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Emergence and rapid spread of a new severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) lineage with multiple spike mutations in South Africa

Authors :
Deelan Doolabh
Shareef Abrahams
Lynn Tyers
Arash Iranzadeh
Nokukhanya Msomi
Carolyn Williamson
Gert Marais
Denis York
Anne von Gottberg
Vagner Fonseca
Allison J. Glass
Darren P. Martin
Emmanuel James San
Wolfgang Preiser
Innocent Mudau
Luiz Carlos Junior Alcantara
Steven Weaver
Mushal Allam
Alex Sigal
Sibongile Walaza
Jennifer Giandhari
Adam Godzik
Arghavan Alisoltani-Dehkordi
Thabo Mohale
Gert U. van Zyl
Stephen N.J. Korsman
Marta Giovanetti
Oluwakemi Laguda-Akingba
Jinal N. Bhiman
Tulio de Oliveira
Eduan Wilkinson
Richard J Lessells
Francesco Petruccione
Constantinos Kurt Wibmer
Diana Hardie
Koleka Mlisana
Caroline Maslo
Arshad Ismail
Sergei L Kosakovsky Pond
Houriiyah Tegally
B.T. Sewell
Mary-Ann Davies
Dominique Goedhals
Susan Engelbrecht
José Lourenço
Sureshnee Pillay
Marvin Hsiao
Publication Year :
2020
Publisher :
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 2020.

Abstract

SummaryContinued uncontrolled transmission of the severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in many parts of the world is creating the conditions for significant virus evolution. Here, we describe a new SARS-CoV-2 lineage (501Y.V2) characterised by eight lineage-defining mutations in the spike protein, including three at important residues in the receptor-binding domain (K417N, E484K and N501Y) that may have functional significance. This lineage emerged in South Africa after the first epidemic wave in a severely affected metropolitan area, Nelson Mandela Bay, located on the coast of the Eastern Cape Province. This lineage spread rapidly, becoming within weeks the dominant lineage in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape Provinces. Whilst the full significance of the mutations is yet to be determined, the genomic data, showing the rapid displacement of other lineages, suggest that this lineage may be associated with increased transmissibility.

Details

Database :
OpenAIRE
Accession number :
edsair.doi...........78e0c6baa9c0c79dbdde781ce28f6e35