First phylogenetic analysis of Malian SARS-CoV-2 sequences provide molecular insights into the genomic diversity of the Sahel region

Abstract

We are currently facing a pandemic of COVID-19, caused by a spillover from an animal-originating coronavirus to humans occuring in the Wuhan region, China, in December 2019. From China the virus has spread to 188 countries and regions worldwide, reaching the Sahel region on the 2nd of March 2020. Since whole genome sequencing (WGS) data is very crucial to understand the spreading dynamics of the ongoing pandemic, but only limited sequence data is available from the Sahel region to date, we have focused our efforts on generating the first Malian sequencing data available. Screening of 217 Malian patient samples for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 resulted in 38 positive isolates from which 21 whole genome sequences were generated. Our analysis shows that both, the early A (19B) and the fast evolving B (20A/C) clade, are present in Mali indicating multiple and independent introductions of the SARS-CoV-2 to the Sahel region.

Sword of Damocles or choosing well. Population genetics sheds light into the future of the COVID-19 pandemic and SARS-CoV-2 new mutant strains

“…Due to Covid-19's pandemic magnitude, an immense effort to sequence SARS-CoV-2 genetic variants and its relations to clinical and epidemiological findings has been made worldwide. There are nearly a thousand preprints available about genetic variants, published in https://www.medrxiv.org 1 , https://www.biorxiv.org 2 and some other preprint platforms, which promote the rapid data exchange about SARS-CoV-2 genetic sequences [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] , infectivity and lethality (https://nextstrain.org/sars-cov-2/; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov; https://www.gisaid.org; https://covid.pages.uni.lu; https://www.covid19dataportal.org) [11][12][13][14][15] . Updated mutations on any sequence can be tested in different countries and time periods.…”