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Chandy S, Kumar H, Pearl S, Basu S, M G, Sankar J, Manoharan A, Ramaiah S, Anbarasu A. Whole genome analysis reveals unique traits of SARS-CoV-2 in pediatric patients. Gene 2024; 919:148508. [PMID: 38670399 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2024.148508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2024] [Revised: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues to challenge the global healthcare with emerging variants and higher infectivity as well as morbidities. This study investigated potential age-related variations through genomic characterization of the virus under common clinical settings. A cohort comprising 71 SARS-CoV-2 strains from both infected infants and accompanying adults, diagnosed via RT-PCR at a tertiary pediatric hospital and research center, underwent Illumina paired-end sequencing. The subsequent analysis involved standard genomic screening, phylogeny construction, and mutational analyses. The analyzed SARSCoV- 2 strains were compared with globally circulating variants. The overall distribution revealed 67.61 % Delta, 25.7 % Omicron, and 1 % either Kappa or Alpha variants. In 2021, Delta predominated at ∼ 94 %, with Alpha/Kappa accounting for around 5 %. However, in 2022, over 94 % of the samples were Omicron variants, signifying a substantial shift from Delta dominance. Delta variants constituted 69.5 % of infections in adults and 78.5 % in infants, while Omicron variants were responsible for 31 % of cases in infants and 18 % in adults. The Spike region harbored the majority of mutations, with T19R being the most prevalent mutation in the Delta lineage. Notably, the frequencies of this mutation varied between infants and adults. In Omicron samples, G142D emerged as the most prevalent mutation. Our dataset predominantly featured clade 21A and lineage B.1.617.2. This study underscores the differential clinical presentations and genomic characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 in pediatric patients and accompanying adults. Understanding the dynamic evolution of the SARS- CoV-2 in both pediatric and adults can help in strengthening prophylactic measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Chandy
- The CHILDS Trust Medical Research Foundation (CTMRF), 12-A, Nageswara Road, Nungambakkam, Chennai 600034, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Hithesh Kumar
- Department of Bio-Sciences, School of Biosciences and Technology (SBST), Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Vellore 632014, India; Medical and Biological Computing Laboratory, SBST, VIT, Vellore 632014, India
| | - Sara Pearl
- Medical and Biological Computing Laboratory, SBST, VIT, Vellore 632014, India; Department of Integrative Biology, School of Biosciences and Technology (SBST), Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Vellore 632014, India
| | - Soumya Basu
- Medical and Biological Computing Laboratory, SBST, VIT, Vellore 632014, India; Department of Biotechnology, NIST University, Berhampore 761008, India
| | - Gurumoorthy M
- The CHILDS Trust Medical Research Foundation (CTMRF), 12-A, Nageswara Road, Nungambakkam, Chennai 600034, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Janani Sankar
- The CHILDS Trust Medical Research Foundation (CTMRF), 12-A, Nageswara Road, Nungambakkam, Chennai 600034, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Anand Manoharan
- Kanchi Kamakoti CHILDS Trust Hospital (KKCTH), 12-A, Nageswara Road, Nungambakkam, Chennai 600034, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Sudha Ramaiah
- Department of Bio-Sciences, School of Biosciences and Technology (SBST), Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Vellore 632014, India; Medical and Biological Computing Laboratory, SBST, VIT, Vellore 632014, India
| | - Anand Anbarasu
- Medical and Biological Computing Laboratory, SBST, VIT, Vellore 632014, India; Department of Biotechnology, School of Biosciences and Technology (SBST), Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Vellore 632014, India.
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Quek ZBR, Ng SH. Hybrid-Capture Target Enrichment in Human Pathogens: Identification, Evolution, Biosurveillance, and Genomic Epidemiology. Pathogens 2024; 13:275. [PMID: 38668230 PMCID: PMC11054155 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens13040275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2024] [Revised: 03/11/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024] Open
Abstract
High-throughput sequencing (HTS) has revolutionised the field of pathogen genomics, enabling the direct recovery of pathogen genomes from clinical and environmental samples. However, pathogen nucleic acids are often overwhelmed by those of the host, requiring deep metagenomic sequencing to recover sufficient sequences for downstream analyses (e.g., identification and genome characterisation). To circumvent this, hybrid-capture target enrichment (HC) is able to enrich pathogen nucleic acids across multiple scales of divergences and taxa, depending on the panel used. In this review, we outline the applications of HC in human pathogens-bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses-including identification, genomic epidemiology, antimicrobial resistance genotyping, and evolution. Importantly, we explored the applicability of HC to clinical metagenomics, which ultimately requires more work before it is a reliable and accurate tool for clinical diagnosis. Relatedly, the utility of HC was exemplified by COVID-19, which was used as a case study to illustrate the maturity of HC for recovering pathogen sequences. As we unravel the origins of COVID-19, zoonoses remain more relevant than ever. Therefore, the role of HC in biosurveillance studies is also highlighted in this review, which is critical in preparing us for the next pandemic. We also found that while HC is a popular tool to study viruses, it remains underutilised in parasites and fungi and, to a lesser extent, bacteria. Finally, weevaluated the future of HC with respect to bait design in the eukaryotic groups and the prospect of combining HC with long-read HTS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z. B. Randolph Quek
- Defence Medical & Environmental Research Institute, DSO National Laboratories, Singapore 117510, Singapore
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Guo C, Wu JY. Pathogen Discovery in the Post-COVID Era. Pathogens 2024; 13:51. [PMID: 38251358 PMCID: PMC10821006 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens13010051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Pathogen discovery plays a crucial role in the fields of infectious diseases, clinical microbiology, and public health. During the past four years, the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of early and accurate identification of novel pathogens for effective management and prevention of outbreaks. The post-COVID era has ushered in a new phase of infectious disease research, marked by accelerated advancements in pathogen discovery. This review encapsulates the recent innovations and paradigm shifts that have reshaped the landscape of pathogen discovery in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Primarily, we summarize the latest technology innovations, applications, and causation proving strategies that enable rapid and accurate pathogen discovery for both acute and historical infections. We also explored the significance and the latest trends and approaches being employed for effective implementation of pathogen discovery from various clinical and environmental samples. Furthermore, we emphasize the collaborative nature of the pandemic response, which has led to the establishment of global networks for pathogen discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng Guo
- Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Jian-Yong Wu
- School of Public Health, Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi 830017, China
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Trémeaux P, Latour J, Ranger N, Ferrer V, Harter A, Carcenac R, Boyer P, Demmou S, Nicot F, Raymond S, Izopet J. SARS-CoV-2 Co-Infections and Recombinations Identified by Long-Read Single-Molecule Real-Time Sequencing. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0049323. [PMID: 37260377 PMCID: PMC10434069 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00493-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Co-infection with at least 2 strains of virus is the prerequisite for recombination, one of the means of genetic diversification. Little is known about the prevalence of these events in SARS-CoV-2, partly because it is difficult to detect them. We used long-read PacBio single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing technology to sequence whole genomes and targeted regions for haplotyping. We identified 17 co-infections with SARS-CoV-2 strains belonging to different clades in 6829 samples sequenced between January and October, 2022 (prevalence 0.25%). There were 3 Delta/Omicron co-infections and 14 Omicron/Omicron co-infections (4 cases of 21K/21L, 1 case of 21L/22A, 2 cases of 21L/22B, 4 cases of 22A/22B, 2 cases of 22B/22C and 1 case of 22B/22E). Four of these patients (24%) also harbored recombinant minor haplotypes, including one with a recombinant virus that was selected in the viral quasispecies over the course of his chronic infection. While co-infections remain rare among SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals, long-read SMRT sequencing is a useful tool for detecting them as well as recombinant events, providing the basis for assessing their clinical impact, and a precise indicator of epidemic evolution. IMPORTANCE SARS-CoV-2 variants have been responsible for the successive waves of infection over the 3 years of pandemic. While co-infection followed by recombination is one driver of virus evolution, there have been few reports of co-infections, mainly between Delta and Omicron variants or between the first 2 Omicron variants 21K_BA.1 and 21L_BA.2. The 17 co-infections we detected during 2022 included cases with the recent clades of Omicron 22A, 22B, 22C, and 22E; 24% harbored recombinant variants. This study shows that long-read SMRT sequencing is well suited to SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pauline Trémeaux
- Virology Laboratory, Toulouse University Hospital, Toulouse, France
| | - Justine Latour
- Virology Laboratory, Toulouse University Hospital, Toulouse, France
| | - Noémie Ranger
- Virology Laboratory, Toulouse University Hospital, Toulouse, France
| | - Vénicia Ferrer
- Virology Laboratory, Toulouse University Hospital, Toulouse, France
| | - Agnès Harter
- Virology Laboratory, Toulouse University Hospital, Toulouse, France
| | - Romain Carcenac
- Virology Laboratory, Toulouse University Hospital, Toulouse, France
| | - Pauline Boyer
- Virology Laboratory, Toulouse University Hospital, Toulouse, France
| | - Sofia Demmou
- Virology Laboratory, Toulouse University Hospital, Toulouse, France
| | - Florence Nicot
- Virology Laboratory, Toulouse University Hospital, Toulouse, France
| | - Stéphanie Raymond
- Virology Laboratory, Toulouse University Hospital, Toulouse, France
- INSERM UMR 1291 – CNRS UMR 5051, Toulouse Institute for Infectious and Inflammatory Diseases (INFINITy), Toulouse, France
| | - Jacques Izopet
- Virology Laboratory, Toulouse University Hospital, Toulouse, France
- INSERM UMR 1291 – CNRS UMR 5051, Toulouse Institute for Infectious and Inflammatory Diseases (INFINITy), Toulouse, France
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