Molecular epidemiology of COVID-19 in Oman: A molecular and surveillance study for the early transmission of COVID-19 in the country

Al-Mahruqi, Samira; Wahaibi, Adil Al; Khan, Abdul Latif; Al-Jardani, Amina; Asaf, Sajjad; Al-Kindi, Hanan; Al-Kharusi, Samiha; Al‐Rawahi, Ahmed; Salmani, Majid K Al; Al-Shukri, Intisar; Al-Busaidi, Aisha; Al-Abri, Seif; Al‐Harrasi, Ahmed

doi:10.1016/j.ijid.2020.12.049

Cited by 19 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“… 17 Indians and Bangladeshis were exposed primarily to the D614 virus in March through June or July of 2020 in some regions outside the Indian subcontinent, for example, Kuwait, 37 Malaysia, 38 , 39 and Singapore, 14 , 23 while South Asians in Oman were mostly exposed to the G614 virus in March and April of 2020. 37 , 40 The temporospatial distribution of the D614 virus versus G614 virus in South Asia is summarized in Figure 1 A–F.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The D614G Virus Mutation Enhances Anosmia in COVID-19 Patients: Evidence from a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Studies from South Asia

Bartheld

Hagen

Butowt

2021

ACS Chem. Neurosci.

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The prevalence of chemosensory dysfunction in patients with COVID-19 varies greatly between populations. It is unclear whether such differences are due to factors at the level of the human host, or at the level of the coronavirus, or both. At the host level, the entry proteins which allow virus binding and entry have variants with distinct properties, and the frequency of such variants differs between ethnicities. At the level of the virus, the D614G mutation enhances virus entry to the host cell. Since the two virus strains (D614 and G614) coexisted in the first six months of the pandemic in most populations, it has been difficult to distinguish between contributions of the virus and contributions of the host for anosmia. To answer this question, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies in South Asian populations when either the D614 or the G614 virus was dominant. We show that populations infected predominantly with the G614 virus had a much higher prevalence of anosmia (pooled prevalence of 31.8%) compared with the same ethnic populations infected mostly with the D614 virus strain (pooled anosmia prevalence of 5.3%). We conclude that the D614G mutation is a major contributing factor that increases the prevalence of anosmia in COVID-19, and that this enhanced effect on olfaction constitutes a previously unrecognized phenotype of the D614G mutation. The new virus strains that have additional mutations on the background of the D614G mutation can be expected to cause a similarly increased prevalence of chemosensory dysfunctions.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The D614G Virus Mutation Enhances Anosmia in COVID-19 Patients: Evidence from a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Studies from South Asia

Bartheld

Hagen

Butowt

2021

ACS Chem. Neurosci.

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“…This could be explained by early in the pandemic there were many outbreaks in labor camps and dormitories that were densely populated with congregate living and lack of adherence to social distancing (Al Balushi et al, 2020;Al Fahdi et al, 2021), and the Ministry of Health with other stakeholders implemented rigorous structured occupational health measures in workplaces and dormitories with close monitoring to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission among this group. Later on, most of the cases were in Omanis because of family and social gatherings (Al-Mahruqi et al, 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the general population of Oman: results from four successive nationwide sero-epidemiological surveys

Al-Abri¹,

Wahaibi²,

Al-Kindi³

et al. 2021

International Journal of Infectious Diseases

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Objective To assess SARS-COV-2 seroprevalence in Oman and longitudinal changes in antibody levels over time within the first 11 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods This nationwide cross-sectional study was conducted as a four-cycle serosurvey using a multistage stratified sampling method from July–November 2020. A questionnaire was used and included demographics, history of acute respiratory infection and list of symptoms, COVID-19 contact, previous diagnosis or admission, travel history, and risk factors. Results In total, 17,457 participants were surveyed. Thirty percent were female, and 66.3% Omani. There was significant increase in seroprevalence throughout the study cycles, starting from [5.5 (4.8–6.2)] for the first cycle and ending with [22 (19.6–24.6)] for the forth cycle. There was no difference in seroprevalence between genders, but significant differences between age groups. There was a transition of seroprevalence from being higher in non-Omanis in cycle one, [9.1 (7.6–10.9)] to Omanis [3.2 (2.6–3.9)] to being higher in Omanis [24.3 (21.0–27.9)] to non-Omanis [16.8 (14.9–18.9)] in cycle four. There was remarkable variation in seroprevalence of COVID-19 according to governorate. Close contacts of people with COVID-19 had a 96% higher risk of having the disease, (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=1.96, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.64–2.34); laborers have 58% higher risk of infection compared to office workers (AOR=1.58, 95% CI; 1.04–2.35). Conclusion The study showed a wide variation of SARS-CoV-2 dissemination between governorates in Oman, with higher seroprevalence estimates in migrants in the first two cycles. Prevalence estimates remain low and are insufficient to provide herd immunity.

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“…17 Indians and Bangladeshis were exposed primarily to the D614 virus in March through June or July of 2020 in some regions outside the Indian subcontinent, e.g., Kuwait, 37 Malaysia, 38,39 and Singapore, 14,23 while South Asians in Oman were mostly exposed to the G614 virus in March and April of 2020. 37,40 The temporospatial distribution of the D614 virus vs G614 virus in South Asia is summarized in Fig. 1A-F.…”

Section: Spatiotemporal Mapping Of D614 or G614 Virus Dominance In South Asiansmentioning

confidence: 99%

The D614G virus mutation enhances anosmia in COVID-19 patients: Evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies from South Asia

Bartheld

Hagen

Butowt

2021

Preprint

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The prevalence of chemosensory dysfunction in patients with COVID-19 varies greatly between populations. It is unclear whether such differences are due to factors at the level of the human host, or at the level of the coronavirus, or both. At the host level, the entry proteins which allow virus binding and entry have variants with distinct properties, and the frequency of such variants differs between ethnicities. At the level of the virus, the D614G mutation enhances virus entry to the host cell. Since the two virus strains (D614 and G614) co-existed in the first six months of the pandemic in most populations, it has been difficult to distinguish between contributions of the virus and contributions of the host for anosmia. To answer this question, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies in South Asian populations when either the D614 or the G614 virus was dominant. We show that populations infected predominantly with the G614 virus had a much higher prevalence of anosmia (pooled prevalence of 31.8%) compared with the same ethnic populations infected mostly with the D614 virus strain (pooled anosmia prevalence of 5.3%). We conclude that the D614G mutation is a major contributing factor that increases the prevalence of anosmia in COVID-19, and that this enhanced effect on olfaction constitutes a previously unrecognized phenotype of the D614G mutation. The new virus strains that have additional mutations on the background of the D614G mutation can be expected to cause a similarly increased prevalence of chemosensory dysfunctions.

show abstract

Molecular epidemiology of COVID-19 in Oman: A molecular and surveillance study for the early transmission of COVID-19 in the country

Cited by 19 publications

References 19 publications

The D614G Virus Mutation Enhances Anosmia in COVID-19 Patients: Evidence from a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Studies from South Asia

The D614G Virus Mutation Enhances Anosmia in COVID-19 Patients: Evidence from a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Studies from South Asia

Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the general population of Oman: results from four successive nationwide sero-epidemiological surveys

The D614G virus mutation enhances anosmia in COVID-19 patients: Evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies from South Asia

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