SARS-CoV-2 exhibits intra-host genomic plasticity and low-frequency polymorphic quasispecies.

ABSTRACT: In December 2019, an outbreak of atypical pneumonia (Coronavirus disease 2019 -COVID-19) associated with a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) was reported in Wuhan city, Hubei province, China. The outbreak was traced to a seafood wholesale market and human to human transmission was confirmed. The rapid spread and the death toll of the new epidemic warrants immediate intervention. The intra-host genomic variability of SARS-CoV-2 plays a pivotal role in the development of effective antiviral agents and vaccines, as well as in the design of accurate diagnostics. We analyzed NGS data derived from clinical samples of three Chinese patients infected with SARS-CoV-2, in order to identify small- and large-scale intra-host variations in the viral genome. We identified tens of low- or higher- frequency

SUBMITTER: Karamitros T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7418792 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature