Genomic epidemiology and phylogenetics applied to the study of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

ABSTRACT

The study of characteristics, prevalence and patterns of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections is significant to monitor and define the status of the pandemic, helping to design and evaluate control strategies. In this setting, the continuous emergence of new variants and their dynamic of replacement underline the importance of implementing genomic epidemiology and phylogenetic methods for the molecular monitoring and surveillance of this new virus. The current profile of the pandemic can change rapidly when new variants emerge and spread, impacting epidemiology and public health in terms of prevention and treatment and making it necessary to develop new molecules and formulate vaccines. In this paper, we reviewed and synthesized the main studies on molecular genomics and phylogeny of SARS-CoV-2 during the pandemic, and highlighted their contributions to our understanding of this new emergent pathogen.