the former. We consistently found that the Central Highlands region of mainland Ecuador is one of the most likely origins of the Galapagos populations. Moreover, the guavas from Isabela and Floreana show a potential genetic input from southern mainland Ecuador, while the population from San Cristobal would be linked to the coastal mainland regions. Interestingly, the proposed origins for the Galapagos guava coincide with the first human settlings of the archipelago. Through approximate Bayesian computation, we propose a model where San Cristobal was the first island to be colonized by guava from the mainland, and then, it would have spread to Floreana and finally to Santa Cruz; Isabela would have been seeded from Floreana. An independent trajectory could also have contributed to the invasion of Floreana and Isabela. The pathway shown in our model agrees with the human colonization history of the different islands in the Galapagos. Our model, in conjunction with the clustering patterns of the individuals (based on genetic distances), suggests that guava introduction history in the Galapagos archipelago was driven by either a single event or a series of introduction events in rapid succession. We thus show that genetic analyses supported by historical sources can be used to track the arrival and spread of invasive species in novel habitats and the potential role of human activities in such processes.

Published
2021
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7. Dynamics of conflict during the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo 2018–2019

Author

Moritz U. G. Kraemer, David M. Pigott, Sarah C. Hill, Samantha Vanderslott, Robert C. Reiner, Stephanie Stasse, John S. Brownstein, Bernardo Gutierrez, Francis Dennig, Simon I. Hay, G. R. William Wint, Oliver G. Pybus, Marcia C. Castro, Patrick Vinck, Phuong N. Pham, Eric J. Nilles, and Simon Cauchemez

Subjects
Ebola, Conflict, Violence, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Outbreak, Medicine
Abstract

Abstract Background The 2018–2019 Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in North Kivu and Ituri provinces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is the largest ever recorded in the DRC. It has been declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. The outbreak emerged in a region of chronic conflict and insecurity, and directed attacks against health care workers may have interfered with disease response activities. Our study characterizes and quantifies the broader conflict dynamics over the course of the outbreak by pairing epidemiological and all available spatial conflict data. Methods We build a set of conflict variables by mapping the spatial locations of all conflict events and their associated deaths in each of the affected health zones in North Kivu and Ituri, eastern DRC, before and during the outbreak. Using these data, we compare patterns of conflict before and during the outbreak in affected health zones and those not affected. We then test whether conflict is correlated with increased EVD transmission at the health zone level. Findings The incidence of conflict events per capita is ~ 600 times more likely in Ituri and North Kivu than for the rest of the DRC. We identified 15 time periods of substantial uninterrupted transmission across 11 health zones and a total of 120 bi-weeks. We do not find significant short-term associations between the bi-week reproduction numbers and the number of conflicts. However, we do find that the incidence of conflict per capita was correlated with the incidence of EVD per capita at the health zone level for the entire outbreak (Pearson’s r = 0.33, 95% CI 0.05–0.57). In the two provinces, the monthly number of conflict events also increased by a factor of 2.7 in Ebola-affected health zones (p value

Published
2020
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8. The impact of viral mutations on recognition by SARS-CoV-2 specific T cells

Author

Thushan I. de Silva, Guihai Liu, Benjamin B. Lindsey, Danning Dong, Shona C. Moore, Nienyun Sharon Hsu, Dhruv Shah, Dannielle Wellington, Alexander J. Mentzer, Adrienn Angyal, Rebecca Brown, Matthew D. Parker, Zixi Ying, Xuan Yao, Lance Turtle, Susanna Dunachie, Mala K. Maini, Graham Ogg, Julian C. Knight, Yanchun Peng, Sarah L. Rowland-Jones, Tao Dong, David M. Aanensen, Khalil Abudahab, Helen Adams, Alexander Adams, Safiah Afifi, Dinesh Aggarwal, Shazaad S.Y. Ahmad, Louise Aigrain, Adela Alcolea-Medina, Nabil-Fareed Alikhan, Elias Allara, Roberto Amato, Tara Annett, Stephen Aplin, Cristina V. Ariani, Hibo Asad, Amy Ash, Paula Ashfield, Fiona Ashford, Laura Atkinson, Stephen W. Attwood, Cressida Auckland, Alp Aydin, David J. Baker, Paul Baker, Carlos E. Balcazar, Jonathan Ball, Jeffrey C. Barrett, Magdalena Barrow, Edward Barton, Matthew Bashton, Andrew R. Bassett, Rahul Batra, Chris Baxter, Nadua Bayzid, Charlotte Beaver, Angela H. Beckett, Shaun M. Beckwith, Luke Bedford, Robert Beer, Andrew Beggs, Katherine L. Bellis, Louise Berry, Beatrice Bertolusso, Angus Best, Emma Betteridge, David Bibby, Kelly Bicknell, Debbie Binns, Alec Birchley, Paul W. Bird, Chloe Bishop, Rachel Blacow, Victoria Blakey, Beth Blane, Frances Bolt, James Bonfield, Stephen Bonner, David Bonsall, Tim Boswell, Andrew Bosworth, Yann Bourgeois, Olivia Boyd, Declan T. Bradley, Cassie Breen, Catherine Bresner, Judith Breuer, Stephen Bridgett, Iraad F. Bronner, Ellena Brooks, Alice Broos, Julianne R. Brown, Giselda Bucca, Sarah L. Buchan, David Buck, Matthew Bull, Phillipa J. Burns, Shirelle Burton-Fanning, Timothy Byaruhanga, Matthew Byott, Sharon Campbell, Alessandro M. Carabelli, James S. Cargill, Matthew Carlile, Silvia F. Carvalho, Anna Casey, Anibolina Castigador, Jana Catalan, Vicki Chalker, Nicola J. Chaloner, Meera Chand, Joseph G. Chappell, Themoula Charalampous, Wendy Chatterton, Yasmin Chaudhry, Carol M. Churcher, Gemma Clark, Phillip Clarke, Benjamin J. Cogger, Kevin Cole, Jennifer Collins, Rachel Colquhoun, Thomas R. Connor, Kate F. Cook, Jason Coombes, Sally Corden, Claire Cormie, Nicholas Cortes, Marius Cotic, Seb Cotton, Simon Cottrell, Lindsay Coupland, MacGregor Cox, Alison Cox, Noel Craine, Liam Crawford, Aidan Cross, Matthew R. Crown, Dorian Crudgington, Nicola Cumley, Tanya Curran, Martin D. Curran, Ana da Silva Filipe, Gavin Dabrera, Alistair C. Darby, Rose K. Davidson, Alisha Davies, Robert M. Davies, Thomas Davis, Daniela de Angelis, Elen De Lacy, Leonardo de Oliveira Martins, Johnny Debebe, Rebecca Denton-Smith, Samir Dervisevic, Rebecca Dewar, Jayasree Dey, Joana Dias, Donald Dobie, Matthew J. Dorman, Fatima Downing, Megan Driscoll, Louis du Plessis, Nichola Duckworth, Jillian Durham, Kirstine Eastick, Lisa J. Easton, Richard Eccles, Jonathan Edgeworth, Sue Edwards, Kate El Bouzidi, Sahar Eldirdiri, Nicholas Ellaby, Scott Elliott, Gary Eltringham, Leah Ensell, Michelle J. Erkiert, Marina Escalera Zamudio, Sarah Essex, Johnathan M. Evans, Cariad Evans, William Everson, Derek J. Fairley, Karlie Fallon, Arezou Fanaie, Ben W. Farr, Christopher Fearn, Theresa Feltwell, Lynne Ferguson, Laia Fina, Flavia Flaviani, Vicki M. Fleming, Sally Forrest, Ebenezer Foster-Nyarko, Benjamin H. Foulkes, Luke Foulser, Mireille Fragakis, Dan Frampton, Sarah Francois, Christophe Fraser, Timothy M. Freeman, Helen Fryer, Marc Fuchs, William Fuller, Kavitha Gajee, Katerina Galai, Abbie Gallagher, Eileen Gallagher, Michael D. Gallagher, Marta Gallis, Amy Gaskin, Bree Gatica-Wilcox, Lily Geidelberg, Matthew Gemmell, Iliana Georgana, Ryan P. George, Laura Gifford, Lauren Gilbert, Sophia T. Girgis, Sharon Glaysher, Emily J. Goldstein, Tanya Golubchik, Andrea N. Gomes, Sónia Gonçalves, Ian G. Goodfellow, Scott Goodwin, Salman Goudarzi, Marina Gourtovaia, Clive Graham, Lee Graham, Paul R. Grant, Luke R. Green, Angie Green, Jane Greenaway, Richard Gregory, Martyn Guest, Rory N. Gunson, Ravi K. Gupta, Bernardo Gutierrez, Sam T. Haldenby, William L. Hamilton, Samantha E. Hansford, Tanzina Haque, Kathryn A. Harris, Ian Harrison, Ewan M. Harrison, Jennifer Hart, John A. Hartley, William T. Harvey, Matthew Harvey, Mohammed O. Hassan-Ibrahim, Judith Heaney, Thomas Helmer, John H. Henderson, Andrew R. Hesketh, Jessica Hey, David Heyburn, Ellen E. Higginson, Verity Hill, Jack D. Hill, Rachel A. Hilson, Ember Hilvers, Matthew T.G. Holden, Amy Hollis, Christopher W. Holmes, Nadine Holmes, Alison H. Holmes, Richard Hopes, Hailey R. Hornsby, Myra Hosmillo, Catherine Houlihan, Hannah C. Howson-Wells, Jonathan Hubb, Hannah Huckson, Warwick Hughes, Joseph Hughes, Margaret Hughes, Stephanie Hutchings, Giles Idle, Chris J. Illingworth, Robert Impey, Dianne Irish-Tavares, Miren Iturriza-Gomara, Rhys Izuagbe, Chris Jackson, Ben Jackson, Leigh M. Jackson, Kathryn A. Jackson, David K. Jackson, Aminu S. Jahun, Victoria James, Keith James, Christopher Jeanes, Aaron R. Jeffries, Sarah Jeremiah, Andrew Jermy, Michaela John, Rob Johnson, Kate Johnson, Ian Johnston, Owen Jones, Sophie Jones, Hannah Jones, Christopher R. Jones, Neil Jones, Amelia Joseph, Sarah Judges, Gemma L. Kay, Sally Kay, Jon-Paul Keatley, Alexander J. Keeley, Anita Kenyon, Leanne M. Kermack, Manjinder Khakh, Stephen P. Kidd, Maimuna Kimuli, Stuart Kirk, Christine Kitchen, Katie Kitchman, Bridget A. Knight, Cherian Koshy, Moritz U.G. Kraemer, Sara Kumziene-Summerhayes, Dominic Kwiatkowski, Angie Lackenby, Kenneth G. Laing, Temi Lampejo, Cordelia F. Langford, Deborah Lavin, Andrew I. Lawton, Jack Lee, David Lee, Stefanie V. Lensing, Steven Leonard, Lisa J. Levett, Thanh Le-Viet, Jonathan Lewis, Kevin Lewis, Jennifier Liddle, Steven Liggett, Patrick J. Lillie, Michelle M. Lister, Rich Livett, Stephanie Lo, Nicholas J. Loman, Matthew W. Loose, Stavroula F. Louka, Katie F. Loveson, Sarah Lowdon, Hannah Lowe, Helen L. Lowe, Anita O. Lucaci, Catherine Ludden, Jessica Lynch, Ronan A. Lyons, Katrina Lythgoe, Nicholas W. Machin, George MacIntyre-Cockett, Andrew Mack, Ben Macklin, Alasdair Maclean, Emily Macnaughton, Pinglawathee Madona, Mailis Maes, Laurentiu Maftei, Adhyana I.K. Mahanama, Tabitha W. Mahungu, Daniel Mair, Joshua Maksimovic, Cassandra S. Malone, Daniel Maloney, Nikos Manesis, Robin Manley, Anna Mantzouratou, Angela Marchbank, Arun Mariappan, Inigo Martincorena, Rocio T. Martinez Nunez, Alison E. Mather, Patrick Maxwell, Megan Mayhew, Tamyo Mbisa, Clare M. McCann, Shane A. McCarthy, Kathryn McCluggage, Patrick C. McClure, J.T. McCrone, Martin P. McHugh, James P. McKenna, Caoimhe McKerr, Georgina M. McManus, Claire L. McMurray, Claire McMurray, Alan McNally, Lizzie Meadows, Nathan Medd, Oliver Megram, Mirko Menegazzo, Ian Merrick, Stephen L. Michell, Michelle L. Michelsen, Mariyam Mirfenderesky, Jeremy Mirza, Julia Miskelly, Emma Moles-Garcia, Robin J. Moll, Zoltan Molnar, Irene M. Monahan, Matteo Mondani, Siddharth Mookerjee, Christopher Moore, Jonathan Moore, Nathan Moore, Catherine Moore, Helen Morcrette, Sian Morgan, Mari Morgan, Matilde Mori, Arthur Morriss, Samuel Moses, Craig Mower, Peter Muir, Afrida Mukaddas, Florence Munemo, Robert Munn, Abigail Murray, Leanne J. Murray, Darren R. Murray, Manasa Mutingwende, Richard Myers, Eleni Nastouli, Gaia Nebbia, Andrew Nelson, Charlotte Nelson, Sam Nicholls, Jenna Nichols, Roberto Nicodemi, Kyriaki Nomikou, Justin O’Grady, Sarah O'Brien, Mina Odedra, Natasha Ohemeng-Kumi, Karen Oliver, Richard J. Orton, Husam Osman, xeine O'Toole, Nicole Pacchiarini, Debra Padgett, Andrew J. Page, Emily J. Park, Naomi R. Park, Surendra Parmar, David G. Partridge, David Pascall, Amita Patel, Bindi Patel, Steve Paterson, Brendan A.I. Payne, Sharon J. Peacock, Clare Pearson, Emanuela Pelosi, Benita Percival, Jon Perkins, Malorie Perry, Malte L. Pinckert, Steven Platt, Olga Podplomyk, Manoj Pohare, Marcus Pond, Cassie F. Pope, Radoslaw Poplawski, Jessica Powell, Jennifer Poyner, Liam Prestwood, Anna Price, James R. Price, Jacqui A. Prieto, David T. Pritchard, Sophie J. Prosolek, Georgia Pugh, Monika Pusok, Oliver G. Pybus, Hannah M. Pymont, Michael A. Quail, Joshua Quick, Clara Radulescu, Jayna Raghwani, Manon Ragonnet-Cronin, Lucille Rainbow, Diana Rajan, Shavanthi Rajatileka, Newara A. Ramadan, Andrew Rambaut, John Ramble, Paul A. Randell, Paul Randell, Liz Ratcliffe, Veena Raviprakash, Mohammad Raza, Nicholas M. Redshaw, Sara Rey, Nicola Reynolds, Alex Richter, David L. Robertson, Esther Robinson, Samuel C. Robson, Fiona Rogan, Stefan Rooke, Will Rowe, Sunando Roy, Steven Rudder, Chris Ruis, Steven Rushton, Felicity Ryan, Kordo Saeed, Buddhini Samaraweera, Christine M. Sambles, Roy Sanderson, Theo Sanderson, Fei Sang, Thea Sass, Emily Scher, Garren Scott, Carol Scott, Jasveen Sehmi, Sharif Shaaban, Divya Shah, Jessica Shaw, Ekaterina Shelest, James G. Shepherd, Liz A. Sheridan, Nicola Sheriff, Lesley Shirley, John Sillitoe, Siona Silviera, David A. Simpson, Aditi Singh, Dawn Singleton, Timofey Skvortsov, Tim J. Sloan, Graciela Sluga, Ken Smith, Kim S. Smith, Perminder Smith, Darren L. Smith, Louise Smith, Colin P. Smith, Nikki Smith, Katherine L. Smollett, Luke B. Snell, Thomas Somassa, Joel Southgate, Karla Spellman, Michael H. Spencer Chapman, Lewis G. Spurgin, Moira J. Spyer, Rachael Stanley, William Stanley, Thomas D. Stanton, Igor Starinskij, Joanne Stockton, Susanne Stonehouse, Nathaniel Storey, David J. Studholme, Malur Sudhanva, Emma Swindells, Yusri Taha, Ngee Keong Tan, Julian W. Tang, Miao Tang, Ben E.W. Taylor, Joshua F. Taylor, Sarah Taylor, Ben Temperton, Kate E. Templeton, Claire Thomas, Laura Thomson, Emma C. Thomson, Alicia Thornton, Scott A.J. Thurston, John A. Todd, Rachael Tomb, Lily Tong, Gerry Tonkin-Hill, M. Estee Torok, Jaime M. Tovar-Corona, Amy Trebes, Alexander J. Trotter, Ioulia Tsatsani, Robyn Turnbull, Katherine A. Twohig, Helen Umpleby, Anthony P. Underwood, Edith E. Vamos, Tetyana I. Vasylyeva, Sreenu Vattipally, Gabrielle Vernet, Barry B. Vipond, Erik M. Volz, Sarah Walsh, Dennis Wang, Ben Warne, Joanna Warwick-Dugdale, Elizabeth Wastnedge, Joanne Watkins, Louisa K. Watson, Sheila Waugh, Hermione J. Webster, Danni Weldon, Elaine Westwick, Thomas Whalley, Helen Wheeler, Mark Whitehead, Max Whiteley, Andrew Whitwham, Claudia Wierzbicki, Nicholas J. Willford, Lesley-Anne Williams, Rebecca Williams, Cheryl Williams, Chris Williams, Charlotte A. Williams, Rachel J. Williams, Thomas Williams, Catryn Williams, Kathleen A. Williamson, Eleri Wilson-Davies, Eric Witele, Karen T. Withell, Adam A. Witney, Paige Wolverson, Nick Wong, Trudy Workman, Victoria Wright, Derek W. Wright, Tim Wyatt, Sarah Wyllie, Li Xu-McCrae, Mehmet Yavus, Geraldine Yaze, Corin A. Yeats, Gonzalo Yebra, Wen C. Yew, Gregory R. Young, Jamie Young, Alex E. Zarebski, Peijun Zhang, J. Kenneth Baillie, Malcolm G. Semple, Peter J.M. Openshaw, Gail Carson, Beatrice Alex, Petros Andrikopoulos, Benjamin Bach, Wendy S. Barclay, Debby Bogaert, Kanta Chechi, Graham S. Cooke, Annemarie B. Docherty, Gonçalo dos Santos Correia, Marc-Emmanuel Dumas, Jake Dunning, Tom Fletcher, Christopher A. Green, William Greenhalf, Julian L. Griffin, Rishi K. Gupta, Ewen M. Harrison, Julian A. Hiscox, Antonia Ying Wai Ho, Peter W. Horby, Samreen Ijaz, Saye Khoo, Paul Klenerman, Andrew Law, Matthew R. Lewis, Sonia Liggi, Wei Shen Lim, Lynn Maslen, Laura Merson, Alison M. Meynert, Mahdad Noursadeghi, Michael Olanipekun, Anthonia Osagie, Massimo Palmarini, Carlo Palmieri, William A. Paxton, Georgios Pollakis, Nicholas Price, Clark D. Russell, Vanessa Sancho-Shimizu, Caroline J. Sands, Janet T. Scott, Louise Sigfrid, Tom Solomon, Shiranee Sriskandan, David Stuart, Charlotte Summers, Olivia V. Swann, Zoltan Takats, Panteleimon Takis, Richard S. Tedder, A.A. Roger Thompson, Ryan S. Thwaites, Maria Zambon, Hayley Hardwick, Chloe Donohue, Fiona Griffiths, Wilna Oosthuyzen, Cara Donegan, Rebecca G. Spencer, Jo Dalton, Michelle Girvan, Egle Saviciute, Stephanie Roberts, Janet Harrison, Laura Marsh, Marie Connor, Sophie Halpin, Clare Jackson, Carrol Gamble, Daniel Plotkin, James Lee, Gary Leeming, Murray Wham, Sara Clohisey, Ross Hendry, James Scott-Brown, Victoria Shaw, Sarah E. McDonald, Seán Keating, Katie A. Ahmed, Jane A. Armstrong, Milton Ashworth, Innocent G. Asiimwe, Siddharth Bakshi, Samantha L. Barlow, Laura Booth, Benjamin Brennan, Katie Bullock, Benjamin W.A. Catterall, Jordan J. Clark, Emily A. Clarke, Sarah Cole, Louise Cooper, Helen Cox, Christopher Davis, Oslem Dincarslan, Chris Dunn, Philip Dyer, Angela Elliott, Anthony Evans, Lorna Finch, Lewis W.S. Fisher, Terry Foster, Isabel Garcia-Dorival, Philip Gunning, Catherine Hartley, Rebecca L. Jensen, Christopher B. Jones, Trevor R. Jones, Shadia Khandaker, Katharine King, Robyn T. Kiy, Chrysa Koukorava, Annette Lake, Suzannah Lant, Diane Latawiec, Lara Lavelle-Langham, Daniella Lefteri, Lauren Lett, Lucia A. Livoti, Maria Mancini, Sarah McDonald, Laurence McEvoy, John McLauchlan, Soeren Metelmann, Nahida S. Miah, Joanna Middleton, Joyce Mitchell, Ellen G. Murphy, Rebekah Penrice-Randal, Jack Pilgrim, Tessa Prince, Will Reynolds, P. Matthew Ridley, Debby Sales, Victoria E. Shaw, Rebecca K. Shears, Benjamin Small, Krishanthi S. Subramaniam, Agnieska Szemiel, Aislynn Taggart, Jolanta Tanianis-Hughes, Jordan Thomas, Erwan Trochu, Libby van Tonder, Eve Wilcock, J. Eunice Zhang, Lisa Flaherty, Nicole Maziere, Emily Cass, Alejandra Doce Carracedo, Nicola Carlucci, Anthony Holmes, Hannah Massey, Lee Murphy, Nicola Wrobel, Sarah McCafferty, Kirstie Morrice, Alan MacLean, Kayode Adeniji, Daniel Agranoff, Ken Agwuh, Dhiraj Ail, Erin L. Aldera, Ana Alegria, Sam Allen, Brian Angus, Abdul Ashish, Dougal Atkinson, Shahedal Bari, Gavin Barlow, Stella Barnass, Nicholas Barrett, Christopher Bassford, Sneha Basude, David Baxter, Michael Beadsworth, Jolanta Bernatoniene, John Berridge, Colin Berry, Nicola Best, Pieter Bothma, David Chadwick, Robin Brittain-Long, Naomi Bulteel, Tom Burden, Andrew Burtenshaw, Vikki Caruth, Duncan Chambler, Nigel Chee, Jenny Child, Srikanth Chukkambotla, Tom Clark, Paul Collini, Catherine Cosgrove, Jason Cupitt, Maria-Teresa Cutino-Moguel, Paul Dark, Chris Dawson, Phil Donnison, Sam Douthwaite, Andrew Drummond, Ingrid DuRand, Ahilanadan Dushianthan, Tristan Dyer, Chi Eziefula, Chrisopher Fegan, Adam Finn, Duncan Fullerton, Sanjeev Garg, Atul Garg, Effrossyni Gkrania-Klotsas, Jo Godden, Arthur Goldsmith, Elaine Hardy, Stuart Hartshorn, Daniel Harvey, Peter Havalda, Daniel B. Hawcutt, Maria Hobrok, Luke Hodgson, Anil Hormis, Michael Jacobs, Susan Jain, Paul Jennings, Agilan Kaliappan, Vidya Kasipandian, Stephen Kegg, Michael Kelsey, Jason Kendall, Caroline Kerrison, Ian Kerslake, Oliver Koch, Gouri Koduri, George Koshy, Shondipon Laha, Steven Laird, Susan Larkin, Tamas Leiner, Patrick Lillie, James Limb, Vanessa Linnett, Jeff Little, Mark Lyttle, Michael MacMahon, Emily MacNaughton, Ravish Mankregod, Huw Masson, Elijah Matovu, Katherine McCullough, Ruth McEwen, Manjula Meda, Gary Mills, Jane Minton, Kavya Mohandas, Quen Mok, James Moon, Elinoor Moore, Patrick Morgan, Craig Morris, Katherine Mortimore, Mbiye Mpenge, Rohinton Mulla, Michael Murphy, Megan Nagel, Thapas Nagarajan, Mark Nelson, Lillian Norris, Matthew K. O'Shea, Igor Otahal, Marlies Ostermann, Mark Pais, Selva Panchatsharam, Danai Papakonstantinou, Hassan Paraiso, Brij Patel, Natalie Pattison, Justin Pepperell, Mark Peters, Mandeep Phull, Stefania Pintus, Jagtur Singh Pooni, Tim Planche, Frank Post, David Price, Rachel Prout, Nikolas Rae, Henrik Reschreiter, Tim Reynolds, Neil Richardson, Mark Roberts, Devender Roberts, Alistair Rose, Guy Rousseau, Bobby Ruge, Brendan Ryan, Taranprit Saluja, Matthias L. Schmid, Aarti Shah, Prad Shanmuga, Anil Sharma, Anna Shawcross, Jeremy Sizer, Manu Shankar-Hari, Richard Smith, Catherine Snelson, Nick Spittle, Nikki Staines, Tom Stambach, Richard Stewart, Pradeep Subudhi, Tamas Szakmany, Kate Tatham, Jo Thomas, Chris Thompson, Robert Thompson, Ascanio Tridente, Darell Tupper-Carey, Mary Twagira, Nick Vallotton, Rama Vancheeswaran, Lisa Vincent-Smith, Shico Visuvanathan, Alan Vuylsteke, Sam Waddy, Rachel Wake, Andrew Walden, Ingeborg Welters, Tony Whitehouse, Paul Whittaker, Ashley Whittington, Padmasayee Papineni, Meme Wijesinghe, Martin Williams, Lawrence Wilson, Stephen Winchester, Martin Wiselka, Adam Wolverson, Daniel G. Wootton, Andrew Workman, Bryan Yates, and Peter Young

Subjects
Phylogenetics, Molecular biology, Immunology, Immune response, Virology, Science
Abstract

Summary: We identify amino acid variants within dominant SARS-CoV-2 T cell epitopes by interrogating global sequence data. Several variants within nucleocapsid and ORF3a epitopes have arisen independently in multiple lineages and result in loss of recognition by epitope-specific T cells assessed by IFN-γ and cytotoxic killing assays. Complete loss of T cell responsiveness was seen due to Q213K in the A∗01:01-restricted CD8+ ORF3a epitope FTSDYYQLY207-215; due to P13L, P13S, and P13T in the B∗27:05-restricted CD8+ nucleocapsid epitope QRNAPRITF9-17; and due to T362I and P365S in the A∗03:01/A∗11:01-restricted CD8+ nucleocapsid epitope KTFPPTEPK361-369. CD8+ T cell lines unable to recognize variant epitopes have diverse T cell receptor repertoires. These data demonstrate the potential for T cell evasion and highlight the need for ongoing surveillance for variants capable of escaping T cell as well as humoral immunity.

Published
2021
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9. Early Genomic Detection of Cosmopolitan Genotype of Dengue Virus Serotype 2, Angola, 2018

Author

Sarah C. Hill, Jocelyne Neto de Vasconcelos, Bernardo Gutierrez Granja, Julien Thézé, Domingos Jandondo, Zoraima Neto, Marinela Mirandela, Cruz dos Santos Sebastião, Ana Luísa Micolo Cândido, Carina Clemente, Sara Pereira da Silva, Túlio de Oliveira, Oliver G. Pybus, Nuno R. Faria, and Joana Morais Afonso

Subjects
dengue, DENV, vector-borne infections, mosquito-borne diseases, genomic detection, nanopore sequencing, Medicine, Infectious and parasitic diseases, RC109-216
Abstract

We used portable genome sequencing to investigate reported dengue virus transmission in Angola. Our results show that autochthonous transmission of dengue serotype 2 (cosmopolitan genotype) occurred in January 2018.

Published
2019
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10. Data Sharing in Southeast Asia During the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Author

Arianna Maever L. Amit, Veincent Christian F. Pepito, Bernardo Gutierrez, and Thomas Rawson

Subjects
COVID- 19, epidemiological data, Southeast Asia, emerging infectious disease, data sharing, Public aspects of medicine, RA1-1270
Abstract

Background: When a new pathogen emerges, consistent case reporting is critical for public health surveillance. Tracking cases geographically and over time is key for understanding the spread of an infectious disease and effectively designing interventions to contain and mitigate an epidemic. In this paper we describe the reporting systems on COVID-19 in Southeast Asia during the first wave in 2020, and highlight the impact of specific reporting methods.Methods: We reviewed key epidemiological variables from various sources including a regionally comprehensive dataset, national trackers, dashboards, and case bulletins for 11 countries during the first wave of the epidemic in Southeast Asia. We recorded timelines of shifts in epidemiological reporting systems and described the differences in how epidemiological data are reported across countries and timepoints.Results: Our findings suggest that countries in Southeast Asia generally reported precise and detailed epidemiological data during the first wave of the pandemic. Changes in reporting rarely occurred for demographic data, while reporting shifts for geographic and temporal data were frequent. Most countries provided COVID-19 individual-level data daily using HTML and PDF, necessitating scraping and extraction before data could be used in analyses.Conclusion: Our study highlights the importance of more nuanced analyses of COVID-19 epidemiological data within and across countries because of the frequent shifts in reporting. As governments continue to respond to impacts on health and the economy, data sharing also needs to be prioritised given its foundational role in policymaking, and in the implementation and evaluation of interventions.

Published
2021
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11. Recurrent emergence of SARS-CoV-2 spike deletion H69/V70 and its role in the Alpha variant B.1.1.7

Author

Bo Meng, Steven A. Kemp, Guido Papa, Rawlings Datir, Isabella A.T.M. Ferreira, Sara Marelli, William T. Harvey, Spyros Lytras, Ahmed Mohamed, Giulia Gallo, Nazia Thakur, Dami A. Collier, Petra Mlcochova, Lidia M. Duncan, Alessandro M. Carabelli, Julia C. Kenyon, Andrew M. Lever, Anna De Marco, Christian Saliba, Katja Culap, Elisabetta Cameroni, Nicholas J. Matheson, Luca Piccoli, Davide Corti, Leo C. James, David L. Robertson, Dalan Bailey, Ravindra K. Gupta, Samuel C. Robson, Nicholas J. Loman, Thomas R. Connor, Tanya Golubchik, Rocio T. Martinez Nunez, Catherine Ludden, Sally Corden, Ian Johnston, David Bonsall, Colin P. Smith, Ali R. Awan, Giselda Bucca, M. Estee Torok, Kordo Saeed, Jacqui A. Prieto, David K. Jackson, William L. Hamilton, Luke B. Snell, Catherine Moore, Ewan M. Harrison, Sonia Goncalves, Derek J. Fairley, Matthew W. Loose, Joanne Watkins, Rich Livett, Samuel Moses, Roberto Amato, Sam Nicholls, Matthew Bull, Darren L. Smith, Jeff Barrett, David M. Aanensen, Martin D. Curran, Surendra Parmar, Dinesh Aggarwal, James G. Shepherd, Matthew D. Parker, Sharon Glaysher, Matthew Bashton, Anthony P. Underwood, Nicole Pacchiarini, Katie F. Loveson, Kate E. Templeton, Cordelia F. Langford, John Sillitoe, Thushan I. de Silva, Dennis Wang, Dominic Kwiatkowski, Andrew Rambaut, Justin O’Grady, Simon Cottrell, Matthew T.G. Holden, Emma C. Thomson, Husam Osman, Monique Andersson, Anoop J. Chauhan, Mohammed O. Hassan-Ibrahim, Mara Lawniczak, Alex Alderton, Meera Chand, Chrystala Constantinidou, Meera Unnikrishnan, Alistair C. Darby, Julian A. Hiscox, Steve Paterson, Inigo Martincorena, Erik M. Volz, Andrew J. Page, Oliver G. Pybus, Andrew R. Bassett, Cristina V. Ariani, Michael H. Spencer Chapman, Kathy K. Li, Rajiv N. Shah, Natasha G. Jesudason, Yusri Taha, Martin P. McHugh, Rebecca Dewar, Aminu S. Jahun, Claire McMurray, Sarojini Pandey, James P. McKenna, Andrew Nelson, Gregory R. Young, Clare M. McCann, Scott Elliott, Hannah Lowe, Ben Temperton, Sunando Roy, Anna Price, Sara Rey, Matthew Wyles, Stefan Rooke, Sharif Shaaban, Mariateresa de Cesare, Laura Letchford, Siona Silveira, Emanuela Pelosi, Eleri Wilson-Davies, Myra Hosmillo, Áine O’Toole, Andrew R. Hesketh, Richard Stark, Louis du Plessis, Chris Ruis, Helen Adams, Yann Bourgeois, Stephen L. Michell, Dimitris Gramatopoulos, Jonathan Edgeworth, Judith Breuer, John A. Todd, Christophe Fraser, David Buck, Michaela John, Gemma L. Kay, Steve Palmer, Sharon J. Peacock, David Heyburn, Danni Weldon, Esther Robinson, Alan McNally, Peter Muir, Ian B. Vipond, John Boyes, Venkat Sivaprakasam, Tranprit Salluja, Samir Dervisevic, Emma J. Meader, Naomi R. Park, Karen Oliver, Aaron R. Jeffries, Sascha Ott, Ana da Silva Filipe, David A. Simpson, Chris Williams, Jane A.H. Masoli, Bridget A. Knight, Christopher R. Jones, Cherian Koshy, Amy Ash, Anna Casey, Andrew Bosworth, Liz Ratcliffe, Li Xu-McCrae, Hannah M. Pymont, Stephanie Hutchings, Lisa Berry, Katie Jones, Fenella Halstead, Thomas Davis, Christopher Holmes, Miren Iturriza-Gomara, Anita O. Lucaci, Paul Anthony Randell, Alison Cox, Pinglawathee Madona, Kathryn Ann Harris, Julianne Rose Brown, Tabitha W. Mahungu, Dianne Irish-Tavares, Tanzina Haque, Jennifer Hart, Eric Witele, Melisa Louise Fenton, Steven Liggett, Clive Graham, Emma Swindells, Jennifer Collins, Gary Eltringham, Sharon Campbell, Patrick C. McClure, Gemma Clark, Tim J. Sloan, Carl Jones, Jessica Lynch, Ben Warne, Steven Leonard, Jillian Durham, Thomas Williams, Sam T. Haldenby, Nathaniel Storey, Nabil-Fareed Alikhan, Nadine Holmes, Christopher Moore, Matthew Carlile, Malorie Perry, Noel Craine, Ronan A. Lyons, Angela H. Beckett, Salman Goudarzi, Christopher Fearn, Kate Cook, Hannah Dent, Hannah Paul, Robert Davies, Beth Blane, Sophia T. Girgis, Mathew A. Beale, Katherine L. Bellis, Matthew J. Dorman, Eleanor Drury, Leanne Kane, Sally Kay, Samantha McGuigan, Rachel Nelson, Liam Prestwood, Shavanthi Rajatileka, Rahul Batra, Rachel J. Williams, Mark Kristiansen, Angie Green, Anita Justice, Adhyana I.K. Mahanama, Buddhini Samaraweera, Nazreen F. Hadjirin, Joshua Quick, Radoslaw Poplawski, Leanne M. Kermack, Nicola Reynolds, Grant Hall, Yasmin Chaudhry, Malte L. Pinckert, Iliana Georgana, Robin J. Moll, Alicia Thornton, Richard Myers, Joanne Stockton, Charlotte A. Williams, Wen C. Yew, Alexander J. Trotter, Amy Trebes, George MacIntyre-Cockett, Alec Birchley, Alexander Adams, Amy Plimmer, Bree Gatica-Wilcox, Caoimhe McKerr, Ember Hilvers, Hannah Jones, Hibo Asad, Jason Coombes, Johnathan M. Evans, Laia Fina, Lauren Gilbert, Lee Graham, Michelle Cronin, Sara Kumziene-Summerhayes, Sarah Taylor, Sophie Jones, Danielle C. Groves, Peijun Zhang, Marta Gallis, Stavroula F. Louka, Igor Starinskij, Chris Jackson, Marina Gourtovaia, Gerry Tonkin-Hill, Kevin Lewis, Jaime M. Tovar-Corona, Keith James, Laura Baxter, Mohammad T. Alam, Richard J. Orton, Joseph Hughes, Sreenu Vattipally, Manon Ragonnet-Cronin, Fabricia F. Nascimento, David Jorgensen, Olivia Boyd, Lily Geidelberg, Alex E. Zarebski, Jayna Raghwani, Moritz U.G. Kraemer, Joel Southgate, Benjamin B. Lindsey, Timothy M. Freeman, Jon-Paul Keatley, Joshua B. Singer, Leonardo de Oliveira Martins, Corin A. Yeats, Khalil Abudahab, Ben E.W. Taylor, Mirko Menegazzo, John Danesh, Wendy Hogsden, Sahar Eldirdiri, Anita Kenyon, Jenifer Mason, Trevor I. Robinson, Alison Holmes, James Price, John A. Hartley, Tanya Curran, Alison E. Mather, Giri Shankar, Rachel Jones, Robin Howe, Sian Morgan, Elizabeth Wastenge, Michael R. Chapman, Siddharth Mookerjee, Rachael Stanley, Wendy Smith, Timothy Peto, David Eyre, Derrick Crook, Gabrielle Vernet, Christine Kitchen, Huw Gulliver, Ian Merrick, Martyn Guest, Robert Munn, Declan T. Bradley, Tim Wyatt, Charlotte Beaver, Luke Foulser, Sophie Palmer, Carol M. Churcher, Ellena Brooks, Kim S. Smith, Katerina Galai, Georgina M. McManus, Frances Bolt, Francesc Coll, Lizzie Meadows, Stephen W. Attwood, Alisha Davies, Elen De Lacy, Fatima Downing, Sue Edwards, Garry P. Scarlett, Sarah Jeremiah, Nikki Smith, Danielle Leek, Sushmita Sridhar, Sally Forrest, Claire Cormie, Harmeet K. Gill, Joana Dias, Ellen E. Higginson, Mailis Maes, Jamie Young, Michelle Wantoch, Dorota Jamrozy, Stephanie Lo, Minal Patel, Verity Hill, Claire M. Bewshea, Sian Ellard, Cressida Auckland, Ian Harrison, Chloe Bishop, Vicki Chalker, Alex Richter, Andrew Beggs, Angus Best, Benita Percival, Jeremy Mirza, Oliver Megram, Megan Mayhew, Liam Crawford, Fiona Ashcroft, Emma Moles-Garcia, Nicola Cumley, Richard Hopes, Patawee Asamaphan, Marc O. Niebel, Rory N. Gunson, Amanda Bradley, Alasdair Maclean, Guy Mollett, Rachel Blacow, Paul Bird, Thomas Helmer, Karlie Fallon, Julian Tang, Antony D. Hale, Louissa R. Macfarlane-Smith, Katherine L. Harper, Holli Carden, Nicholas W. Machin, Kathryn A. Jackson, Shazaad S.Y. Ahmad, Ryan P. George, Lance Turtle, Elaine O’Toole, Joanne Watts, Cassie Breen, Angela Cowell, Adela Alcolea-Medina, Themoula Charalampous, Amita Patel, Lisa J. Levett, Judith Heaney, Aileen Rowan, Graham P. Taylor, Divya Shah, Laura Atkinson, Jack C.D. Lee, Adam P. Westhorpe, Riaz Jannoo, Helen L. Lowe, Angeliki Karamani, Leah Ensell, Wendy Chatterton, Monika Pusok, Ashok Dadrah, Amanda Symmonds, Graciela Sluga, Zoltan Molnar, Paul Baker, Stephen Bonner, Sarah Essex, Edward Barton, Debra Padgett, Garren Scott, Jane Greenaway, Brendan A.I. Payne, Shirelle Burton-Fanning, Sheila Waugh, Veena Raviprakash, Nicola Sheriff, Victoria Blakey, Lesley-Anne Williams, Jonathan Moore, Susanne Stonehouse, Louise Smith, Rose K. Davidson, Luke Bedford, Lindsay Coupland, Victoria Wright, Joseph G. Chappell, Theocharis Tsoleridis, Jonathan Ball, Manjinder Khakh, Vicki M. Fleming, Michelle M. Lister, Hannah C. Howson-Wells, Louise Berry, Tim Boswell, Amelia Joseph, Iona Willingham, Nichola Duckworth, Sarah Walsh, Emma Wise, Nathan Moore, Matilde Mori, Nick Cortes, Stephen Kidd, Rebecca Williams, Laura Gifford, Kelly Bicknell, Sarah Wyllie, Allyson Lloyd, Robert Impey, Cassandra S. Malone, Benjamin J. Cogger, Nick Levene, Lynn Monaghan, Alexander J. Keeley, David G. Partridge, Mohammad Raza, Cariad Evans, Kate Johnson, Emma Betteridge, Ben W. Farr, Scott Goodwin, Michael A. Quail, Carol Scott, Lesley Shirley, Scott A.J. Thurston, Diana Rajan, Iraad F. Bronner, Louise Aigrain, Nicholas M. Redshaw, Stefanie V. Lensing, Shane McCarthy, Alex Makunin, Carlos E. Balcazar, Michael D. Gallagher, Kathleen A. Williamson, Thomas D. Stanton, Michelle L. Michelsen, Joanna Warwick-Dugdale, Robin Manley, Audrey Farbos, James W. Harrison, Christine M. Sambles, David J. Studholme, Angie Lackenby, Tamyo Mbisa, Steven Platt, Shahjahan Miah, David Bibby, Carmen Manso, Jonathan Hubb, Gavin Dabrera, Mary Ramsay, Daniel Bradshaw, Ulf Schaefer, Natalie Groves, Eileen Gallagher, David Lee, David Williams, Nicholas Ellaby, Hassan Hartman, Nikos Manesis, Vineet Patel, Juan Ledesma, Katherine A. Twohig, Elias Allara, Clare Pearson, Jeffrey K.J. Cheng, Hannah E. Bridgewater, Lucy R. Frost, Grace Taylor-Joyce, Paul E. Brown, Lily Tong, Alice Broos, Daniel Mair, Jenna Nichols, Stephen N. Carmichael, Katherine L. Smollett, Kyriaki Nomikou, Elihu Aranday-Cortes, Natasha Johnson, Seema Nickbakhsh, Edith E. Vamos, Margaret Hughes, Lucille Rainbow, Richard Eccles, Charlotte Nelson, Mark Whitehead, Richard Gregory, Matthew Gemmell, Claudia Wierzbicki, Hermione J. Webster, Chloe L. Fisher, Adrian W. Signell, Gilberto Betancor, Harry D. Wilson, Gaia Nebbia, Flavia Flaviani, Alberto C. Cerda, Tammy V. Merrill, Rebekah E. Wilson, Marius Cotic, Nadua Bayzid, Thomas Thompson, Erwan Acheson, Steven Rushton, Sarah O’Brien, David J. Baker, Steven Rudder, Alp Aydin, Fei Sang, Johnny Debebe, Sarah Francois, Tetyana I. Vasylyeva, Marina Escalera Zamudio, Bernardo Gutierrez, Angela Marchbank, Joshua Maksimovic, Karla Spellman, Kathryn McCluggage, Mari Morgan, Robert Beer, Safiah Afifi, Trudy Workman, William Fuller, Catherine Bresner, Adrienn Angyal, Luke R. Green, Paul J. Parsons, Rachel M. Tucker, Rebecca Brown, Max Whiteley, James Bonfield, Christoph Puethe, Andrew Whitwham, Jennifier Liddle, Will Rowe, Igor Siveroni, Thanh Le-Viet, Amy Gaskin, Rob Johnson, Irina Abnizova, Mozam Ali, Laura Allen, Ralph Anderson, Cristina Ariani, Siobhan Austin-Guest, Sendu Bala, Jeffrey Barrett, Andrew Bassett, Kristina Battleday, James Beal, Mathew Beale, Sam Bellany, Tristram Bellerby, Katie Bellis, Duncan Berger, Matt Berriman, Paul Bevan, Simon Binley, Jason Bishop, Kirsty Blackburn, Nick Boughton, Sam Bowker, Timothy Brendler-Spaeth, Iraad Bronner, Tanya Brooklyn, Sarah Kay Buddenborg, Robert Bush, Catarina Caetano, Alex Cagan, Nicola Carter, Joanna Cartwright, Tiago Carvalho Monteiro, Liz Chapman, Tracey-Jane Chillingworth, Peter Clapham, Richard Clark, Adrian Clarke, Catriona Clarke, Daryl Cole, Elizabeth Cook, Maria Coppola, Linda Cornell, Clare Cornwell, Craig Corton, Abby Crackett, Alison Cranage, Harriet Craven, Sarah Craw, Mark Crawford, Tim Cutts, Monika Dabrowska, Matt Davies, Joseph Dawson, Callum Day, Aiden Densem, Thomas Dibling, Cat Dockree, David Dodd, Sunil Dogga, Matthew Dorman, Gordon Dougan, Martin Dougherty, Alexander Dove, Lucy Drummond, Monika Dudek, Laura Durrant, Elizabeth Easthope, Sabine Eckert, Pete Ellis, Ben Farr, Michael Fenton, Marcella Ferrero, Neil Flack, Howerd Fordham, Grace Forsythe, Matt Francis, Audrey Fraser, Adam Freeman, Anastasia Galvin, Maria Garcia-Casado, Alex Gedny, Sophia Girgis, James Glover, Oliver Gould, Andy Gray, Emma Gray, Coline Griffiths, Yong Gu, Florence Guerin, Will Hamilton, Hannah Hanks, Ewan Harrison, Alexandria Harrott, Edward Harry, Julia Harvison, Paul Heath, Anastasia Hernandez-Koutoucheva, Rhiannon Hobbs, Dave Holland, Sarah Holmes, Gary Hornett, Nicholas Hough, Liz Huckle, Lena Hughes-Hallet, Adam Hunter, Stephen Inglis, Sameena Iqbal, Adam Jackson, David Jackson, Carlos Jimenez Verdejo, Matthew Jones, Kalyan Kallepally, Keely Kay, Jon Keatley, Alan Keith, Alison King, Lucy Kitchin, Matt Kleanthous, Martina Klimekova, Petra Korlevic, Ksenia Krasheninnkova, Greg Lane, Cordelia Langford, Adam Laverack, Katharine Law, Stefanie Lensing, Amanah Lewis-Wade, Jennifer Liddle, Quan Lin, Sarah Lindsay, Sally Linsdell, Rhona Long, Jamie Lovell, Jon Lovell, James Mack, Mark Maddison, Aleksei Makunin, Irfan Mamun, Jenny Mansfield, Neil Marriott, Matt Martin, Matthew Mayho, Jo McClintock, Sandra McHugh, Liz MapcMinn, Carl Meadows, Emily Mobley, Robin Moll, Maria Morra, Leanne Morrow, Kathryn Murie, Sian Nash, Claire Nathwani, Plamena Naydenova, Alexandra Neaverson, Ed Nerou, Jon Nicholson, Tabea Nimz, Guillaume G. Noell, Sarah O’Meara, Valeriu Ohan, Charles Olney, Doug Ormond, Agnes Oszlanczi, Yoke Fei Pang, Barbora Pardubska, Naomi Park, Aaron Parmar, Gaurang Patel, Maggie Payne, Sharon Peacock, Arabella Petersen, Deborah Plowman, Tom Preston, Michael Quail, Richard Rance, Suzannah Rawlings, Nicholas Redshaw, Joe Reynolds, Mark Reynolds, Simon Rice, Matt Richardson, Connor Roberts, Katrina Robinson, Melanie Robinson, David Robinson, Hazel Rogers, Eduardo Martin Rojo, Daljit Roopra, Mark Rose, Luke Rudd, Ramin Sadri, Nicholas Salmon, David Saul, Frank Schwach, Phil Seekings, Alison Simms, Matt Sinnott, Shanthi Sivadasan, Bart Siwek, Dale Sizer, Kenneth Skeldon, Jason Skelton, Joanna Slater-Tunstill, Lisa Sloper, Nathalie Smerdon, Chris Smith, Christen Smith, James Smith, Katie Smith, Michelle Smith, Sean Smith, Tina Smith, Leighton Sneade, Carmen Diaz Soria, Catarina Sousa, Emily Souster, Andrew Sparkes, Michael Spencer-Chapman, Janet Squares, Robert Stanley, Claire Steed, Tim Stickland, Ian Still, Mike Stratton, Michelle Strickland, Allen Swann, Agnieszka Swiatkowska, Neil Sycamore, Emma Swift, Edward Symons, Suzanne Szluha, Emma Taluy, Nunu Tao, Katy Taylor, Sam Taylor, Stacey Thompson, Mark Thompson, Mark Thomson, Nicholas Thomson, Scott Thurston, Dee Toombs, Benjamin Topping, Jaime Tovar-Corona, Daniel Ungureanu, James Uphill, Jana Urbanova, Philip Jansen Van, Valerie Vancollie, Paul Voak, Danielle Walker, Matthew Walker, Matt Waller, Gary Ward, Charlie Weatherhogg, Niki Webb, Alan Wells, Eloise Wells, Luke Westwood, Theo Whipp, Thomas Whiteley, Georgia Whitton, Sara Widaa, Mia Williams, Mark Wilson, and Sean Wright

Subjects
SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, antibody escape, neutralizing antibodies, infectivity, spike mutation, Biology (General), QH301-705.5
Abstract

Summary: We report severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike ΔH69/V70 in multiple independent lineages, often occurring after acquisition of receptor binding motif replacements such as N439K and Y453F, known to increase binding affinity to the ACE2 receptor and confer antibody escape. In vitro, we show that, although ΔH69/V70 itself is not an antibody evasion mechanism, it increases infectivity associated with enhanced incorporation of cleaved spike into virions. ΔH69/V70 is able to partially rescue infectivity of spike proteins that have acquired N439K and Y453F escape mutations by increased spike incorporation. In addition, replacement of the H69 and V70 residues in the Alpha variant B.1.1.7 spike (where ΔH69/V70 occurs naturally) impairs spike incorporation and entry efficiency of the B.1.1.7 spike pseudotyped virus. Alpha variant B.1.1.7 spike mediates faster kinetics of cell-cell fusion than wild-type Wuhan-1 D614G, dependent on ΔH69/V70. Therefore, as ΔH69/V70 compensates for immune escape mutations that impair infectivity, continued surveillance for deletions with functional effects is warranted.

Published
2021
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12. Changes in symptomatology, reinfection, and transmissibility associated with the SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7: an ecological study

Author

Mark S Graham, PhD, Carole H Sudre, PhD, Anna May, MA, Michela Antonelli, PhD, Benjamin Murray, MSc, Thomas Varsavsky, MSc, Kerstin Kläser, MSc, Liane S Canas, PhD, Erika Molteni, PhD, Marc Modat, PhD, David A Drew, PhD, Long H Nguyen, MD, Lorenzo Polidori, MSc, Somesh Selvachandran, MSc, Christina Hu, MA, Joan Capdevila, PhD, Alexander Hammers, ProfPhD, Andrew T Chan, ProfMD, Jonathan Wolf, MA, Tim D Spector, ProfPhD, Claire J Steves, PhD, Sebastien Ourselin, ProfPhD, Cherian Koshy, Amy Ash, Emma Wise, Nathan Moore, Matilde Mori, Nick Cortes, Jessica Lynch, Stephen Kidd, Derek J Fairley, Tanya Curran, James P McKenna, Helen Adams, Christophe Fraser, Tanya Golubchik, David Bonsall, Mohammed O Hassan-Ibrahim, Cassandra S Malone, Benjamin J Cogger, Michelle Wantoch, Nicola Reynolds, Ben Warne, Joshua Maksimovic, Karla Spellman, Kathryn McCluggage, Michaela John, Robert Beer, Safiah Afifi, Sian Morgan, Angela Marchbank, Anna Price, Christine Kitchen, Huw Gulliver, Ian Merrick, Joel Southgate, Martyn Guest, Robert Munn, Trudy Workman, Thomas R Connor, William Fuller, Catherine Bresner, Luke B Snell, Amita Patel, Themoula Charalampous, Gaia Nebbia, Rahul Batra, Jonathan Edgeworth, Samuel C Robson, Angela H Beckett, David M Aanensen, Anthony P Underwood, Corin A Yeats, Khalil Abudahab, Ben EW Taylor, Mirko Menegazzo, Gemma Clark, Wendy Smith, Manjinder Khakh, Vicki M Fleming, Michelle M Lister, Hannah C Howson-Wells, Louise Berry, Tim Boswell, Amelia Joseph, Iona Willingham, Carl Jones, Christopher Holmes, Paul Bird, Thomas Helmer, Karlie Fallon, Julian Tang, Veena Raviprakash, Sharon Campbell, Nicola Sheriff, Victoria Blakey, Lesley-Anne Williams, Matthew W Loose, Nadine Holmes, Christopher Moore, Matthew Carlile, Victoria Wright, Fei Sang, Johnny Debebe, Francesc Coll, Adrian W Signell, Gilberto Betancor, Harry D Wilson, Sahar Eldirdiri, Anita Kenyon, Thomas Davis, Oliver G Pybus, Louis du Plessis, Alex E Zarebski, Jayna Raghwani, Moritz UG Kraemer, Sarah Francois, Stephen W Attwood, Tetyana I Vasylyeva, Marina Escalera Zamudio, Bernardo Gutierrez, M. Estee Torok, William L Hamilton, Ian G Goodfellow, Grant Hall, Aminu S Jahun, Yasmin Chaudhry, Myra Hosmillo, Malte L Pinckert, Iliana Georgana, Samuel Moses, Hannah Lowe, Luke Bedford, Jonathan Moore, Susanne Stonehouse, Chloe L Fisher, Ali R Awan, John BoYes, Judith Breuer, Kathryn Ann Harris, Julianne Rose Brown, Divya Shah, Laura Atkinson, Jack CD Lee, Nathaniel Storey, Flavia Flaviani, Adela Alcolea-Medina, Rebecca Williams, Gabrielle Vernet, Michael R Chapman, Lisa J Levett, Judith Heaney, Wendy Chatterton, Monika Pusok, Li Xu-McCrae, Darren L Smith, Matthew Bashton, Gregory R Young, Alison Holmes, Paul Anthony Randell, Alison Cox, Pinglawathee Madona, Frances Bolt, James Price, Siddharth Mookerjee, Manon Ragonnet-Cronin, Fabricia F. Nascimento, David Jorgensen, Igor Siveroni, Rob Johnson, Olivia Boyd, Lily Geidelberg, Erik M Volz, Aileen Rowan, Graham P Taylor, Katherine L Smollett, Nicholas J Loman, Joshua Quick, Claire McMurray, Joanne Stockton, Sam Nicholls, Will Rowe, Radoslaw Poplawski, Alan McNally, Rocio T Martinez Nunez, Jenifer Mason, Trevor I Robinson, Elaine O'Toole, Joanne Watts, Cassie Breen, Angela Cowell, Graciela Sluga, Nicholas W Machin, Shazaad S Y Ahmad, Ryan P George, Fenella Halstead, Venkat Sivaprakasam, Wendy Hogsden, Chris J Illingworth, Chris Jackson, Emma C Thomson, James G Shepherd, Patawee Asamaphan, Marc O Niebel, Kathy K Li, Rajiv N Shah, Natasha G Jesudason, Lily Tong, Alice Broos, Daniel Mair, Jenna Nichols, Stephen N Carmichael, Kyriaki Nomikou, Elihu Aranday-Cortes, Natasha Johnson, Igor Starinskij, Ana da Silva Filipe, David L Robertson, Richard J Orton, Joseph Hughes, Sreenu Vattipally, Joshua B Singer, Seema Nickbakhsh, Antony D Hale, Louissa R Macfarlane-Smith, Katherine L Harper, Holli Carden, Yusri Taha, Brendan AI Payne, Shirelle Burton-Fanning, Sheila Waugh, Jennifer Collins, Gary Eltringham, Steven Rushton, Sarah O'Brien, Amanda Bradley, Alasdair Maclean, Guy Mollett, Rachel Blacow, Kate E Templeton, Martin P McHugh, Rebecca Dewar, Elizabeth Wastenge, Samir Dervisevic, Rachael Stanley, Emma J Meader, Lindsay Coupland, Louise Smith, Clive Graham, Edward Barton, Debra Padgett, Garren Scott, Emma Swindells, Jane Greenaway, Andrew Nelson, Clare M McCann, Wen C Yew, Monique Andersson, Timothy Peto, Anita Justice, David Eyre, Derrick Crook, Tim J Sloan, Nichola Duckworth, Sarah Walsh, Anoop J Chauhan, Sharon Glaysher, Kelly Bicknell, Sarah Wyllie, Scott Elliott, Allyson Lloyd, Robert Impey, Nick Levene, Lynn Monaghan, Declan T Bradley, Tim Wyatt, Elias Allara, Clare Pearson, Husam Osman, Andrew Bosworth, Esther Robinson, Peter Muir, Ian B Vipond, Richard Hopes, Hannah M Pymont, Stephanie Hutchings, Martin D Curran, Surendra Parmar, Angie Lackenby, Tamyo Mbisa, Steven Platt, Shahjahan Miah, David Bibby, Carmen Manso, Jonathan Hubb, Meera Chand, Gavin Dabrera, Mary Ramsay, Daniel Bradshaw, Alicia Thornton, Richard Myers, Ulf Schaefer, Natalie Groves, Eileen Gallagher, David Lee, David Williams, Nicholas Ellaby, Ian Harrison, Hassan Hartman, Nikos Manesis, Vineet Patel, Chloe Bishop, Vicki Chalker, Juan Ledesma, Katherine A Twohig, Matthew T.G. Holden, Sharif Shaaban, Alec Birchley, Alexander Adams, Alisha Davies, Amy Gaskin, Amy Plimmer, Bree Gatica-Wilcox, Caoimhe McKerr, Catherine Moore, Chris Williams, David Heyburn, Elen De Lacy, Ember Hilvers, Fatima Downing, Giri Shankar, Hannah Jones, Hibo Asad, Jason Coombes, Joanne Watkins, Johnathan M Evans, Laia Fina, Laura Gifford, Lauren Gilbert, Lee Graham, Malorie Perry, Mari Morgan, Matthew Bull, Michelle Cronin, Nicole Pacchiarini, Noel Craine, Rachel Jones, Robin Howe, Sally Corden, Sara Rey, Sara Kumziene-SummerhaYes, Sarah Taylor, Simon Cottrell, Sophie Jones, Sue Edwards, Justin O'Grady, Andrew J Page, Alison E Mather, David J Baker, Steven Rudder, Alp Aydin, Gemma L Kay, Alexander J Trotter, Nabil-Fareed Alikhan, Leonardo de Oliveira Martins, Thanh Le-Viet, Lizzie Meadows, Anna Casey, Liz Ratcliffe, David A Simpson, Zoltan Molnar, Thomas Thompson, Erwan Acheson, Jane AH Masoli, Bridget A Knight, Sian Ellard, Cressida Auckland, Christopher R Jones, Tabitha W Mahungu, Dianne Irish-Tavares, Tanzina Haque, Jennifer Hart, Eric Witele, Melisa Louise Fenton, Ashok Dadrah, Amanda Symmonds, Tranprit Saluja, Yann Bourgeois, Garry P Scarlett, Katie F Loveson, Salman Goudarzi, Christopher Fearn, Kate Cook, Hannah Dent, Hannah Paul, David G Partridge, Mohammad Raza, Cariad Evans, Kate Johnson, Steven Liggett, Paul Baker, Stephen Bonner, Sarah Essex, Ronan A Lyons, Kordo Saeed, Adhyana I.K Mahanama, Buddhini Samaraweera, Siona Silveira, Emanuela Pelosi, Eleri Wilson-Davies, Rachel J Williams, Mark Kristiansen, Sunando Roy, Charlotte A Williams, Marius Cotic, Nadua Bayzid, Adam P Westhorpe, John A Hartley, Riaz Jannoo, Helen L Lowe, Angeliki Karamani, Leah Ensell, Jacqui A Prieto, Sarah Jeremiah, Dimitris Grammatopoulos, Sarojini Pandey, Lisa Berry, Katie Jones, Alex Richter, Andrew Beggs, Angus Best, Benita Percival, Jeremy Mirza, Oliver Megram, Megan Mayhew, Liam Crawford, Fiona Ashcroft, Emma Moles-Garcia, Nicola Cumley, Colin P Smith, Giselda Bucca, Andrew R Hesketh, Beth Blane, Sophia T Girgis, Danielle Leek, Sushmita Sridhar, Sally Forrest, Claire Cormie, Harmeet K Gill, Joana Dias, Ellen E Higginson, Mailis Maes, Jamie Young, Leanne M Kermack, Ravi Kumar Gupta, Catherine Ludden, Sharon J Peacock, Sophie Palmer, Carol M Churcher, Nazreen F Hadjirin, Alessandro M Carabelli, Ellena Brooks, Kim S Smith, Katerina Galai, Georgina M McManus, Chris Ruis, Rose K Davidson, Andrew Rambaut, Thomas Williams, Carlos E Balcazar, Michael D Gallagher, Áine O'Toole, Stefan Rooke, Verity Hill, Kathleen A Williamson, Thomas D Stanton, Stephen L Michell, Claire M Bewshea, Ben Temperton, Michelle L Michelsen, Joanna Warwick-Dugdale, Robin Manley, Audrey Farbos, James W Harrison, Christine M Sambles, David J Studholme, Aaron R Jeffries, Alistair C Darby, Julian A Hiscox, Steve Paterson, Miren Iturriza-Gomara, Kathryn A Jackson, Anita O Lucaci, Edith E Vamos, Margaret Hughes, Lucille Rainbow, Richard Eccles, Charlotte Nelson, Mark Whitehead, Lance Turtle, Sam T Haldenby, Richard Gregory, Matthew Gemmell, Claudia Wierzbicki, Hermione J Webster, Thushan I de Silva, Nikki Smith, Adrienn Angyal, Benjamin B Lindsey, Danielle C Groves, Luke R Green, Dennis Wang, Timothy M Freeman, Matthew D Parker, Alexander J Keeley, Paul J Parsons, Rachel M Tucker, Rebecca Brown, Matthew Wyles, Max Whiteley, Peijun Zhang, Marta Gallis, Stavroula F Louka, Chrystala Constantinidou, Meera Unnikrishnan, Sascha Ott, Jeffrey K.J. Cheng, Hannah E. Bridgewater, Lucy R. Frost, Grace Taylor-Joyce, Richard Stark, Laura Baxter, Mohammad T. Alam, Paul E Brown, Dinesh Aggarwal, Alberto C Cerda, Tammy V Merrill, Rebekah E Wilson, Patrick C McClure, Joseph G Chappell, Theocharis Tsoleridis, Jonathan Ball, David Buck, John A Todd, Angie Green, Amy Trebes, George MacIntyre-Cockett, Mariateresa de Cesare, Alex Alderton, Roberto Amato, Cristina V Ariani, Mathew A Beale, Charlotte Beaver, Katherine L Bellis, Emma Betteridge, James Bonfield, John Danesh, Matthew J Dorman, Eleanor Drury, Ben W Farr, Luke Foulser, Sonia Goncalves, Scott Goodwin, Marina Gourtovaia, Ewan M Harrison, David K Jackson, Dorota Jamrozy, Ian Johnston, Leanne Kane, Sally Kay, Jon-Paul Keatley, Dominic Kwiatkowski, Cordelia F Langford, Mara Lawniczak, Laura Letchford, Rich Livett, Stephanie Lo, Inigo Martincorena, Samantha McGuigan, Rachel Nelson, Steve Palmer, Naomi R Park, Minal Patel, Liam Prestwood, Christoph Puethe, Michael A Quail, Shavanthi Rajatileka, Carol Scott, Lesley Shirley, John Sillitoe, Michael H Spencer Chapman, Scott AJ Thurston, Gerry Tonkin-Hill, Danni Weldon, Diana Rajan, Iraad F Bronner, Louise Aigrain, Nicholas M Redshaw, Stefanie V Lensing, Robert Davies, Andrew Whitwham, Jennifier Liddle, Kevin Lewis, Jaime M Tovar-Corona, Steven Leonard, Jillian Durham, Andrew R Bassett, Shane McCarthy, Robin J Moll, Keith James, Karen Oliver, Alex Makunin, Jeff Barrett, and Rory N Gunson

Subjects
Public aspects of medicine, RA1-1270
Abstract

Summary: Background: The SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7 was first identified in December, 2020, in England. We aimed to investigate whether increases in the proportion of infections with this variant are associated with differences in symptoms or disease course, reinfection rates, or transmissibility. Methods: We did an ecological study to examine the association between the regional proportion of infections with the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 variant and reported symptoms, disease course, rates of reinfection, and transmissibility. Data on types and duration of symptoms were obtained from longitudinal reports from users of the COVID Symptom Study app who reported a positive test for COVID-19 between Sept 28 and Dec 27, 2020 (during which the prevalence of B.1.1.7 increased most notably in parts of the UK). From this dataset, we also estimated the frequency of possible reinfection, defined as the presence of two reported positive tests separated by more than 90 days with a period of reporting no symptoms for more than 7 days before the second positive test. The proportion of SARS-CoV-2 infections with the B.1.1.7 variant across the UK was estimated with use of genomic data from the COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium and data from Public Health England on spike-gene target failure (a non-specific indicator of the B.1.1.7 variant) in community cases in England. We used linear regression to examine the association between reported symptoms and proportion of B.1.1.7. We assessed the Spearman correlation between the proportion of B.1.1.7 cases and number of reinfections over time, and between the number of positive tests and reinfections. We estimated incidence for B.1.1.7 and previous variants, and compared the effective reproduction number, Rt, for the two incidence estimates. Findings: From Sept 28 to Dec 27, 2020, positive COVID-19 tests were reported by 36 920 COVID Symptom Study app users whose region was known and who reported as healthy on app sign-up. We found no changes in reported symptoms or disease duration associated with B.1.1.7. For the same period, possible reinfections were identified in 249 (0·7% [95% CI 0·6–0·8]) of 36 509 app users who reported a positive swab test before Oct 1, 2020, but there was no evidence that the frequency of reinfections was higher for the B.1.1.7 variant than for pre-existing variants. Reinfection occurrences were more positively correlated with the overall regional rise in cases (Spearman correlation 0·56–0·69 for South East, London, and East of England) than with the regional increase in the proportion of infections with the B.1.1.7 variant (Spearman correlation 0·38–0·56 in the same regions), suggesting B.1.1.7 does not substantially alter the risk of reinfection. We found a multiplicative increase in the Rt of B.1.1.7 by a factor of 1·35 (95% CI 1·02–1·69) relative to pre-existing variants. However, Rt fell below 1 during regional and national lockdowns, even in regions with high proportions of infections with the B.1.1.7 variant. Interpretation: The lack of change in symptoms identified in this study indicates that existing testing and surveillance infrastructure do not need to change specifically for the B.1.1.7 variant. In addition, given that there was no apparent increase in the reinfection rate, vaccines are likely to remain effective against the B.1.1.7 variant. Funding: Zoe Global, Department of Health (UK), Wellcome Trust, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (UK), National Institute for Health Research (UK), Medical Research Council (UK), Alzheimer's Society.

Published
2021
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13. 'Kankasha' in Kassala: A prospective observational cohort study of the clinical characteristics, epidemiology, genetic origin, and chronic impact of the 2018 epidemic of Chikungunya virus infection in Kassala, Sudan.

Author

Hilary Bower, Mubarak El Karsany, Abd Alhadi Adam Hussein Adam, Mubarak Ibrahim Idriss, Ma'aaza Abasher Alzain, Mohamed Elamin Ahmed Alfakiyousif, Rehab Mohamed, Iman Mahmoud, Omer Albadri, Suha Abdulaziz Alnour Mahmoud, Orwa Ibrahim Abdalla, Mawahib Eldigail, Nuha Elagib, Ulrike Arnold, Bernardo Gutierrez, Oliver G Pybus, Daniel P Carter, Steven T Pullan, Shevin T Jacob, Tajeldin Mohammedein Abdallah, Benedict Gannon, and Tom E Fletcher

Subjects
Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine, RC955-962, Public aspects of medicine, RA1-1270
Abstract

BackgroundThe public health impact of Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is often underestimated. Usually considered a mild condition of short duration, recent outbreaks have reported greater incidence of severe illness, fatality, and longer-term disability. In 2018/19, Eastern Sudan experienced the largest epidemic of CHIKV in Africa to date, affecting an estimated 487,600 people. Known locally as Kankasha, this study examines clinical characteristics, risk factors, and phylogenetics of the epidemic in Kassala City.Methodology/principal findingsA prospective cohort of 102 adults and 40 children presenting with chikungunya-like illness were enrolled at Kassala Teaching Hospital in October 2018. Clinical information, socio-demographic data, and sera samples were analysed to confirm diagnosis, characterise illness, and identify viral strain. CHIKV infection was confirmed by real-time reverse transcription-PCR in 84.5% (120/142) of participants. Nine (7.5%) CHIKV-positive participants had concurrent Dengue virus (DENV) infection; 34/118 participants (28.8%) had a positive Rapid Diagnostic Test for Plasmodium falciparum; six (5.0%) had haemorrhagic symptoms including two children with life-threatening bleeding. One CHIKV-positive participant died with acute renal injury. Age was not associated with severity of illness although CHIKV-infected participants were younger (p = 0.003). Two to four months post-illness, 63% of adults available for follow-up (30) were still experiencing arthralgia in one or more joints, and 11% remained moderately disabled on Rapid3 assessment. Phylogenetic analysis showed all CHIKV sequences from this study belonged to a single clade within the Indian Ocean Lineage (IOL) of the East/Central/South African (ECSA) genotype. History of contact with an infected person was the only factor associated with infection (p = 0.01), and likely related to being in the same vector environment.Conclusions/significanceVulnerability to CHIKV remains in Kassala and elsewhere in Sudan due to widespread Aedes aegypti presence and mosquito-fostering household water storage methods. This study highlights the importance of increasing awareness of the severity and impact of CHIKV outbreaks, and the need for urgent actions to reduce transmission risk in households.

Published
2021
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14. Understanding the genetic diversity of the guayabillo (Psidium galapageium), an endemic plant of the Galapagos Islands

Author

Diego Urquía, Gabriela Pozo, Bernardo Gutierrez, Jennifer K. Rowntree, and Maria de Lourdes Torres

Subjects
Galapagos Islands, Endemic species, Insular species, Genetic diversity, Psidium galapageium, Microsatellites, Ecology, QH540-549.5
Abstract

Oceanic archipelagos are known to host a variety of endemic plant species. The genetic diversity and structure of these species are important indicators of their evolutionary history and can have consequences on the implementation of appropriate conservation strategies. A comprehensive consideration of the role of their natural history, as well as the landscape features and the geological history of the islands themselves are required to adequately understand the geographic patterns inferred from genetic data. Such is the case for guayabillo (Psidium galapageium), an understudied endemic plant from the Galapagos Islands with important ecological and economic roles. In this study we designed and evaluated 13 informative SSR markers and used them to investigate the genetic diversity, population structure and connectivity of the guayabillo populations from San Cristobal, Isabela and Santa Cruz islands. A total of 208 guayabillo individuals were analyzed, revealing a strong population structure between islands and two distinct genetic lineages for the Santa Cruz population. Overall, the relatively high genetic diversity of the species could be explained by different biological, demographic and environmental factors. For guayabillo populations such as the one in San Cristobal, the history of human disturbance in their habitats might play an important role in explaining their reduced genetic diversity. The coexistence of two distinct lineages in Santa Cruz, with one of them sharing genetic similarities with individuals from San Cristobal, could be attributed to limited, unidirectional gene flow from the latter island to the former. Our findings highlight the complex population dynamics that shape the genetic diversity of species like the guayabillo, and emphasize the importance of a species’ evolution and natural history when interpreting its population genetics.

Published
2020
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15. The Shortcomings of COVID-19 Testing in Ecuador: Time to Incentivize Research and Innovation

Author

Izan Chalen, María Mercedes Cobo, Bernardo Gutierrez, Andrés Carrazco-Montalvo, Patricio Ponce, and Diego F. Cisneros-Heredia

Subjects
coronavirus, research and development, diagnosis, biotechnology industry, Science
Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic hit Ecuador severely. The country caught the attention of international media due to its high death toll and overwhelmed healthcare system. The clinical diagnostics system was rapidly overloaded, and the import of PCR tests was delayed. The case of Ecuador illustrates how middle-income countries rely heavily on the importation of biotechnological products for their healthcare systems. The Ecuadorian experience during the COVID-19 pandemic serves as a call for the formation of policies for the development of the biotechnological industry.

Published
2022
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16. Oropouche virus cases identified in Ecuador using an optimised qRT-PCR informed by metagenomic sequencing.

Author

Emma L Wise, Sully Márquez, Jack Mellors, Verónica Paz, Barry Atkinson, Bernardo Gutierrez, Sonia Zapata, Josefina Coloma, Oliver G Pybus, Simon K Jackson, Gabriel Trueba, Gyorgy Fejer, Christopher H Logue, and Steven T Pullan

Subjects
Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine, RC955-962, Public aspects of medicine, RA1-1270
Abstract

Oropouche virus (OROV) is responsible for outbreaks of Oropouche fever in parts of South America. We recently identified and isolated OROV from a febrile Ecuadorian patient, however, a previously published qRT-PCR assay did not detect OROV in the patient sample. A primer mismatch to the Ecuadorian OROV lineage was identified from metagenomic sequencing data. We report the optimisation of an qRT-PCR assay for the Ecuadorian OROV lineage, which subsequently identified a further five cases in a cohort of 196 febrile patients. We isolated OROV via cell culture and developed an algorithmically-designed primer set for whole-genome amplification of the virus. Metagenomic sequencing of the patient samples provided OROV genome coverage ranging from 68-99%. The additional cases formed a single phylogenetic cluster together with the initial case. OROV should be considered as a differential diagnosis for Ecuadorian patients with febrile illness to avoid mis-diagnosis with other circulating pathogens.

Published
2020
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17. Characterizing the genetic diversity of the Andean blueberry (Vaccinium floribundum Kunth.) across the Ecuadorian Highlands.

Author

Pamela Vega-Polo, Maria Mercedes Cobo, Andrea Argudo, Bernardo Gutierrez, Jennifer Rowntree, and Maria de Lourdes Torres

Subjects
Medicine, Science
Abstract

The Ecuadorian páramo, a high altitude tundra-like ecosystem, is a unique source of various ecosystem services and distinct biodiversity. Anthropogenic activities are associated with its fragmentation, which alters ecological factors and directly threatens resident species. Vaccinium floribundum Kunth., commonly known as Andean blueberry or mortiño, is a wild shrub endemic to the Andean region and highly valued in Ecuador for its berries, which are widely used in food preparations and hold an important cultural value. Since it is a wild species, mortiño could be vulnerable to environmental changes, resulting in a reduction of the size and distribution of its populations. To evaluate the extent of these effects on the mortiño populations, we assessed the genetic diversity and population structure of the species along the Ecuadorian highlands. We designed and developed a set of 30 species-specific SSR (simple sequence repeats) markers and used 16 of these to characterize 100 mortiño individuals from 27 collection sites. Our results revealed a high degree of genetic diversity (HE = 0.73) for the Ecuadorian mortiño, and a population structure analyses suggested the existence of distinct genetic clusters present in the northern, central and southern highlands. A fourth, clearly differentiated cluster was also found and included individuals from locations at higher elevations. We suggest that the population structure of the species could be explained by an isolation-by-distance model and can be associated with the geological history of the Andean region. Our results suggest that elevation could also be a key factor in the differentiation of mortiño populations. This study provides an extensive overview of the species across its distribution range in Ecuador, contributing to a better understanding of its conservation status. These results can assist in the development of conservation programs for this valuable biological and cultural resource and for the páramo ecosystem as a whole.

Published
2020
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18. Psidium guajava in the Galapagos Islands: Population genetics and history of an invasive species.

Author

Diego Urquía, Bernardo Gutierrez, Gabriela Pozo, María José Pozo, Analía Espín, and María de Lourdes Torres

Subjects
Medicine, Science
Abstract

The threat of invasive plant species in island populations prompts the need to better understand their population genetics and dynamics. In the Galapagos islands, this is exemplified by the introduced guava (Psidium guajava), considered one of the greatest threats to the local biodiversity due to its effective spread in the archipelago and its ability to outcompete endemic species. To better understand its history and genetics, we analyzed individuals from three inhabited islands in the Galapagos archipelago with 11 SSR markers. Our results reveal similar genetic diversity between islands, and the populations appear to be distinct: the islands of San Cristobal and Isabela are genetically different while the population of Santa Cruz is a mixture from both. Additional evidence for genetic bottlenecks and the inference of introduction events suggests an original introduction of the species in San Cristobal, from where it was later introduced to Isabela, and finally into Santa Cruz. Alternatively, a second introduction in Isabela might have occurred. These results are contrasted with the historical record, providing a first overview of the history of P. guajava in the Galapagos islands and its current population dynamics.

Published
2019
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25. Convergent trends and spatiotemporal patterns of arboviruses in Mexico and Central America

Author

Bernardo Gutierrez, Darlan da Silva Candido, Sumali Bajaj, Abril Paulina Rodriguez Maldonado, Fabiola Garces Ayala, María de la Luz Torre Rodriguez, Adnan Araiza Rodriguez, Claudia Wong Arámbula, Ernesto Ramírez González, Irma López Martínez, José Alberto Díaz-Quiñónez, Mauricio Vázquez Pichardo, Sarah C. Hill, Julien Thézé, Nuno R. Faria, Oliver G. Pybus, Lorena Preciado-Llanes, Arturo Reyes-Sandoval, Moritz U.G. Kraemer, Marina Escalera-Zamudio, University of Oxford, Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ), Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo [São Paulo, Brésil], Instituto de Diagnóstico y Referencia Epidemiológicos, Secretaría de Salud, Mexico city, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo (UAEH), Royal Veterinary College [London], University of London [London], Unité Mixte de Recherche d'Épidémiologie des maladies Animales et zoonotiques (UMR EPIA), VetAgro Sup - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur et de recherche en alimentation, santé animale, sciences agronomiques et de l'environnement (VAS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Imperial College London, The Abdul Latif Jameel Institute for Disease and Emergency Analytics, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine [Oxford], Instituto Politecnico Nacional [Mexico] (IPN), and European Project: EU H2020 - MOOD

Subjects
[SDV.SPEE]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Santé publique et épidémiologie
Abstract

BackgroundArboviruses cause both seasonal epidemics (e.g. dengue viruses, DENV) and emerging outbreaks (e.g. chikungunya and Zika viruses, CHIKV and ZIKV) with a significant impact on global health. These viruses share mosquito vector species, often infecting the same host population within overlapping geographic regions. Thus, comparative analyses of their evolutionary and epidemiological dynamics across spatial and temporal scales could reveal convergent transmission trends.Methodology/Principal FindingsFocusing on Mexico as a case study, we generated CHIKV, DENV-1 and DENV-2 genomes from an epidemiological surveillance-derived historical sample collection, and analysed them together with longitudinally-collected genome and epidemiological data from the Americas. Arboviruses endemically circulating within the country were found to be introduced multiple times from lineages predominantly sampled from the Caribbean and Central America. For CHIKV, at least thirteen introductions were inferred over a year, with six of these leading to persistent transmission chains. For both DENV-1 and DENV-2, at least seven introductions were inferred over a decade.Conclusions/SignificanceOur results suggest that CHIKV, DENV-1 and DENV-2 in Mexico share similar evolutionary and epidemiological trajectories. The southwest region of the country was determined to be the most likely location for viral introductions from abroad, with a subsequent spread into the Pacific coast towards the north of Mexico. The virus diffusion patterns observed across the country are likely driven by multiple factors, including mobility linked to human migration from Central towards North America. Considering Mexico‘s economic role and geographic positioning displaying a high human mobility across borders, our results prompt the need to better understand the role of anthropogenic factors in the transmission dynamics of arboviruses, particularly linked to land-based human migration.AUTHOR SUMMARYMexico is endemic to several mosquito-borne viruses relevant to global health, and ranks within the top five countries in the Americas that report the highest case numbers. Our study provides a general overview of arbovirus introduction, spread and establishment patterns in North and Central America, and should be of interest to both local health and global authorities. Moreover, it sets to explore the paradigm of convergence at different scales in independent virus populations, represented by comparable epidemiological and evolutionary trends in arboviruses sharing ecological niches. Our results represent important advances in the study of mosquito-borne viruses listed as a threat to global health, specifically applied to key countries within the developing world

Published
2023

27. Cryptic transmission and re-emergence of Cosmopolitan genotype of Dengue Virus Serotype 2 within Ho Chi Minh City and Southern Vietnam

Author

Vi T. Tran, Rhys P. D. Inward, Bernardo Gutierrez, Nguyet M Nguyen, Isabelle Rajendiran, Phong Nguyen Thanh, Tam Cao Thi, Kien T.H. Duong, Moritz U. G. Kraemer, and Sophie Yacoub

Abstract

BackgroundDengue virus (DENV) is a major global public health threat and causes substantial morbidity and mortality in hyperendemic countries like Vietnam with its largest city, Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), recently experiencing its largest DENV outbreak in over a decade. Despite this, there is currently a lack of data on circulating DENV serotypes/genotypes and monitoring of transmission dynamics within HCMC, which presents a challenge for the design and implementation of effective DENV mitigation strategies.MethodsWe generated 45 DENV envelope (E) gene sequences from human plasma samples collected in southern Vietnam between 2017 and 2022. We applied phylogenetic methods to infer the probable route of virus introductions into HCMC and its surrounding areas, as well as their approximate timing, using additional sequences from Southern and South-east Asia.FindingsWe found evidence of the co-circulation of multiple DENV serotypes/genotypes and the re-emergence of the DENV-2 Cosmopolitan genotype in southern Vietnam. Furthermore, we detected at least three independent seeding events of the Cosmopolitan genotype into Vietnam, the earliest of which is estimated to have occurred two years before the earliest sampling date, providing evidence of at least two seasons of cryptic transmission.InterpretationOur findings emphasize the urgent need for comprehensive DENV surveillance in HCMC and Vietnam to guide appropriate and effective public health responses and improve understanding of recent outbreak dynamics in Vietnam and neighbouring countries. Such efforts may also help predict epidemic dynamics of DENV in future seasons.FundingThis work was supported by the Wellcome Trust [106680] and Wellcome Trust [226052/Z/22/Z]Evidence before this studyDengue virus (DENV) is a significant threat to global health causing high levels of morbidity and economic damage. With the limited surveillance infrastructure for DENV, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, little is currently known about the transmission dynamics in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) and Vietnam presenting a challenge for the design and implementation of DENV mitigation strategies.Added value of this studyGenomic epidemiology is a powerful approach to gain insights into the spatio-temporal dynamics of viruses and to detect new viral variants. Our analyses shows the existence of multiple co-circulating DENV-2 genotypes in southern Vietnam with multiple distinct and continued introductions of the Cosmopolitan genotype into HCMC over multiple years.Implications of all the available evidenceFindings from this study will assist local and regional dengue surveillance and control programs as well as adding to our understanding on DENV genomic epidemiology and transmission dynamics. Critically, current dengue screening and surveillance methodology should be modified to enable detection of these novel lineages. The emergence of these genotypes and their impact on dengue evolution need to be explored on a larger scale. These results will also allow vital missing genomic data to be incorporated into models used for importation dynamics analysis. We plan to integrate these findings into a DENV forecasting tool being developed as part of Wellcome funded multidisciplinary project - DART (Dengue Advanced Readiness Tools), which aims to build an integrated digital system for dengue outbreak prediction and monitoring.

Published
2023
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28. Investigation of hospital discharge cases and SARS-CoV-2 introduction into Lothian care homes

Author

S. Cotton, M.P. McHugh, R. Dewar, J.G. Haas, K. Templeton, Samuel C. Robson, Thomas R. Connor, Nicholas J. Loman, Tanya Golubchik, Rocio T. Martinez Nunez, David Bonsall, Andrew Rambaut, Luke B. Snell, Rich Livett, Catherine Ludden, Sally Corden, Eleni Nastouli, Gaia Nebbia, Ian Johnston, Jacqui A. Prieto, Kordo Saeed, David K. Jackson, Catherine Houlihan, Dan Frampton, William L. Hamilton, Adam A. Witney, Giselda Bucca, Cassie F. Pope, Catherine Moore, Emma C. Thomson, Teresa Cutino-Moguel, Ewan M. Harrison, Colin P. Smith, Fiona Rogan, Shaun M. Beckwith, Abigail Murray, Dawn Singleton, Kirstine Eastick, Liz A. Sheridan, Paul Randell, Leigh M. Jackson, Cristina V. Ariani, Sónia Gonçalves, Derek J. Fairley, Matthew W. Loose, Joanne Watkins, Samuel Moses, Sam Nicholls, Matthew Bull, Roberto Amato, Darren L. Smith, David M. Aanensen, Jeffrey C. Barrett, Beatrix Kele, Dinesh Aggarwal, James G. Shepherd, Martin D. Curran, Surendra Parmar, Matthew D. Parker, Catryn Williams, Sharon Glaysher, Anthony P. Underwood, Matthew Bashton, Nicole Pacchiarini, Katie F. Loveson, Matthew Byott, Alessandro M. Carabelli, Kate E. Templeton, Sharon J. Peacock, Thushan I. de Silva, Dennis Wang, Cordelia F. Langford, John Sillitoe, Rory N. Gunson, Simon Cottrell, Justin O’Grady, Dominic Kwiatkowski, Patrick J. Lillie, Nicholas Cortes, Nathan Moore, Claire Thomas, Phillipa J. Burns, Tabitha W. Mahungu, Steven Liggett, Angela H. Beckett, Matthew TG. Holden, Lisa J. Levett, Husam Osman, Mohammed O. Hassan-Ibrahim, David A. Simpson, Meera Chand, Ravi K. Gupta, Alistair C. Darby, Steve Paterson, Oliver G. Pybus, Erik M. Volz, Daniela de Angelis, David L. Robertson, Andrew J. Page, Inigo Martincorena, Louise Aigrain, Andrew R. Bassett, Nick Wong, Yusri Taha, Michelle J. Erkiert, Michael H. Spencer Chapman, Rebecca Dewar, Martin P. McHugh, Siddharth Mookerjee, Stephen Aplin, Matthew Harvey, Thea Sass, Helen Umpleby, Helen Wheeler, James P. McKenna, Ben Warne, Joshua F. Taylor, Yasmin Chaudhry, Rhys Izuagbe, Aminu S. Jahun, Gregory R. Young, Claire McMurray, Clare M. McCann, Andrew Nelson, Scott Elliott, Hannah Lowe, Anna Price, Matthew R. Crown, Sara Rey, Sunando Roy, Ben Temperton, Sharif Shaaban, Andrew R. Hesketh, Kenneth G. Laing, Irene M. Monahan, Judith Heaney, Emanuela Pelosi, Siona Silviera, Eleri Wilson-Davies, Helen Fryer, Helen Adams, Louis du Plessis, Rob Johnson, William T. Harvey, Joseph Hughes, Richard J. Orton, Lewis G. Spurgin, Yann Bourgeois, Chris Ruis, Áine O'Toole, Marina Gourtovaia, Theo Sanderson, Christophe Fraser, Jonathan Edgeworth, Judith Breuer, Stephen L. Michell, John A. Todd, Michaela John, David Buck, Kavitha Gajee, Gemma L. Kay, David Heyburn, Themoula Charalampous, Adela Alcolea-Medina, Katie Kitchman, Alan McNal, David T. Pritch, Samir Dervisevic, Peter Muir, Esther Robinson, Barry B. Vipond, Newara A. Ramadan, Christopher Jeanes, Danni Weldon, Jana Catalan, Neil Jones, Ana da Silva Filipe, Chris Williams, Marc Fuchs, Julia Miskelly, Aaron R. Jeffries, Karen Oliver, Naomi R. Park, Amy Ash, Cherian Koshy, Magdalena Barrow, Sarah L. Buchan, Anna Mantzouratou, Gemma Clark, Christopher W. Holmes, Sharon Campbell, Thomas Davis, Ngee Keong Tan, Julianne R. Brown, Kathryn A. Harris, Stephen P. Kidd, Paul R. Grant, Li Xu-McCrae, Alison Cox, Pinglawathee Madona, Marcus Pond, Paul A. Randell, Karen T. Withell, Cheryl Williams, Clive Graham, Rebecca Denton-Smith, Emma Swindells, Robyn Turnbull, Tim J. Sloan, Andrew Bosworth, Stephanie Hutchings, Hannah M. Pymont, Anna Casey, Liz Ratcliffe, Christopher R. Jones, Bridget A. Knight, Tanzina Haque, Jennifer Hart, Dianne Irish-Tavares, Eric Witele, Craig Mower, Louisa K. Watson DipHE, Jennifer Collins, Gary Eltringham, Dorian Crudgington, Ben Macklin, Miren Iturriza-Gomara, Anita O. Lucaci, Patrick C. McClure, Matthew Carlile, Nadine Holmes, Christopher Moore, Nathaniel Storey, Stefan Rooke, Gonzalo Yebra, Noel Craine, Malorie Perry, Nabil-Fareed Alikhan, Stephen Bridgett, Kate F. Cook, Christopher Fearn, Salman Goudarzi, Ronan A. Lyons, Thomas Williams, Sam T. Haldenby, Jillian Durham, Steven Leonard, Robert M. Davies, Rahul Batra, Beth Blane, Moira J. Spyer, Perminder Smith, Mehmet Yavus, Rachel J. Williams, Adhyana IK. Mahanama, Buddhini Samaraweera, Sophia T. Girgis, Samantha E. Hansford, Angie Green, Charlotte Beaver, Katherine L. Bellis, Matthew J. Dorman, Sally Kay, Liam Prestwood, Shavanthi Rajatileka, Joshua Quick, Radoslaw Poplawski, Nicola Reynolds, Andrew Mack, Arthur Morriss, Thomas Whalley, Bindi Patel, Iliana Georgana, Myra Hosmillo, Malte L. Pinckert, Joanne Stockton, John H. Henderson, Amy Hollis, William Stanley, Wen C. Yew, Richard Myers, Alicia Thornton, Alexander Adams, Tara Annett, Hibo Asad, Alec Birchley, Jason Coombes, Johnathan M. Evans, Laia Fina, Bree Gatica-Wilcox, Lauren Gilbert, Lee Graham, Jessica Hey, Ember Hilvers, Sophie Jones, Hannah Jones, Sara Kumziene-Summerhayes, Caoimhe McKerr, Jessica Powell, Georgia Pugh, Sarah Taylor, Alexander J. Trotter, Charlotte A. Williams, Leanne M. Kermack, Benjamin H. Foulkes, Marta Gallis, Hailey R. Hornsby, Stavroula F. Louka, Manoj Pohare, Paige Wolverson, Peijun Zhang, George MacIntyre-Cockett, Amy Trebes, Robin J. Moll, Lynne Ferguson, Emily J. Goldstein, Alasdair Maclean, Rachael Tomb, Igor Starinskij, Laura Thomson, Joel Southgate, Moritz UG. Kraemer, Jayna Raghwani, Alex E. Zarebski, Olivia Boyd, Lily Geidelberg, Chris J. Illingworth, Chris Jackson, David Pascall, Sreenu Vattipally, Timothy M. Freeman, Sharon N. Hsu, Benjamin B. Lindsey, Keith James, Kevin Lewis, Gerry Tonkin-Hill, Jaime M. Tovar-Corona, MacGregor Cox, Khalil Abudahab, Mirko Menegazzo, Ben EW. Taylor, Corin A. Yeats, Afrida Mukaddas, Derek W. Wright, Leonardo de Oliveira Martins, Rachel Colquhoun, Verity Hill, Ben Jackson, J.T. McCrone, Nathan Medd, Emily Scher, Jon-Paul Keatley, Tanya Curran, Sian Morgan, Patrick Maxwell, Ken Smith, Sahar Eldirdiri, Anita Kenyon, Alison H. Holmes, James R. Price, Tim Wyatt, Alison E. Mather, Timofey Skvortsov, John A. Hartley, Martyn Guest, Christine Kitchen, Ian Merrick, Robert Munn, Beatrice Bertolusso, Jessica Lynch, Gabrielle Vernet, Stuart Kirk, Elizabeth Wastnedge, Rachael Stanley, Giles Idle, Declan T. Bradley, Nicholas F. Killough, Jennifer Poyner, Matilde Mori, Owen Jones, Victoria Wright, Ellena Brooks, Carol M. Churcher, Laia Delgado Callico, Mireille Fragakis, Katerina Galai, Andrew Jermy, Sarah Judges, Anna Markov, Georgina M. McManus, Kim S. Smith, Peter MD. Thomas-McEwen, Elaine Westwick, Stephen W. Attwood, Frances Bolt, Alisha Davies, Elen De Lacy, Fatima Downing, Sue Edwards, Lizzie Meadows, Sarah Jeremiah, Nikki Smith, Luke Foulser, Amita Patel, Louise Berry, Tim Boswell, Vicki M. Fleming, Hannah C. Howson-Wells, Amelia Joseph, Manjinder Khakh, Michelle M. Lister, Paul W. Bird, Karlie Fallon, Thomas Helmer, Claire L. McMurray, Mina Odedra, Jessica Shaw, Julian W. Tang, Nicholas J. Willford, Victoria Blakey, Veena Raviprakash, Nicola Sheriff, Lesley-Anne Williams, Theresa Feltwell, Luke Bedford, James S. Cargill, Warwick Hughes, Jonathan Moore, Susanne Stonehouse, Laura Atkinson, Jack CD. Lee, Divya Shah, Natasha Ohemeng-Kumi, John Ramble, Jasveen Sehmi, Rebecca Williams, Wendy Chatterton, Monika Pusok, William Everson, Anibolina Castigador, Emily Macnaughton, Kate El Bouzidi, Temi Lampejo, Malur Sudhanva, Cassie Breen, Graciela Sluga, Shazaad SY. Ahmad, Ryan P. George, Nicholas W. Machin, Debbie Binns, Victoria James, Rachel Blacow, Lindsay Coupland, Louise Smith, Edward Barton, Debra Padgett, Garren Scott, Aidan Cross, Mariyam Mirfenderesky, Jane Greenaway, Kevin Cole, Phillip Clarke, Nichola Duckworth, Sarah Walsh, Kelly Bicknell, Robert Impey, Sarah Wyllie, Richard Hopes, Chloe Bishop, Vicki Chalker, Ian Harrison, Laura Gifford, Zoltan Molnar, Cressida Auckland, Cariad Evans, Kate Johnson, David G. Partridge, Mohammad Raza, Paul Baker, Stephen Bonner, Sarah Essex, Leanne J. Murray, Andrew I. Lawton, Shirelle Burton-Fanning, Brendan AI. Payne, Sheila Waugh, Andrea N. Gomes, Maimuna Kimuli, Darren R. Murray, Paula Ashfield, Donald Dobie, Fiona Ashford, Angus Best, Liam Crawford, Nicola Cumley, Megan Mayhew, Oliver Megram, Jeremy Mirza, Emma Moles-Garcia, Benita Percival, Megan Driscoll, Leah Ensell, Helen L. Lowe, Laurentiu Maftei, Matteo Mondani, Nicola J. Chaloner, Benjamin J. Cogger, Lisa J. Easton, Hannah Huckson, Jonathan Lewis, Sarah Lowdon, Cassandra S. Malone, Florence Munemo, Manasa Mutingwende, Roberto Nicodemi, Olga Podplomyk FD, Thomas Somassa, Andrew Beggs, Alex Richter, Claire Cormie, Joana Dias, Sally Forrest, Ellen E. Higginson, Mailis Maes, Jamie Young, Rose K. Davidson, Kathryn A. Jackson, Alexander J. Keeley, Jonathan Ball, Timothy Byaruhanga, Joseph G. Chappell, Jayasree Dey, Jack D. Hill, Emily J. Park, Arezou Fanaie, Rachel A. Hilson, Geraldine Yaze, Stephanie Lo, Safiah Afifi, Robert Beer, Joshua Maksimovic, Kathryn McCluggage, Karla Spellman, Catherine Bresner, William Fuller, Angela Marchbank, Trudy Workma, Ekaterina Shelest, Johnny Debebe, Fei Sang, Sarah Francois, Bernardo Gutierrez, Tetyana I. Vasylyeva, Flavia Flaviani, Manon Ragonnet-Cronin, Katherine L. Smollett, Alice Broos, Daniel Mair, Jenna Nichols, Kyriaki Nomikou, Lily Tong, Ioulia Tsatsani, Sarah O'Brien, Steven Rushton, Roy Sanderson, Jon Perkins, Seb Cotton, Abbie Gallagher, Elias Allara, Clare Pearson, David Bibby, Gavin Dabrer, Nicholas Ellaby, Eileen Gallagher, Jonathan Hubb, Angie Lackenby, David Lee, Nikos Manesis, Tamyo Mbisa, Steven Platt, Katherine A. Twohig, Mari Morgan, Alp Aydin, David J. Baker, Ebenezer Foster-Nyarko, Sophie J. Prosolek, Steven Rudder, Chris Baxter, Sílvia F. Carvalho, Deborah Lavin, Arun Mariappan, Clara Radulescu, Aditi Singh, Miao Tang, Helen Morcrette, Nadua Bayzid, Marius Cotic, Carlos E. Balcazar, Michael D. Gallagher, Daniel Maloney, Thomas D. Stanton, Kathleen A. Williamson, Robin Manley, Michelle L. Michelsen, Christine M. Sambles, David J. Studholme, Joanna Warwick-Dugdale, Richard Eccles, Matthew Gemmell, Richard Gregory, Margaret Hughes, Charlotte Nelson, Lucille Rainbow, Edith E. Vamos, Hermione J. Webster, Mark Whitehead, Claudia Wierzbicki, Adrienn Angyal, Luke R. Green, Max Whiteley, Emma Betteridge, Iraad F. Bronner, Ben W. Farr, Scott Goodwin, Stefanie V. Lensing, Shane A. McCarthy, Michael A. Quail, Diana Rajan, Nicholas M. Redshaw, Carol Scott, Lesley Shirley, Scott AJ. Thurston, Will Rowe, Amy Gaskin, Thanh Le-Viet, James Bonfield, Jennifier Liddle, Andrew Whitwham, University of St Andrews. School of Medicine, University of St Andrews. Infection and Global Health Division, and Apollo - University of Cambridge Repository

Subjects
Microbiology (medical), MCC, Introduction, SARS-CoV-2, NDAS, COVID-19, Care homes, General Medicine, NIS, Patient Discharge, Hospitals, Hospitalization, Infectious Diseases, SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being, RA0421, RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine, Humans, Hospital discharge
Abstract

COG-UK is supported by funding from the MRC part of UK Research & Innovation, the National Institute of Health Research (Grant code MC_PC_19027), and Genome Research Limited, operating as the Welcome Sanger Institute. Background The first epidemic wave of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) in Scotland resulted in high case numbers and mortality in care homes. In Lothian, over one-third of care homes reported an outbreak, while there was limited testing of hospital patients discharged to care homes. Aim To investigate patients discharged from hospitals as a source of SARS-CoV-2 introduction into care homes during the first epidemic wave. Methods A clinical review was performed for all patients discharges from hospitals to care homes from 1st March 2020 to 31st May 2020. Episodes were ruled out based on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) test history, clinical assessment at discharge, whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data and an infectious period of 14 days. Clinical samples were processed for WGS, and consensus genomes generated were used for analysis using Cluster Investigation and Virus Epidemiological Tool software. Patient timelines were obtained using electronic hospital records. Findings In total, 787 patients discharged from hospitals to care homes were identified. Of these, 776 (99%) were ruled out for subsequent introduction of SARS-CoV-2 into care homes. However, for 10 episodes, the results were inconclusive as there was low genomic diversity in consensus genomes or no sequencing data were available. Only one discharge episode had a genomic, time and location link to positive cases during hospital admission, leading to 10 positive cases in their care home. Conclusion The majority of patients discharged from hospitals were ruled out for introduction of SARS-CoV-2 into care homes, highlighting the importance of screening all new admissions when faced with a novel emerging virus and no available vaccine. Publisher PDF

Published
2023

29. Origin and dispersion pathways of guava in the Galapagos Islands inferred through genetics and historical records

Author

María de Lourdes Torres, Maria Lluïsa Mir Pozo, Diego Urquía, Bernardo Gutierrez, and Gabriela Pozo

Subjects
Mainland China, Psidium, education.field_of_study, geography, Genetic diversity, geography.geographical_feature_category, Ecology, guava, Population, genetic diversity, Invasive species, invasive species, Galapagos Islands, Habitat, colonization pathway, Archipelago, Mainland, education, Central Highlands, Research Articles, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, QH540-549.5, Research Article, Nature and Landscape Conservation
Abstract

Guava (Psidium guajava) is an aggressive invasive plant in the Galapagos Islands. Determining its provenance and genetic diversity could explain its adaptability and spread, and how this relates to past human activities. With this purpose, we analyzed 11 SSR markers in guava individuals from Isabela, Santa Cruz, San Cristobal, and Floreana islands in the Galapagos, as well as from mainland Ecuador. The mainland guava population appeared genetically differentiated from the Galapagos populations, with higher genetic diversity levels found in the former. We consistently found that the Central Highlands region of mainland Ecuador is one of the most likely origins of the Galapagos populations. Moreover, the guavas from Isabela and Floreana show a potential genetic input from southern mainland Ecuador, while the population from San Cristobal would be linked to the coastal mainland regions. Interestingly, the proposed origins for the Galapagos guava coincide with the first human settlings of the archipelago. Through approximate Bayesian computation, we propose a model where San Cristobal was the first island to be colonized by guava from the mainland, and then, it would have spread to Floreana and finally to Santa Cruz; Isabela would have been seeded from Floreana. An independent trajectory could also have contributed to the invasion of Floreana and Isabela. The pathway shown in our model agrees with the human colonization history of the different islands in the Galapagos. Our model, in conjunction with the clustering patterns of the individuals (based on genetic distances), suggests that guava introduction history in the Galapagos archipelago was driven by either a single event or a series of introduction events in rapid succession. We thus show that genetic analyses supported by historical sources can be used to track the arrival and spread of invasive species in novel habitats and the potential role of human activities in such processes., We aimed to reconstruct the invasion pathway of Psidium guajava in the Galapagos Islands, as well as to determine its origins in mainland Ecuador. Interestingly, our results were able to connect genetic data and historical data of human colonization of the islands with the dispersal of an invasive species in this iconic archipelago.

Published
2021

30. Comparing the evolutionary dynamics of predominant SARS-CoV-2 virus lineages co-circulating in Mexico

Author

Hugo G. Castelán-Sánchez, Luis Delaye, Rhys P. D. Inward, Simon Dellicour, Bernardo Gutierrez, Natalia Martinez de la Vina, Celia Boukadida, Oliver G Pybus, Guillermo de Anda Jáuregui, Plinio Guzmán, Marisol Garrido Flores, Óscar Fontanelli, Maribel Hernández Rosales, Amilcar Meneses, Gabriela Olmedo-Alvarez, Alfredo Herrera-Estrella, Alejandro Sanchez-Flores, José Esteban Muñoz-Medina, Andreu Comas-García, Bruno Gómez-Gil, Selene Zárate, Blanca Taboada, Susana López, Carlos F. Arias, Moritz U.G. Kraemer, Antonio Lazcano, and Marina Escalera-Zamudio

Abstract

Up to November 2021, over 200 different SARS-CoV-2 lineages circulated in Mexico. To investigate lineage replacement dynamics, we applied a phylodynamic approach to explore the evolutionary trajectories of five dominant lineages that circulated during the first year of the local epidemic. For most lineages, peaks in sampling frequencies coincided with different epidemiological waves of infection in the country. Lineages B.1.1.222 and B.1.1.519 showed comparable dynamics, represented by clades likely originating in Mexico and persisting for over a year. Lineages B.1.1.7, P.1 and B.1.617.2 also displayed similar dynamics, characterized by multiple introduction events leading to a few successful extended local transmission chains that persisted for several months. We further explored viral movements across the country, applied within the largest clades identified (belonging to lineage B.1.617.2). Many clades were located within the south region of the country, suggesting that this area played a key role in the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in Mexico.

Published
2022
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31. Crowding and the shape of COVID-19 epidemics

Author

Moritz U. G. Kraemer, Bernardo Gutierrez, Ben Adlam, Alexander E. Zarebski, Robert C. Reiner, Benjamin Rader, Anjalika Nande, Munik Shrestha, Oliver G. Pybus, David M. Pigott, Alison L. Hill, John S. Brownstein, Marcia C. Castro, Samuel V. Scarpino, Huaiyu Tian, and Christopher Dye

Subjects
0301 basic medicine, China, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), Physical Distancing, Population, Public Policy, General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, Disease Outbreaks, law.invention, 03 medical and health sciences, 0302 clinical medicine, law, Urbanization, Pandemic, Humans, Human Activities, Cities, education, Pandemics, Demography, Population Density, Travel, education.field_of_study, Geography, SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, Outbreak, General Medicine, Crowding, 3. Good health, 030104 developmental biology, Transmission (mechanics), 030220 oncology & carcinogenesis, Contact Tracing, Forecasting
Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is straining public health systems worldwide, and major non-pharmaceutical interventions have been implemented to slow its spread1,2,3,4. During the initial phase of the outbreak, dissemination of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was primarily determined by human mobility from Wuhan, China5,6. Yet empirical evidence on the effect of key geographic factors on local epidemic transmission is lacking7. In this study, we analyzed highly resolved spatial variables in cities, together with case count data, to investigate the role of climate, urbanization and variation in interventions. We show that the degree to which cases of COVID-19 are compressed into a short period of time (peakedness of the epidemic) is strongly shaped by population aggregation and heterogeneity, such that epidemics in crowded cities are more spread over time, and crowded cities have larger total attack rates than less populated cities. Observed differences in the peakedness of epidemics are consistent with a meta-population model of COVID-19 that explicitly accounts for spatial hierarchies. We paired our estimates with globally comprehensive data on human mobility and predict that crowded cities worldwide could experience more prolonged epidemics.

Published
2020
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32. Hospital admission and emergency care attendance risk for SARS-CoV-2 delta (B.1.617.2) compared with alpha (B.1.1.7) variants of concern: a cohort study

Author

Harry D Wilson, Elaine O'Toole, Andrew Bassett, Moritz U. G. Kraemer, Beth Blane, Scott Goodwin, Giri Shankar, Joseph Hughes, Lucy R. Frost, Alicia Thornton, Scott Elliott, Tammy V Merrill, Sheila Waugh, Alexander Adams, Peter Muir, Graciela Sluga, Rebecca Williams, Hannah Dent, Christophe Fraser, Shavanthi Rajatileka, John C. Hartley, Luke B Snell, Benjamin J Cogger, Lance Turtle, Alex Makunin, John A. Todd, Victoria Wright, Daniela De Angelis, James McKenna, Dinesh Aggarwal, Jonathan K. Ball, Jillian Durham, Garren Scott, Thushan I de Silva, Veena Raviprakash, Hannah M Pymont, Jason Coombes, Anita Lucaci, Luke R. Green, Leigh M Jackson, Hermione J. Webster, Louis du Plessis, David A. Jackson, Minal Patel, Áine O'Toole, Ravi Gupta, Marc Niebel, Garry Scarlett, Rajiv Shah, Guy Mollett, Kathy Li, Rory Gunson, Matthew Bashton, Carl Jones, Sara Kumziene-Summerhayes, Zoltan Molnar, Siona Silveira, Malte L Pinckert, Catherine Ludden, Angeliki Karamani, Leanne Kane, Brendan A I Payne, Alan McNally, Clare M. McCann, Holli Carden, Mohammad Raza, Alison E. Mather, Kate B. Cook, Amy Gaskin, David J. Williams, Shaun R. Seaman, Christopher I. Jones, Gilberto Betancor, Matthew T. G. Holden, Jennifier Liddle, Meera Unnikrishnan, Angie Green, Ben Taylor, Kelly Bicknell, Alexander J. Trotter, Emma Meader, Leanne M Kermack, Nathaniel Storey, Michelle Cronin, Sally Forrest, Sarah Jeremiah, Asad Zaidi, M Morgan, Alasdair MacLean, Thomas R. Connor, Johnathan M Evans, Rachael Stanley, Ryan P George, Nadine Holmes, Richard H. Myers, Christine Sambles, Bernardo Gutierrez, Jeffrey K. J. Cheng, Tim Wyatt, Natasha Jesudason, Lindsay Coupland, Monika Pusok, Manon Ragonnet-Cronin, Jenifer Mason, Joshua Maksimovic, Russell Hope, Alison Holmes, David Simpson, Radoslaw Poplawski, Amelia Joseph, Erwan Acheson, James Bonfield, Mara K. N. Lawniczak, Sascha Ott, Lesley-Anne Williams, Jessica Lynch, Graham P. Taylor, Anita Kenyon, Elizabeth Wastenge, Megan Mayhew, Adhyana I K Mahanama, Stavroula F Louka, Chloe Bishop, Esther Robinson, Darren Smith, Anne M. Presanis, Matthew Carlile, Thomas D Stanton, Dennis Wang, Katerina Galai, Adam P Westhorpe, Flavia Flaviani, Michelle Wantoch, Max Whiteley, Yann Bourgeois, Matthew Gemmell, Mary Ramsay, A Lloyd, Simon Thelwall, Hannah C. Howson-Wells, Joseph G. Chappell, Steve Paterson, Gary Eltringham, Robert Impey, Siddharth Mookerjee, Steven Platt, Emma Swindells, Laura Letchford, Alex Alderton, Lee Graham, Safiah Afifi, David C. Lee, Cassie Breen, Melisa Louise Fenton, Benita Percival, Adrian W Signell, Tanya Golubchik, Ian B Vipond, Eleri Wilson-Davies, Angie Lackenby, Laura Atkinson, Sarojini Pandey, Nazreen F. Hadjirin, Michael A Chapman, Huw Gulliver, Joana Dias, Grant Hall, Antony D Hale, Hassan Hartman, Alp Aydin, Louise Smith, Ashok Dadrah, Johnny Debebe, Sarah Walsh, Stephanie W. Lo, Andrew Bosworth, Bridget Knight, Hannah E Bridgewater, Nadua Bayzid, Gemma L. Kay, Richard Gregory, Sally Kay, Ellena Brooks, Andre Charlett, Georgina M McManus, Riaz Jannoo, Victoria Blakey, Carol Scott, Rachel Nelson, Liz Ratcliffe, Gerry Tonkin-Hill, Verity Hill, Joanne D. Stockton, Danielle Leek, Steven Leonard, Stephanie Hutchings, Jonathan D. Moore, Kathryn Ann Harris, Sophie Jones, Venkat Sivaprakasam, Amy Plimmer, Tanzina Haque, Katherine L. Bellis, Khalil Abudahab, Dianne Irish-Tavares, Gaia Nebbia, Kathryn A Jackson, Stephen W Attwood, Daniel Mair, Sreenu Vattipally, Susanne Stonehouse, Ian Merrick, Lucille Rainbow, Mathew A. Beale, Angela Helen Beckett, Ember Hilvers, Thomas Helmer, Jenna Nichols, Giselda Bucca, Salman Goudarzi, Christopher Ruis, Surendra Parmar, Angela Cowell, Alberto C Cerda, Divya K. Shah, Judith Heaney, E. Thomson, Kyriaki Nomikou, Nicole Pacchiarini, Katherine L Harper, Fatima Downing, M. Estée Török, Michelle L Michelsen, Aaron R. Jeffries, Jennifer Collins, Christopher Williams, Katie F. Loveson, Steven Rudder, Theocharis Tsoleridis, Robert Davies, David Robertson, Katherine Smollett, Kathryn McCluggage, Liam Crawford, Inigo Martincorena, Charlotte Beaver, Oliver Megram, Karla Spellman, Sam Haldenby, Emma Betteridge, William D. Fuller, Will P. M. Rowe, Cherian Koshy, Tim E. A. Peto, Alison Cox, Natasha Johnson, Tanya Curran, Sharif Shaaban, Tamyo Mbisa, Cordelia Langford, Eric Witele, Andrew J. Page, Christoph Puethe, Nicola Reynolds, Paul W Bird, Louise Aigrain, Ronan Lyons, Amy Trebes, Sally Corden, Steven Rushton, Jack Cd Lee, Jane Greenaway, Hibo Asad, Amanda Bradley, Mohammed O Hassan-Ibrahim, Shane McCarthy, Fei Sang, Matthew Loose, Hannah Jones, Keith D. James, Chloe L Fisher, Chrystala Constantinidou, Alex G. Richter, Jane A. H. Masoli, Michael Gallagher, Vicki M. Fleming, Anna Price, Amy Ash, Michaela John, Alex Zarebski, Fenella D. Halstead, John Danesh, Christine Kitchen, Aminu S Jahun, Mark Whitehead, Julianne R Brown, Catherine Bresner, Marius Cotic, Stefanie V Lensing, Nick Levene, Louissa R Macfarlane-Smith, Wendy Hogsden, Cressida Auckland, Eleanor Drury, Richard Eccles, Jennifer Hart, Seema Nickbakhsh, Alisha Davies, David M. Aanensen, Shirelle Burton-Fanning, Ben Farr, Buddhini Samaraweera, Sarah Wyllie, Hannah Lowe, Richard J. Orton, Martin D. Curran, Carol Churcher, Karen Oliver, Elihu Aranday-Cortes, Wen Yew, Thanh Le-Viet, Matthew Parker, Katherine A Twohig, Shahjahan Miah, Samuel M. Nicholls, G MacIntyre-Cockett, Tranprit Saluja, Charlotte Nelson, Vicki Chalker, Roberto Amato, Ellen Higginson, Timothy M. Freeman, Christopher W Holmes, Yasmin Chaudhry, Elias Allara, Alec Birchley, Iraad Bronner, Emma Moles-Garcia, Angus I. Best, Anna L. Casey, Audrey Farbos, Nicholas W Machin, David W Eyre, Tim Boswell, Charlotte A Williams, Elen De Lacy, Matthew J. Bull, Matilde Mori, Carmen F. Manso, Peijun Zhang, Sahar Eldirdiri, Dimitris Grammatopoulos, Corin Yeats, Claudia Wierzbicki, David G Partridge, Kordo Saeed, Nichola Duckworth, David J. Studholme, Harmeet K Gill, Juan Ledesma, Thomas R. A. Davis, Sushmita Sridhar, Clive Graham, Husam Osman, Julian A. Hiscox, Helen Adams, Christopher Fearn, Fabrícia F. Nascimento, Ulf Schaefer, James W. Harrison, Andrew J. Nelson, Joshua Quick, Mohammad Tauqeer Alam, Liam Prestwood, Nikos Manesis, Julian Tang, Justin O'Grady, Sophia T Girgis, Louise Berry, Gemma Clark, Marina Escalera Zamudio, Karlie Fallon, Tim J Sloan, Joanne Watkins, Clare Pearson, Andrew D Beggs, Rachel Williams, Luke Bedford, Trevor Robinson, Nicholas M Redshaw, Richard Hopes, Mirko Menegazzo, Katherine Twohig, Gabrielle Vernet, Steven Liggett, Mariateresa de Cesare, Derrick W. Crook, Dominic P. Kwiatkowski, Mark Kristiansen, Miren Iturriza-Gomara, Christopher I. Moore, Claire Cormie, Olivia Boyd, Nikki Smith, Noel Craine, Kathleen A. Williamson, John Boyes, Sian Ellard, Cristina V. Ariani, Wendy Chatterton, David Bonsall, Kevin Lewis, David Jorgensen, Ian Harrison, Christopher Jackson, Martin P McHugh, Danni Weldon, Michael A. Quail, Amita Patel, Lily Geidelberg, Myra Hosmillo, Judith Breuer, Cariad Evans, Edward Barton, Trudy Workman, Derek Fairley, Vineet Patel, Daniel Bradshaw, Robin Manley, Scott Aj Thurston, John Sillitoe, Monique Andersson, Sharon J. Peacock, Jamie Lopez-Bernal, Thomas Thompson, Nabil-Fareed Alikhan, Ben Temperton, Paul Baker, Robin J Moll, Laura Gifford, Nicholas J. Loman, Jayna Raghwani, Jacqui Prieto, Andrew Hesketh, Oliver G. Pybus, Adela Alcolea-Medina, David Buck, Gregory R Young, Alistair C. Darby, Sónia Gonçalves, Aileen G. Rowan, Tabitha Mahungu, Nicholas Ellaby, Jon-Paul Keatley, Lily Tong, Robert Beer, Martyn Guest, Lisa J Levett, Ali R Awan, Iliana Georgana, Paul E Brown, Li Xu-McCrae, Stephen P. Kidd, Sara Rey, Shazaad Ahmad, Danielle C. Groves, Tetyana I. Vasylyeva, David F. Bibby, Nathan Moore, Fiona Ashcroft, Igor Starinskij, Hannah Paul, Claire McMurray, Michael Spencer Chapman, Carlos Balcazar, Joanna Warwick-Dugdale, Pinglawathee Madona, Edith Vamos, Lesley Shirley, Kate Templeton, Luke Foulser, Igor Siveroni, Ewan M. Harrison, Sian Morgan, Diana Rajan, S Taylor, Laia Fina, Naomi Park, Sarah J. O'Brien, Alessandro M Carabelli, Angela Marchbank, Sunando Roy, Leonardo de Oliveira Martins, Steve Palmer, Jonathan Hubb, Alexander J Keeley, Francesc Coll, Malorie Perry, Paul J. Parsons, Anthony Underwood, Patawee Asamaphan, William L Hamilton, Tommy Nyberg, Sophie Palmer, Amanda Symmonds, Anoop Chauhan, Robert Johnson, Christopher J. R. Illingworth, James Shepherd, Wendy Smith, Rich Livett, Rachel Blacow, Margaret Hughes, Jeremy Mirza, Joanne Watts, Jonathan D. Edgeworth, Sarah François, Sue Edwards, Adrienn Angyal, Thomas N. Williams, Marta Gallis, Lauren Gilbert, Paul Randell, Kate Johnson, Eileen Gallagher, Nick Cortes, Yusri Taha, Leah Ensell, Emanuela Pelosi, Stefan Rooke, Michelle Lister, Ana da Silva Filipe, Cassandra S Malone, Themoula Charalampous, Benjamin B Lindsey, Natalie Groves, Colin Smith, Ross J Harris, Rebekah E Wilson, Stephen Bonner, Richard Stark, Sharon Campbell, Nicola Sheriff, Helen L Lowe, Rachel Jones, Ben Warne, Rose K Davidson, Declan Bradley, Ian Johnston, Jeffrey C. Barrett, Joshua B Singer, Shirin Aliabadi, Andrew Whitwham, Patrick McClure, Samuel Robson, Sharon Glaysher, Robert J. Munn, Emma L. Wise, Laura Baxter, Kim S Smith, Catherine Moore, Bree Gatica-Wilcox, Alice Broos, Sarah Essex, David Baker, Manjinder Khakh, Dorota Jamrozy, Rachel Tucker, Ian Goodfellow, S.E. Moses, Nicola Cumley, Robin Howe, Meera Chand, James I. Price, Marina Gourtovaia, Debra Padgett, Jaime Tovar-Corona, Stephen L. Michell, Matthew J. Dorman, Lizzie Meadows, David Heyburn, Iona Willingham, Rocio Martinez Nunez, Grace Taylor-Joyce, Claire M Bewshea, Anita Justice, Simon Cottrell, Rebecca C H Brown, Jamie Young, Gavin Dabrera, Matthew Wyles, Stephen Carmichael, Lisa Berry, Frances Bolt, Andrew Rambaut, Samir Dervisevic, Erik M. Volz, Rahul Batra, Caoimhe McKerr, Samantha McGuigan, Katie Jones, Mailis Maes, Rebecca Dewar, Mary Sinnathamby, Joel Southgate, and Lynn Monaghan

Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty, business.industry, Proportional hazards model, Public health, Hazard ratio, Attendance, C500, Vaccination, Infectious Diseases, Relative risk, Internal medicine, Cohort, medicine, business, Cohort study
Abstract

Background: \ud The SARS-CoV-2 delta (B.1.617.2) variant was first detected in England in March, 2021. It has since rapidly become the predominant lineage, owing to high transmissibility. It is suspected that the delta variant is associated with more severe disease than the previously dominant alpha (B.1.1.7) variant. We aimed to characterise the severity of the delta variant compared with the alpha variant by determining the relative risk of hospital attendance outcomes.\ud \ud Methods: \ud This cohort study was done among all patients with COVID-19 in England between March 29 and May 23, 2021, who were identified as being infected with either the alpha or delta SARS-CoV-2 variant through whole-genome sequencing. Individual-level data on these patients were linked to routine health-care datasets on vaccination, emergency care attendance, hospital admission, and mortality (data from Public Health England's Second Generation Surveillance System and COVID-19-associated deaths dataset; the National Immunisation Management System; and NHS Digital Secondary Uses Services and Emergency Care Data Set). The risk for hospital admission and emergency care attendance were compared between patients with sequencing-confirmed delta and alpha variants for the whole cohort and by vaccination status subgroups. Stratified Cox regression was used to adjust for age, sex, ethnicity, deprivation, recent international travel, area of residence, calendar week, and vaccination status.\ud \ud Findings: \ud Individual-level data on 43 338 COVID-19-positive patients (8682 with the delta variant, 34 656 with the alpha variant; median age 31 years [IQR 17–43]) were included in our analysis. 196 (2·3%) patients with the delta variant versus 764 (2·2%) patients with the alpha variant were admitted to hospital within 14 days after the specimen was taken (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 2·26 [95% CI 1·32–3·89]). 498 (5·7%) patients with the delta variant versus 1448 (4·2%) patients with the alpha variant were admitted to hospital or attended emergency care within 14 days (adjusted HR 1·45 [1·08–1·95]). Most patients were unvaccinated (32 078 [74·0%] across both groups). The HRs for vaccinated patients with the delta variant versus the alpha variant (adjusted HR for hospital admission 1·94 [95% CI 0·47–8·05] and for hospital admission or emergency care attendance 1·58 [0·69–3·61]) were similar to the HRs for unvaccinated patients (2·32 [1·29–4·16] and 1·43 [1·04–1·97]; p=0·82 for both) but the precision for the vaccinated subgroup was low.\ud \ud Interpretation: \ud This large national study found a higher hospital admission or emergency care attendance risk for patients with COVID-19 infected with the delta variant compared with the alpha variant. Results suggest that outbreaks of the delta variant in unvaccinated populations might lead to a greater burden on health-care services than the alpha variant.\ud \ud Funding: \ud Medical Research Council; UK Research and Innovation; Department of Health and Social Care; and National Institute for Health Research.

Published
2022

34. Emergence and widespread circulation of a recombinant SARS-CoV-2 lineage in North America

Author

Shay Fleishon, Luis Delaye, Andrew Rambaut, Christopher Ruis, Darlan da Silva Candido, Hugo G Castelan, Oliver G. Pybus, Marina Escalera-Zamudio, Ben Jackson, and Bernardo Gutierrez

Subjects
Phylogenetic tree, Lineage (evolution), Biology, medicine.disease_cause, Genetic recombination, Genome, Virus, law.invention, Evolutionary biology, law, medicine, Recombinant DNA, Recombination, Coronavirus
Abstract

Genetic recombination is an important driving force of coronavirus evolution. While some degree of virus recombination has been reported during the COVID-19 pandemic, previously detected recombinant lineages of SARS-CoV-2 have shown limited circulation and been observed only in restricted areas. Prompted by reports of unusual genetic similarities among several Pango lineages detected mainly in North and Central America, we present a detailed phylogenetic analysis of four SARS-CoV-2 lineages (B.1.627, B.1.628, B.1.631 and B.1.634) in order to investigate the possibility of virus recombination among them. Two of these lineages, B.1.628 and B.1.631, are split into two distinct clusters (here named major and minor). Our phylogenetic and recombination analyses of these lineages find well-supported phylogenetic differences between the Orf1ab region and the rest of the genome (S protein and remaining reading frames). The lineages also contain several deletions in the NSP6, Orf3a and S proteins that can augment reconstruction of reliable evolutionary histories. By reconciling the deletions and phylogenetic data, we conclude that the B.1.628 major cluster originated from a recombination event between a B.1.631 major virus and a lineage B.1.634 virus. This scenario inferred from genetic data is supported by the spatial and temporal distribution of the three lineages, which all co-circulated in the USA and Mexico during 2021, suggesting this region is where the recombination event took place. We therefore support the designation of the B.1.628 major cluster as recombinant lineage XB in the Pango nomenclature. The widespread circulation of lineage XB across multiple countries over a longer timespan than the previously designated recombinant XA lineage raises important questions regarding the role and potential effects of recombination on the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Published
2021
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35. Exponential growth, high prevalence of SARS-CoV-2, and vaccine effectiveness associated with the Delta variant

Author

Mohammad Raza, Alison E. Mather, Gilberto Betancor, Ian Merrick, Ben Taylor, Mathew A. Beale, Helen Ward, Samir Dervisevic, Michelle Cronin, Aaron R. Jeffries, Louise Smith, Steven Rudder, Mara K. N. Lawniczak, Sascha Ott, Ashok Dadrah, Luke Bedford, Gabrielle Vernet, Erik M. Volz, Rahul Batra, Johnny Debebe, Caoimhe McKerr, Samantha McGuigan, Oliver Megram, Katie Jones, Mailis Maes, Rebecca Dewar, Emma Swindells, Robert E. Johnson, Myra Hosmillo, Wen C Yew, Vineet Patel, Scott Aj Thurston, Matthew Bashton, Luke B Snell, Lynn Monaghan, David Buck, Gregory R Young, Garren Scott, Louis du Plessis, Sara Kumziene-Summerhayes, David M. Aanensen, Carl Jones, Nadine Holmes, Bernardo Gutierrez, Elizabeth Wastenge, Stavroula F Louka, Dennis Wang, Richard I. Gregory, M. Estée Török, Alistair C. Darby, Ulf Schaefer, Marc Niebel, David Robertson, E. Thomson, Carol Churcher, Patrick C McClure, Scott Elliott, Sarah Jeremiah, Katerina Galai, Matthew W. Loose, Megan Mayhew, Adhyana I K Mahanama, Angeliki Karamani, Naomi R Park, David J. Williams, Lance Turtle, Lucy R. Frost, Alicia Thornton, Jennifier Liddle, M Morgan, Tim Wyatt, Paul W Bird, Chloe Bishop, Esther Robinson, Alasdair MacLean, Inigo Martincorena, Bridget A. Knight, Emma Meader, Thomas R. Connor, Hermione J. Webster, Peter Muir, Sarah Walsh, Stephanie W. Lo, Andrew Bosworth, Hannah E Bridgewater, David Simpson, Radoslaw Poplawski, Angus I. Best, David Baker, Laura Letchford, Cassie Breen, Yann Bourgeois, Matthew Gemmell, Nikki Smith, Alison Holmes, Iliana Georgana, Christophe Fraser, Natasha Jesudason, Johnathan M Evans, Rachael Stanley, Lesley-Anne Williams, Jessica Lynch, Hannah Lowe, Eleri Wilson-Davies, Paul A. Baker, Alex Makunin, James Bonfield, Helen Adams, Christopher Fearn, Peter J. Diggle, Harry D Wilson, Carmen F. Manso, Nichola Duckworth, D Haw, Anna L. Casey, Audrey Farbos, Sam Haldenby, Vicki Chalker, Roberto Amato, Elen De Lacy, Ben Farr, Eric Witele, Buddhini Samaraweera, G MacIntyre-Cockett, Husam Osman, Jane Greenaway, Justin O'Grady, Sally Forrest, Andrew Nelson, Monika Pusok, A Lloyd, Edward Barton, James W. Harrison, Sophie Palmer, Amanda Symmonds, James Shepherd, Nazreen F. Hadjirin, Stephen L. Michell, Mohammed O Hassan-Ibrahim, Fiona Ashcroft, Daniel Mair, Richard H. Myers, Dianne Irish-Tavares, Hannah C. Howson-Wells, Jacqui Prieto, Christine Sambles, Andrew Hesketh, Alp Aydin, Sónia Gonçalves, Tabitha Mahungu, Tanzina Haque, Nicholas Ellaby, Karen Oliver, Hannah Paul, Joanne Watts, Claire McMurray, Lisa J Levett, Darren Smith, Simon Cottrell, Joanna Warwick-Dugdale, Pinglawathee Madona, Matthew J. Dorman, Lizzie Meadows, Ali R Awan, Leanne M Kermack, Jennifer Hart, Angie Lackenby, Carol Scott, Michael Spencer Chapman, Lucille Rainbow, Kyriaki Nomikou, Julianne R Brown, Juan Ledesma, Adam P Westhorpe, Giri Shankar, Karlie Fallon, Tim J Sloan, Joanne Watkins, Robert Impey, Sue Edwards, Rebecca C H Brown, Robin J Moll, Karla Spellman, Laura Gifford, Jamie Young, Adrienn Angyal, Graham Phillip Taylor, Robin Manley, Gavin Dabrera, Michelle Wantoch, Rachel Williams, David Heyburn, Mirko Menegazzo, Derrick W. Crook, Gaia Nebbia, Rachel Nelson, Elaine O'Toole, Luke Foulser, Katherine L Harper, Fatima Downing, Hassan Hartman, Nathan Moore, Gemma L. Kay, Matthew Wyles, Thanh Le-Viet, Edith Vamos, John Sillitoe, Lesley Shirley, Nicholas J. Loman, Iona Willingham, Elihu Aranday-Cortes, Ian B Vipond, Jeremy Mirza, Alberto C Cerda, Michelle L Michelsen, Steven Riley, Alison Cox, Igor Siveroni, Nadua Bayzid, Shavanthi Rajatileka, Giselda Bucca, Benjamin J Cogger, Tim Boswell, Matthew J. Bull, Stephen Carmichael, Lisa Berry, Frances Bolt, Kylie E. C. Ainslie, Martyn Guest, Sarojini Pandey, Katherine L. Bellis, Shane A. McCarthy, Christopher Ruis, Fei Sang, David Bonsall, Danni Weldon, Alex Alderton, Lee Graham, Amy Trebes, Sally Corden, Adrian W Signell, Tanya Golubchik, Huw Gulliver, Rocio Martinez Nunez, Dinesh Aggarwal, Tanya Curran, Jonathan K. Ball, Sharif Shaaban, Paul Randell, Jillian Durham, Alec Birchley, Matilde Mori, Joana Dias, Katherine A Twohig, Grant Hall, Antony D Hale, Alan McNally, Jonathan D. Edgeworth, Safiah Afifi, Andrew Rambaut, Katherine Smollett, David N. Lee, Tamyo Mbisa, Shahjahan Miah, Steven Rushton, Grace Taylor-Joyce, Hannah M Pymont, Chloe L Fisher, Cordelia Langford, Alex G. Richter, Jane A. H. Masoli, Michael Gallagher, Vicki M. Fleming, Kathleen A. Williamson, Anna Price, Holli Carden, Khalil Abudahab, Joanne D. Stockton, Meera Unnikrishnan, Jennifer Collins, Emma Moles-Garcia, Michaela John, Christine Kitchen, Tranprit Saluja, Ian Harrison, Lily Tong, Thomas G. Thompson, Thomas Helmer, Amita Patel, Siona Silveira, Deborah Ashby, Claire M Bewshea, Anita Justice, Brendan A I Payne, Alexander J. Trotter, Nikos Manesis, Katie F. Loveson, Cristina V. Ariani, Wendy Chatterton, Robert J. Munn, Julian A. Hiscox, Robert Beer, Judith Breuer, Caroline E. Walters, Liam Crawford, Ara Darzi, Will P. M. Rowe, Cariad Evans, Matthew Parker, Tammy V Merrill, Louise Aigrain, Joshua Quick, Leigh M Jackson, Samuel M. Nicholls, Jonathan W. Moore, John A Hartley, Graham P. Taylor, Cherian Koshy, Shirelle Burton-Fanning, Sheila Waugh, Catherine Moore, Danielle C. Groves, Peijun Zhang, Sahar Eldirdiri, Derek Fairley, Tim E. A. Peto, Jack Cd Lee, Sharon Glaysher, Liam Prestwood, Hannah Dent, Anita Kenyon, Stephen P. Kidd, Nick Levene, Igor Starinskij, Joseph G. Chappell, Steve Paterson, Gary Eltringham, Laia Fina, Angela Marchbank, Daniel Bradshaw, Marina Escalera Zamudio, Scott Goodwin, Andrew D Beggs, Seema Nickbakhsh, Trevor Robinson, Christina Atchison, David K. Jackson, Kathy Li, Rory Gunson, Sunando Roy, Graham S Cooke, Steven Liggett, Yasmin Chaudhry, Anoop Chauhan, Ben Temperton, Mariateresa de Cesare, Paul E Brown, Li Xu-McCrae, Martin P McHugh, Catherine Ludden, Wendy Smith, Danielle Leek, Divya K. Shah, Judith Heaney, Dominic P. Kwiatkowski, Kate M. Johnson, Robin Howe, Malorie Perry, Tetyana I. Vasylyeva, David F. Bibby, Haowei Wang, Steve Palmer, Nicholas W Machin, Charlotte A Williams, Bree Gatica-Wilcox, Angie Green, John A. Todd, Paul Elliott, Noel Craine, Jeffrey K. J. Cheng, Kate Templeton, Jonathan Hubb, Joshua Maksimovic, Christl A. Donnelly, Monique Andersson, Christopher Holmes, Dimitris Grammatopoulos, Christopher B. Williams, David G Partridge, Aminu S Jahun, Alexander Adams, Marius Cotic, Sarah Essex, Christopher J. Moore, Trudy Workman, Nicola Sheriff, Helen L Lowe, Ewan M. Harrison, Dorota Jamrozy, Rachel Jones, Ellen Higginson, Erwan Acheson, Christopher R. Jones, Oliver G. Pybus, Francesc Coll, Sian Morgan, Paul J. Parsons, Patawee Asamaphan, Veena Raviprakash, Andrew R. Bassett, Declan Bradley, Laura Atkinson, Anthony Underwood, Graciela Sluga, Sally Kay, Ellena Brooks, Oliver Eales, Andrew Whitwham, Surendra Parmar, Angela Cowell, Nicole Pacchiarini, Theocharis Tsoleridis, Jason Coombes, Robert Davies, Flavia Flaviani, Benita Percival, Jenna Nichols, Natasha M. Johnson, Salman Goudarzi, Hibo Asad, Amanda Bradley, Hannah Jones, Chrystala Constantinidou, Georgina M McManus, Minal Patel, Steven Leonard, Rebecca Williams Bmbs, Andrew J. Page, Christoph Puethe, Nicola Reynolds, Amy Ash, John Danesh, Corin Yeats, Claudia Wierzbicki, Kordo Saeed, John Boyes, Michael A. Quail, Sharon J. Peacock, Nabil-Fareed Alikhan, Jon-Paul Keatley, Claudio Fronterre, Garry Scarlett, James McKenna, Thushan I de Silva, Malte L Pinckert, Kate B. Cook, Amy Gaskin, Rajiv Shah, Matthew T. G. Holden, Sophie J Prosolek, Nathaniel Storey, Ryan P George, Lindsay Coupland, Jenifer Mason, Matthew Carlile, Thomas D Stanton, Guy Mollett, Siddharth Mookerjee, Mary Ramsay, Steven Platt, Stephen W Attwood, Susanne Stonehouse, Sophie Jones, Venkat Sivaprakasam, Amy Plimmer, Mark Whitehead, Catherine Bresner, Stefanie V Lensing, Louissa R Macfarlane-Smith, Colin P. Smith, Wendy Hogsden, Charlotte Nelson, Ian Johnston, Jeffrey C. Barrett, Joshua B Singer, Samuel Robson, Zoltán Molnár, Emma L. Wise, Sian Ellard, Kim S Smith, Alice Broos, Manjinder Khakh, Kathryn A Jackson, Claire Cormie, Rachel Tucker, Ian Goodfellow, S.E. Moses, Nicola Cumley, Meera Chand, Debra Padgett, Cassandra S Malone, James V. Price, Themoula Charalampous, Ronan A Lyons, Natalie Groves, Stefan Rooke, Rebekah E Wilson, Stephen Bonner, Richard Stark, Sharon Campbell, Michelle Lister, Carlos Balcazar, Ana da Silva Filipe, Ben Warne, Thomas N. Williams, Marta Gallis, Lauren Gilbert, Rose K Davidson, Angela Helen Beckett, Ember Hilvers, Kathryn McCluggage, Eileen Gallagher, Charlotte Beaver, Nick Cortes, Alisha Davies, Yusri Taha, Leah Ensell, Emanuela Pelosi, Elias Allara, Cressida Auckland, Eleanor Drury, Richard Eccles, Adela Alcolea-Medina, William L Hamilton, Rich Livett, Rachel Blacow, Margaret Hughes, Sarah François, Melisa Louise Fenton, Liz Ratcliffe, Verity Hill, Stephanie Hutchings, Kathryn Ann Harris, Emma Betteridge, William D. Fuller, Sophia T Girgis, Louise Berry, Gemma Clark, Nicholas M Redshaw, Richard Hopes, Leonardo de Oliveira Martins, Alexander J Keeley, Beth Blane, Wendy S. Barclay, Victoria Wright, Anita Lucaci, Luke R. Green, Fenella D. Halstead, Sarah Wyllie, Iraad F. Bronner, Áine O'Toole, Ravi Gupta, Leanne Kane, Clare M. McCann, Michael R Chapman, David W Eyre, Kelly Bicknell, Aileen G. Rowan, Sara Rey, Shazaad Ahmad, Diana Rajan, S Taylor, Sarah J. O'Brien, Alessandro M Carabelli, Amelia Joseph, Max Whiteley, Riaz Jannoo, Victoria Blakey, Martin D. Curran, David J. Studholme, Harmeet K Gill, Thomas R. A. Davis, Sushmita Sridhar, Clive Graham, Julian Tang, Clare Pearson, Mark Kristiansen, Miren Iturriza-Gomara, National Institute for Health Research, and UK Research and Innovation

Subjects
Delta, Adult, Male, 2019-20 coronavirus outbreak, COVID-19 Vaccines, Vaccination Coverage, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Adolescent, General Science & Technology, Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), Vaccine Efficacy, Biology, Young Adult, Exponential growth, Ethnicity, Prevalence, Humans, Child, Aged, Family Characteristics, Multidisciplinary, High prevalence, COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) Consortium11‡, SARS-CoV-2, Age Factors, COVID-19, Middle Aged, Virology, Hospitalization, England, Socioeconomic Factors, COVID-19 Nucleic Acid Testing, Child, Preschool, Female, Self Report
Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections were rising during early summer 2021 in many countries as a result of the Delta variant. We assessed reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction swab positivity in the Real-time Assessment of Community Transmission–1 (REACT-1) study in England. During June and July 2021, we observed sustained exponential growth with an average doubling time of 25 days, driven by complete replacement of the Alpha variant by Delta and by high prevalence at younger, less-vaccinated ages. Prevalence among unvaccinated people [1.21% (95% credible interval 1.03%, 1.41%)] was three times that among double-vaccinated people [0.40% (95% credible interval 0.34%, 0.48%)]. However, after adjusting for age and other variables, vaccine effectiveness for double-vaccinated people was estimated at between ~50% and ~60% during this period in England. Increased social mixing in the presence of Delta had the potential to generate sustained growth in infections, even at high levels of vaccination.

Published
2021

36. Report 46: Factors driving extensive spatial and temporal fluctuations in COVID-19 fatality rates in Brazilian hospitals

Author

Otavio T. Ranzani, Bruce Walker Nelson, Marcia C. Castro, D. M. Bonfim, Renan P. Souza, Nuno R. Faria, Samir Bhatt, Ester Cerdeira Sabino, A. A. de Souza Santos, Carlos A. Prete, Oliver Ratmann, Xiaoyue Xi, S. F. Costa, Paula Luize Camargos Fonseca, Leonardo Soares Bastos, Ricardo P Schnekenberg, Lewis F Buss, L. M. S. Servo, Victor Emmanuel Viana Geddes, R. Sonnabend, Philippe Lemey, Seth Flaxman, Xenia Miscouridou, Darlan da Silva Candido, A. Brizzi, Bernardo Gutierrez, Renato Santana Aguiar, Alexandra Blenkinsop, W. M. de Souza, Charles Whittaker, Thomas A. Mellan, Elizaveta Semenova, Iwona Hawryluk, Melodie Monod, Rafael Henrique Moraes Pereira, A. S. Levin, Leonardo José Tadeu de Araújo, Christopher Dye, Julio Croda, Filipe Romero Rebello Moreira, and Sharmistha Mishra

Subjects
education.field_of_study, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), business.industry, Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), Pandemic preparedness, Population, Economic shortage, Article, Geography, Case fatality rate, Health care, Pandemic, business, education, Demography
Abstract

The SARS-CoV-2 Gamma variant spread rapidly across Brazil, causing substantial infection and death waves. We use individual-level patient records following hospitalisation with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 to document the extensive shocks in hospital fatality rates that followed Gamma’s spread across 14 state capitals, and in which more than half of hospitalised patients died over sustained time periods. We show that extensive fluctuations in COVID-19 in-hospital fatality rates also existed prior to Gamma’s detection, and were largely transient after Gamma’s detection, subsiding with hospital demand. Using a Bayesian fatality rate model, we find that the geographic and temporal fluctuations in Brazil’s COVID-19 in-hospital fatality rates are primarily associated with geographic inequities and shortages in healthcare capacity. We project that approximately half of Brazil’s COVID-19 deaths in hospitals could have been avoided without pre-pandemic geographic inequities and without pandemic healthcare pressure. Our results suggest that investments in healthcare resources, healthcare optimization, and pandemic preparedness are critical to minimize population wide mortality and morbidity caused by highly transmissible and deadly pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2, especially in low- and middle-income countries., One sentence summary COVID-19 in-hospital fatality rates fluctuate dramatically in Brazil, and these fluctuations are primarily associated with geographic inequities and shortages in healthcare capacity.

Published
2021
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37. Mycotic pseudoaneurysm of the extracranial carotid artery, a severe and rare disease, a case report

Author

Bernardo Gutierrez, Kevin A. Arroyo, Katherine Jaramillo, Juan F. Calispa, Carolina Mesías, Patricio F. Gálvez, Gabriel A Molina, and Ligia Lluglla

Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty, Neck surgery, medicine.medical_treatment, Carotid arteries, Mycotic pseudoaneurysm, Pulsatile flow, Article, 03 medical and health sciences, 0302 clinical medicine, Medicine, cardiovascular diseases, Computed tomography angiography, Extracranial carotid artery, medicine.diagnostic_test, business.industry, Laryngectomy, 030220 oncology & carcinogenesis, cardiovascular system, Severe morbidity, 030211 gastroenterology & hepatology, Surgery, Radiology, business, Carotid artery, Rare disease
Abstract

Highlights • Mycotic pseudoaneurysm of the carotid artery is a severe and rare disease. • High clinical awareness is imperative when approaching a mycotic pseudoaneurysm due to its wide spectrum of clinical symptoms, and must always be considered when diagnosing tumors of the neck. • Early detection and prompt treatment are critical as this disease though rare can have a fatal outcome., Background Mycotic pseudoaneurysm of the carotid artery is a severe and rare disease. When it ruptures, it can produce severe morbidity and high mortality. It presents clinically as a pulsatile mass, usually diagnosable by computed tomography angiography with definitive confirmation achieved by establishing the presence of the pathogen in the tissue sample. Case presentation We present the case of a 68-year-old male patient with a history of total laryngectomy. He presented with painful and pulsatile mass in his neck and, after precise evaluation, a ruptured carotid mycotic pseudoaneurysm was promptly detected and treated. After a surgical intervention and an adequate course of antibiotics, the patient successfully recovered. Conclusions Mycotic pseudoaneurysms of the extracranial carotid artery are uncommon and should always be surgically treated. Due to the high risk of potential complications, restoration of the arterial flow should be attempted in all occasions. High clinical awareness is imperative when approaching a mycotic pseudoaneurysm due to its wide spectrum of clinical symptoms, and must always be considered when diagnosing tumors of the neck. Despite its rarity, early detection and prompt treatment are critical to minimize the possibility of a fatal outcome.

Published
2020
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38. Micropropagation of Solanum quitoense var. quitoense by apical bud, petiole and hypocotyl culture

Author

Viviana Jaramillo, María Mercedes Cobo, María de Lourdes Torres, Venancio Arahana, Joely Vega, Bernardo Gutierrez, and Miguel Orellana

Subjects
0106 biological sciences, 0303 health sciences, Apical dominance, fungi, food and beverages, Plant Science, Biology, 01 natural sciences, food.food, Petiole (botany), 03 medical and health sciences, chemistry.chemical_compound, Horticulture, Murashige and Skoog medium, food, chemistry, Micropropagation, Solanum quitoense, Shoot, Agronomy and Crop Science, Gibberellic acid, 030304 developmental biology, 010606 plant biology & botany, Biotechnology, Explant culture
Abstract

The development of in vitro propagation methods can improve the current commercial use and conservation of plants like naranjilla (Solanum quitoense), a distinctive Andean crop and key emerging agricultural product. In the present study, we report in vitro culture protocols for naranjilla apical buds, hypocotyls and petioles. In apical bud culture, MS medium supplemented with 0.10 mg l-1 1-naphtaleneacetic acid (NAA) produced longer plantlets with greater number of leaves. Hypocotyl culture yielded higher number of shoots when using older explants in MS medium supplemented with different combinations of NAA, 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and gibberellic acid (GA3). Petiole culture produced a significantly higher number of shoots per explant, with more abundant and bigger leaves, when using MS medium supplemented with 0.02 mg l-1 NAA, 4.50 mg l-1 BAP and 1.00 mg l-1 GA3. A factorial analysis reveals that the interaction between GA3 and NAA/BAP plays an important role in shoot regeneration. These results provide new tools for the in vitro regeneration of naranjilla plants, improving on previously reported protocols for this species by using alternative explant types and regeneration protocols.

Published
2019
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39. Parallel molecular evolution and adaptation in viruses

Author

Marina Escalera-Zamudio, Bernardo Gutierrez, and Oliver G. Pybus

Subjects
0301 basic medicine, Genotype, 030106 microbiology, Adaptation, Biological, Context (language use), Genome, Viral, Biology, Genome, Article, Evolution, Molecular, 03 medical and health sciences, Molecular evolution, Phylogenetics, Virology, Animals, Humans, Selection, Genetic, Phylogeny, ComputingMethodologies_COMPUTERGRAPHICS, Natural selection, 3. Good health, Phenotype, 030104 developmental biology, Virus Diseases, Evolutionary biology, Viral evolution, Viruses, Adaptation, Parallel evolution
Abstract

Graphical abstract, Parallel molecular evolution is the independent evolution of the same genotype or phenotype from distinct ancestors. The simple genomes and rapid evolution of many viruses mean they are useful model systems for studying parallel evolution by natural selection. Parallel adaptation occurs in the context of several viral behaviours, including cross-species transmission, drug resistance, and host immune escape, and its existence suggests that at least some aspects of virus evolution and emergence are repeatable and predictable. We introduce examples of virus parallel evolution and summarise key concepts. We outline the difficulties in detecting parallel adaptation using virus genomes, with a particular focus on phylogenetic and structural approaches, and we discuss future approaches that may improve our understanding of the phenomenon.

Published
2019
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40. Emergence and widespread circulation of a recombinant SARS-CoV-2 lineage in North America

Author

Bernardo Gutierrez, Hugo G. Castelán Sánchez, Darlan da Silva Candido, Ben Jackson, Shay Fleishon, Renaud Houzet, Christopher Ruis, Luis Delaye, Nuno R. Faria, Andrew Rambaut, Oliver G. Pybus, Marina Escalera-Zamudio, Medical Research Council-São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), and Wellcome Trust

Subjects
SARS-CoV-2, Immunology, COVID-19, Genome, Viral, molecular epidemiology, Microbiology, recombination, phylogenetics, 1108 Medical Microbiology, Virology, Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus, Humans, Parasitology, Phylogeny, 0605 Microbiology
Abstract

Although recombination is a feature of coronavirus evolution, previously detected recombinant lineages of SARS-CoV-2 have shown limited circulation thus far. Here, we present a detailed phylogenetic analysis of four SARS-CoV-2 lineages to investigate the possibility of virus recombination among them. Our analyses reveal well-supported phylogenetic differences between the Orf1ab region encoding viral non-structural proteins and the rest of the genome, including Spike (S) protein and remaining reading frames. By accounting for several deletions in NSP6, Orf3a, and S, we conclude that the B.1.628 major cluster, now designated as lineage XB, originated from a recombination event between viruses of B.1.631 and B.1.634 lineages. This scenario is supported by the spatiotemporal distribution of these lineages across the USA and Mexico during 2021, suggesting that the recombination event originated in this geographical region. This event raises important questions regarding the role and potential effects of recombination on SARS-CoV-2 evolution.

Published
2022
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41. Data Sharing in Southeast Asia During the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Author

Veincent Christian Filipino Pepito, Thomas Rawson, Arianna Maever L. Amit, and Bernardo Gutierrez

Subjects
0301 basic medicine, medicine.medical_specialty, COVID- 19, data sharing, epidemiological data, Psychological intervention, Information Dissemination, 03 medical and health sciences, 0302 clinical medicine, Public health surveillance, Environmental health, Epidemiology, Pandemic, medicine, Humans, 030212 general & internal medicine, Pandemics, Asia, Southeastern, SARS-CoV-2, Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health, COVID-19, Timeline, emerging infectious disease, Brief Research Report, Southeast Asia, Data sharing, 030104 developmental biology, Geography, Emerging infectious disease, Public Health, Public aspects of medicine, RA1-1270
Abstract

Background: When a new pathogen emerges, consistent case reporting is critical for public health surveillance. Tracking cases geographically and over time is key for understanding the spread of an infectious disease and effectively designing interventions to contain and mitigate an epidemic. In this paper we describe the reporting systems on COVID-19 in Southeast Asia during the first wave in 2020, and highlight the impact of specific reporting methods.Methods: We reviewed key epidemiological variables from various sources including a regionally comprehensive dataset, national trackers, dashboards, and case bulletins for 11 countries during the first wave of the epidemic in Southeast Asia. We recorded timelines of shifts in epidemiological reporting systems and described the differences in how epidemiological data are reported across countries and timepoints.Results: Our findings suggest that countries in Southeast Asia generally reported precise and detailed epidemiological data during the first wave of the pandemic. Changes in reporting rarely occurred for demographic data, while reporting shifts for geographic and temporal data were frequent. Most countries provided COVID-19 individual-level data daily using HTML and PDF, necessitating scraping and extraction before data could be used in analyses.Conclusion: Our study highlights the importance of more nuanced analyses of COVID-19 epidemiological data within and across countries because of the frequent shifts in reporting. As governments continue to respond to impacts on health and the economy, data sharing also needs to be prioritised given its foundational role in policymaking, and in the implementation and evaluation of interventions.

Published
2021
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42. Bienes comunes, cosmopolítica y estéticas de la sostenibilidad

Author

Bernardo Gutiérrez

Subjects
Bienes comunes, común, indígenas, cosmopolítica, parque, sostenibilidad, Fine Arts, Visual arts, N1-9211
Abstract

La incorporación de Turquía y Brasil en 2013 al ciclo de revueltas globales tejió un ecosistema social de resistencia basado en la defensa de los bienes comunes urbanos y naturales, teniendo en los espacios verdes su principal campo de acción. Las protestas brasileñas transitaron de la petición inicial de la bajada de la tarifa del transporte público a un derecho a la ciudad expandido que denunciaba la insostenibilidad de las principales ciudades y la baja calidad de la democracia del país. Las ocupaciones del Movimento Parque Augusta de São Paulo o la Aldeia Maracanã de Río de Janeiro, entre otras, estaban impregnadas de la cosmopolítica que deshace la unidad de pensamiento y la división cultura-naturaleza-política. Tanto en Brasil como Turquía se desarrollaron estéticas de una sostenibilidad eco-comunitaria que preserva simultáneamente el equilibrio social y el ambiental. Las luchas brasileñas aportaron una nueva aproximación a los bienes comunes desde cosmopolíticas indígenas.

Published
2024

43. Genomic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 transmission lineages in Ecuador

Author

Denisse Portugal, Mónica Becerra-Wong, Marina Escalera-Zamudio, Andrés Carrazco-Montalvo, Paul Cardenas, Leandro Patiño, Manuel Gonzalez, Josefina Coloma, Sully Márquez, Orson Mestanza, Gabriel Trueba, Oliver G. Pybus, Arne Kühne, Alberto Orlando, John T. McCrone, Domenica de Mora, Gabriela Sevillano, Nuno R. Faria, Rubén Armas-Gonzalez, Maritza Olmedo, Juan Carlos Fernandez-Cadena, Bernardo Gutierrez, Veronica Barragan, Moritz U. G. Kraemer, Alfredo Bruno, Louis du Plessis, Darlan da Silva Candido, Belén Prado-Vivar, Gabriel Morey-León, Jan Felix Drexler, Derly Andrade-Molina, Juan José Guadalupe, Anna-Lena Sander, Andres Moreira-Soto, Patricio Rojas-Silva, Michelle Grunauer, Sebastian Brünink, and Jeannete Zurita

Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty, media_common.quotation_subject, Context (language use), phylogeography, molecular epidemiology, Microbiology, Genome, Article, law.invention, 03 medical and health sciences, law, Virology, Epidemiology, Pandemic, medicine, AcademicSubjects/MED00860, Molecular clock, 030304 developmental biology, media_common, 0303 health sciences, Genetic diversity, Molecular epidemiology, SARS-CoV-2, 030306 microbiology, AcademicSubjects/SCI01130, AcademicSubjects/SCI02285, phylogenetics, Phylogeography, Geography, Transmission (mechanics), Evolutionary biology, transmission lineages, Research Article, Diversity (politics)
Abstract

Characterisation of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) genetic diversity through space and time can reveal trends in virus importation and domestic circulation and permit the exploration of questions regarding the early transmission dynamics. Here, we present a detailed description of SARS-CoV-2 genomic epidemiology in Ecuador, one of the hardest hit countries during the early stages of the coronavirus-19 pandemic. We generated and analysed 160 whole genome sequences sampled from all provinces of Ecuador in 2020. Molecular clock and phylogeographic analysis of these sequences in the context of global SARS-CoV-2 diversity enable us to identify and characterise individual transmission lineages within Ecuador, explore their spatiotemporal distributions, and consider their introduction and domestic circulation. Our results reveal a pattern of multiple international importations across the country, with apparent differences between key provinces. Transmission lineages were mostly introduced before the implementation of non-pharmaceutical interventions, with differential degrees of persistence and national dissemination., Virus Evolution, 7 (2), ISSN:2057-1577

Published
2021
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44. Author Correction: Spatial and temporal fluctuations in COVID-19 fatality rates in Brazilian hospitals

Author

Andrea Brizzi, Charles Whittaker, Luciana M. S. Servo, Iwona Hawryluk, Carlos A. Prete, William M. de Souza, Renato S. Aguiar, Leonardo J. T. Araujo, Leonardo S. Bastos, Alexandra Blenkinsop, Lewis F. Buss, Darlan Candido, Marcia C. Castro, Silvia F. Costa, Julio Croda, Andreza Aruska de Souza Santos, Christopher Dye, Seth Flaxman, Paula L. C. Fonseca, Victor E. V. Geddes, Bernardo Gutierrez, Philippe Lemey, Anna S. Levin, Thomas Mellan, Diego M. Bonfim, Xenia Miscouridou, Swapnil Mishra, Mélodie Monod, Filipe R. R. Moreira, Bruce Nelson, Rafael H. M. Pereira, Otavio Ranzani, Ricardo P. Schnekenberg, Elizaveta Semenova, Raphael Sonabend, Renan P. Souza, Xiaoyue Xi, Ester C. Sabino, Nuno R. Faria, Samir Bhatt, and Oliver Ratmann

Subjects
General Medicine, General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
Abstract

Correction to: Nature Medicine https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-022-01807-1, published online 10 May 2022.

Published
2022
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46. Spatiotemporal invasion dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 lineage B.1.1.7 emergence

Author

Rachel M. Colquhoun, Louis du Plessis, Alessandro Vespignani, Christopher Ruis, Sumali Bajaj, Guy Baele, Verity Hill, Nuno R. Faria, Moritz U. G. Kraemer, Anya Lindström Battle, Áine O'Toole, Ben Jackson, Andrew Rambaut, David M. Aanensen, Erik M. Volz, Samuel V. Scarpino, Simon Cauchemez, Kris V Parag, Oliver G. Pybus, Nicholas J. Loman, John T. McCrone, Simon Dellicour, Bernardo Gutierrez, Brennan Klein, Harvard Medical School [Boston] (HMS), Boston Children's Hospital, University of Oxford, University of Edinburgh, University of Cambridge [UK] (CAM), Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation [Leuven], Catholic University of Leuven - Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KU Leuven), Rega Institute for Medical Research [Leuven, België], Northeastern University [Boston], Biotempo, Centre for Genomic Pathogen Surveillance, The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute [Cambridge], Nuffield Department of Medicine [Oxford, UK] (Big Data Institute), University of Birmingham [Birmingham], Modélisation mathématique des maladies infectieuses - Mathematical modelling of Infectious Diseases, Institut Pasteur [Paris] (IP)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Cité (UPCité), V.H. was supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) (grant BB/M010996/1). A.R. acknowledges the support of the Wellcome Trust (Collaborators Award 206298/Z/17/Z–ARTIC network) and the European Research Council (grant agreement 725422–ReservoirDOCS). M.U.G.K. acknowledges support from the Branco Weiss Fellowship. M.U.G.K. and S.D. acknowledge support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 project MOOD (grant agreement 874850). O.G.P. and M.U.G.K. acknowledge support from the Oxford Martin School. A.L.B., S.V.S., and M.U.G.K. acknowledge support from the Rockefeller Foundation and Google.org. C.R. was supported by a Fondation Botnar Research Award (Programme grant 6063) and UK Cystic Fibrosis Trust (Innovation Hub Award 001). A.L.B. acknowledges support from the Biotechnologyand Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) [grant BB/M011224/1]. S.D. acknowledges support from the Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique (FNRS, Belgium). G.B. acknowledges support from the Research Foundation–Flanders (Fonds voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek–Vlaanderen, G0E1420N and G098321N) and from the Interne Fondsen KU Leuven/Internal Funds KU Leuven under grant agreement C14/18/094. COG-UK is supported by funding from the Medical Research Council (MRC) part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR), and Genome Research Limited, operating as the Wellcome Sanger Institute. A.O. is supported by the Wellcome Trust Hosts, Pathogens and Global Health Programme (grant grant.203783/Z/16/Z) and Fast Grants (award 2236). S.B. is supported by the Clarendon Scholarship, University of Oxford and NERC DTP (grant NE/S007474/1). N.R.F. acknowledges support from Wellcome Trust and Royal Society (Sir Henry Dale Fellowship: 204311/Z/16/Z) and Medical Research Council–São Paulo Research Foundation CADDE partnership award (MR/S0195/1 and FAPESP 18/14389-0)., European Project: 725422,ERC-2016-COG,ReservoirDOCS(2017), European Project: 874850,H2020-SC1-2019-Single-Stage-RTD,MOOD(2020), Kraemer, Moritz UG [0000-0001-8838-7147], Hill, Verity [0000-0002-3509-8146], Ruis, Christopher [0000-0003-0977-5534], Dellicour, Simon [0000-0001-9558-1052], Bajaj, Sumali [0000-0002-8313-819X], McCrone, John T [0000-0002-9846-8917], Baele, Guy [0000-0002-1915-7732], Parag, Kris V [0000-0002-7806-3605], Battle, Anya Lindström [0000-0001-6356-4688], Gutierrez, Bernardo [0000-0002-9220-2739], Jackson, Ben [0000-0002-9981-0649], Colquhoun, Rachel [0000-0002-5577-9897], O'Toole, Áine [0000-0001-8083-474X], Klein, Brennan [0000-0001-8326-5044], Vespignani, Alessandro [0000-0003-3419-4205], Volz, Erik [0000-0001-6268-8937], Faria, Nuno R [0000-0002-9747-8822], Aanensen, David M [0000-0001-6688-0854], Loman, Nicholas J [0000-0002-9843-8988], du Plessis, Louis [0000-0003-0352-6289], Cauchemez, Simon [0000-0001-9186-4549], Rambaut, Andrew [0000-0003-4337-3707], Scarpino, Samuel V [0000-0001-5716-2770], Pybus, Oliver G [0000-0002-8797-2667], Apollo - University of Cambridge Repository, Medical Research Council-São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), Wellcome Trust, and Medical Research Council (MRC)

Subjects
0301 basic medicine, 2019-20 coronavirus outbreak, Lineage (genetic), Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), General Science & Technology, Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), EPIDEMICS, VARIANT, B100, Context (language use), B200, METAPOPULATION DYNAMICS, Genome, Viral, Biology, 03 medical and health sciences, 0302 clinical medicine, Spatio-Temporal Analysis, COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) Consortium, Invasion process, [SDV.MHEP.MI]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Human health and pathology/Infectious diseases, Pandemic, Humans, RISK, Travel, [SDV.MHEP.ME]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Human health and pathology/Emerging diseases, Science & Technology, Multidisciplinary, SARS-CoV-2, Incidence, COVID-19, C500, A300, C700, United Kingdom, 3. Good health, Multidisciplinary Sciences, Phylogeography, 030104 developmental biology, Evolutionary biology, COVID-19 Nucleic Acid Testing, Communicable Disease Control, [SDV.MP.VIR]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Microbiology and Parasitology/Virology, Science & Technology - Other Topics, VIRUS, [SDV.SPEE]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Santé publique et épidémiologie, SPREAD, 030217 neurology & neurosurgery
Abstract

Understanding the causes and consequences of the emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants of concern is crucial to pandemic control yet difficult to achieve because they arise in the context of variable human behavior and immunity. We investigated the spatial invasion dynamics of lineage B.1.1.7 by jointly analyzing UK human mobility, virus genomes, and community-based polymerase chain reaction data. We identified a multistage spatial invasion process in which early B.1.1.7 growth rates were associated with mobility and asymmetric lineage export from a dominant source location, enhancing the effects of B.1.1.7's increased intrinsic transmissibility. We further explored how B.1.1.7 spread was shaped by nonpharmaceutical interventions and spatial variation in previous attack rates. Our findings show that careful accounting of the behavioral and epidemiological context within which variants of concern emerge is necessary to interpret correctly their observed relative growth rates. ispartof: SCIENCE vol:373 issue:6557 pages:889-+ ispartof: location:United States status: published

Published
2021
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47. Establishment & lineage dynamics of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in the UK

Author

Jordan Ashworth, Nuno R. Faria, Samuel M. Nicholls, Alexander E. Zarebski, Thomas R. Connor, Benjamin C. Jackson, Tetyana I. Vasylyeva, Áine O'Toole, Bernardo Gutierrez, Oliver G. Pybus, John T. McCrone, Verity Hill, Emily Scher, Erik M. Volz, Jayna Raghwani, Alexander Watts, Isaac I. Bogoch, Christopher Ruis, Nicholas J. Loman, Rachel M. Colquhoun, Andrew Rambaut, Moritz U. G. Kraemer, Louis du Plessis, David M. Aanensen, Kris V Parag, and Kamran Khan

Subjects
2019-20 coronavirus outbreak, Transmission (mechanics), Phylogenetic tree, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), law, Evolutionary biology, Lineage (evolution), Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), Biology, Genome, Virus, law.invention
Abstract

The UK’s COVID-19 epidemic during early 2020 was one of world’s largest and unusually well represented by virus genomic sampling. Here we reveal the fine-scale genetic lineage structure of this epidemic through analysis of 50,887 SARS-CoV-2 genomes, including 26,181 from the UK sampled throughout the country’s first wave of infection. Using large-scale phylogenetic analyses, combined with epidemiological and travel data, we quantify the size, spatio-temporal origins and persistence of genetically-distinct UK transmission lineages. Rapid fluctuations in virus importation rates resulted in >1000 lineages; those introduced prior to national lockdown were larger and more dispersed. Lineage importation and regional lineage diversity declined after lockdown, whilst lineage elimination was size-dependent. We discuss the implications of our genetic perspective on transmission dynamics for COVID-19 epidemiology and control.

Published
2020
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48. Tracking changes in reporting of epidemiological data during the COVID-19 pandemic in Southeast Asia: an observational study during the first wave

Author

Arianna Maever L. Amit, Bernardo Gutierrez, Thomas Rawson, and Veincent Christian Filipino Pepito

Subjects
Data sharing, Data collection, Geography, Public health surveillance, business.industry, Environmental health, Pandemic, Psychological intervention, Observational study, Timeline, business, Publication
Abstract

SummaryBackgroundWhen a new pathogen emerges, consistent case reporting is critical for public health surveillance. Tracking cases geographically and over time is key for understanding the spread of an infectious disease and how to effectively design interventions to contain and mitigate an epidemic. In this paper we describe the reporting systems on COVID-19 in Southeast Asia during the first wave in 2020, and highlight the impact of specific reporting methods.MethodsWe reviewed key epidemiological variables from various sources including a regionally comprehensive dataset, national trackers, dashboards, and case bulletins for 11 countries during the first wave of the epidemic in Southeast Asia. We recorded timelines of shifts in epidemiological reporting systems. We further described the differences in how epidemiological data are reported across countries and timepoints, and the accessibility of epidemiological data.FindingsOur findings suggest that countries in Southeast Asia generally reported precise and detailed epidemiological data during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, changes in reporting were frequent and varied across data and countries. Changes in reporting rarely occurred for demographic data such as age and sex, while reporting shifts for geographic and temporal data were frequent. We also found that most countries provided COVID-19 individual-level data daily using HTML and PDF, necessitating scraping and extraction before data could be used in analyses.InterpretationCountries have different reporting systems and different capacities for maintaining consistent reporting of epidemiological data. As the pandemic progresses, governments may also change their priorities in data sharing. Our study thus highlights the importance of more nuanced analyses of epidemiological data of COVID-19 within and across countries because of the frequent shifts in reporting. Further, most countries provide data on a daily basis but not always in a readily usable format. As governments continue to respond to the impacts of COVID-19 on health and the economy, data sharing also needs to be prioritised given its foundational role in policymaking, and the implementation and evaluation of interventions.FundingThe work was supported through an Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) (https://epsrc.ukri.org/) Systems Biology studentship award (EP/G03706X/1) to TR. This project was also supported in part by the Oxford Martin School.The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Published
2020
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49. Metagenome of a Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid Sample from a Confirmed COVID-19 Case in Quito, Ecuador, Obtained Using Oxford Nanopore MinION Technology

Author

Juan José Guadalupe, Patricio Rojas-Silva, Bernardo Gutierrez, Manuel Jibaja, Gabriel Trueba, Michelle Grunauer, Mónica Becerra-Wong, Sully Márquez, Belén Prado-Vivar, Veronica Barragan, Josefina Coloma, Milton Tobar, and Paul Cardenas

Subjects
2019-20 coronavirus outbreak, medicine.diagnostic_test, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), Omics Data Sets, respiratory system, Biology, Virology, respiratory tract diseases, Bronchoalveolar lavage, Immunology and Microbiology (miscellaneous), Metagenomics, Minion, parasitic diseases, Genetics, medicine, Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid sample, Nanopore sequencing, Molecular Biology
Abstract

We report the metagenome analysis of a bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid sample from a confirmed COVID-19 case in Quito, Ecuador. Sequencing was performed using MinION technology., We report the metagenome analysis of a bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid sample from a confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) case in Quito, Ecuador. Sequencing was performed using MinION technology.

Published
2020
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50. 'Kankasha' in Kassala: a prospective observational cohort study of the clinical characteristics, epidemiology, genetic origin, and chronic impact of the 2018 epidemic of Chikungunya virus infection in Kassala, Sudan

Author

Bernardo Gutierrez, Tom Fletcher, Mubarak Ibrahim Idriss, Omer Albadri, Oliver G. Pybus, Iman Mahmoud, Mohamed Elamin Ahmed Alfakiyousif, Suha Abdulaziz Alnour Mahmoud, TajEldin M Abdallah, Abd Alhadi Adam Hussein Adam, Hilary Bower, Benedict Gannon, Rehab Mohamed, Shevin T. Jacob, Ma’aaza Abasher Alzain, Mawahib H. Eldigail, Nuha Elagib, Orwa Ibrahim Abdalla, Steven T. Pullan, Daniel P. Carter, Ulrike Arnold, and Mubarak el Karsany

Subjects
RNA viruses, Male, Viral Diseases, Epidemiology, RC955-962, Artificial Gene Amplification and Extension, Dengue virus, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, medicine.disease_cause, Polymerase Chain Reaction, Vascular Medicine, wa_20_5, Disease Outbreaks, Geographical Locations, Sudan, Medical Conditions, Aedes, Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine, Medicine and Health Sciences, Prospective Studies, Chikungunya, Child, Phylogeny, Molecular Epidemiology, education.field_of_study, Chikungunya Virus, Transmission (medicine), virus diseases, Middle Aged, Infectious Diseases, Medical Microbiology, Viral Pathogens, Child, Preschool, Viruses, qw_160, Female, Public aspects of medicine, RA1-1270, Pathogens, Research Article, Neglected Tropical Diseases, Cohort study, Adult, medicine.medical_specialty, wc_680, Adolescent, Alphaviruses, Population, Pain, wa_395, Hemorrhage, Mosquito Vectors, Research and Analysis Methods, Microbiology, Togaviruses, Young Adult, Signs and Symptoms, Environmental health, Parasitic Diseases, medicine, Animals, Humans, Molecular Biology Techniques, Epidemics, education, Microbial Pathogens, Molecular Biology, Biology and life sciences, business.industry, Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health, Organisms, Chikungunya Infection, Infant, Outbreak, Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction, Tropical Diseases, medicine.disease, Malaria, People and Places, Africa, Chikungunya Fever, Clinical Medicine, business
Abstract

Background The public health impact of Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is often underestimated. Usually considered a mild condition of short duration, recent outbreaks have reported greater incidence of severe illness, fatality, and longer-term disability. In 2018/19, Eastern Sudan experienced the largest epidemic of CHIKV in Africa to date, affecting an estimated 487,600 people. Known locally as Kankasha, this study examines clinical characteristics, risk factors, and phylogenetics of the epidemic in Kassala City. Methodology/Principal findings A prospective cohort of 102 adults and 40 children presenting with chikungunya-like illness were enrolled at Kassala Teaching Hospital in October 2018. Clinical information, socio-demographic data, and sera samples were analysed to confirm diagnosis, characterise illness, and identify viral strain. CHIKV infection was confirmed by real-time reverse transcription-PCR in 84.5% (120/142) of participants. Nine (7.5%) CHIKV-positive participants had concurrent Dengue virus (DENV) infection; 34/118 participants (28.8%) had a positive Rapid Diagnostic Test for Plasmodium falciparum; six (5.0%) had haemorrhagic symptoms including two children with life-threatening bleeding. One CHIKV-positive participant died with acute renal injury. Age was not associated with severity of illness although CHIKV-infected participants were younger (p = 0.003). Two to four months post-illness, 63% of adults available for follow-up (30) were still experiencing arthralgia in one or more joints, and 11% remained moderately disabled on Rapid3 assessment. Phylogenetic analysis showed all CHIKV sequences from this study belonged to a single clade within the Indian Ocean Lineage (IOL) of the East/Central/South African (ECSA) genotype. History of contact with an infected person was the only factor associated with infection (p = 0.01), and likely related to being in the same vector environment. Conclusions/Significance Vulnerability to CHIKV remains in Kassala and elsewhere in Sudan due to widespread Aedes aegypti presence and mosquito-fostering household water storage methods. This study highlights the importance of increasing awareness of the severity and impact of CHIKV outbreaks, and the need for urgent actions to reduce transmission risk in households., Author summary Chikungunya is an arboviral disease transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes and characterised by fever and arthralgia. Although it is generally considered a short self-limiting infection, long term sequelae and severe disease are increasingly recognised. In 2018/19, Eastern Sudan experienced the largest epidemic of Chikungunya in Africa to date, affecting approximately 500,000 people. We undertook a prospective hospital-based cohort study of patients presenting with undifferentiated febrile illness in Kassala city, Sudan, supported by next-generation sequencing. We confirmed that CHIKV was the dominant pathogen, with positive CHIKV RT-PCR in 85% of patients presenting during the 7-day study period. Dengue virus was also circulating with nine CHIKV RT-PCR-positive patients co-infected, and we identified high rates of Plasmodium falciparum infection and CHIKV/P.falciparum co-infection. Genetic sequencing confirmed Indian Ocean Lineage of the East/Central/South African CHIKV genotype. A quarter of participants available for follow-up (16/60, 26.6%) reported being admitted to hospital including two children with haemorrhage, reflecting the severe phenotype linked to this genotype. Increased understanding of the health and economic burden of Chikungunya is needed, and recognition that severe and occasionally fatal infection exists. With widespread presence of Ae. aegypti and household water storage practices that encourage mosquito breeding, timely actions will be essential to prevent further large outbreaks.

Published
2020
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