Genomic Surveillance of Circulating SARS-CoV-2 in South East Italy: A One-Year Retrospective Genetic Study

Genomic Surveillance of Circulating SARS-CoV-2 in South East Italy: A One-Year Retrospective Genetic Study

Antonio Parisi, Lorenzo Pace, Maria Notarnicola, Graziano Pesole, Loredana Capozzi, Angelica Bianco, Laura Del Sambro, Domenico Simone, Antonio Lippolis, Domenico Galante

In order to provide insights into the evolutionary and epidemiological viral dynamics during the current COVID-19 pandemic in South Eastern Italy, a total of 298 genomes of SARS-CoV-2 strains collected in the Apulia and Basilicata regions, between March 2020 and January 2021, were sequenced. The genomic analysis performed on the draft genomes allowed us to assign the genetic clades and lineages of belonging to each sample and provide an overview of the main circulating viral variants. Our data showed the spread in Apulia and Basilicata of SARS-CoV-2 variants which have emerged during the second wave of infections and are being currently monitored worldwide for their increased transmission rate and their possible impact on vaccines and therapies. These results emphasize the importance of genome sequencing for the epidemiological surveillance of the new SARS-CoV-2 variants’ spread.

2021

covid-19, SARS-CoV-2, whole-genome sequencing, genomic surveillance, Nextstrain clade, Pangolin lineage

10.3390/v13050731

Epidemiology and Health

Korean Society of Epidemiology

Microbiology