SARS-CoV-2 genetic diversity and variants of concern in Saudi Arabia.
J Infect Dev Ctries
; 15(12): 1782-1791, 2021 12 31.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1636074
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
In December 2019, a new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, emerged in China, causing coronavirus disease 2019. The present study investigated genetic profiles and variations of SARS-CoV-2 distributed in different regions of Saudi Arabia to begin to understand the pathogenesis and transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in this country and analyzed associations of these variations with host factors.METHODOLOGY:
In total, 774 SARS-CoV-2 genomic sequences obtained and annotated by the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) were captured and analyzed.RESULTS:
The most common SARS-CoV-2 clades in Saudi Arabia were GH followed by O, GR, G, and S. Statistically significant associations were detected between clades and patient outcome. Age, as a host factor, was significantly associated with many variables, including virus geographical location, clade, and patient outcome. The most common variants detected were the NSP12_P323L mutation 94.9%, followed by the D614G mutation (76%) and the NS3_Q57H mutation (71.4%). The concerned variants B.1.1.7, B.1.351, and P.1 were not detected in our population. D614G was associated with higher morbidities than the wild-type virus, including higher rates of death and hospitalization. The NS3_Q57H mutation was the only variant associated with better patient outcome than the wild type. Risk of death was highest with the NSP12_P323L mutation (OR = 1.84; 95% CI = 0.37-9.30) and lowest with the NS3_Q57H mutation (OR = 0.43; 95% CI = 0.25-0.727).CONCLUSIONS:
SARS-CoV-2 has evolved uniquely and independently in Saudi Arabia. Our findings provide evidence to begin linking the evolutionary implications to host factors and their effects on the virus severity and transmission.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
SARS-CoV-2
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Topics:
Variants
Limits:
Adult
/
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Country/Region as subject:
Asia
Language:
English
Journal:
J Infect Dev Ctries
Journal subject:
Communicable Diseases
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Jidc.15350
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