In-Flight Transmission of a SARS-CoV-2 Lineage B.1.617.2 Harbouring the Rare S:E484Q Immune Escape Mutation |
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| Authors: | Mats Martinell,Tanja Andersson,Steinar Smø rholm Mannsverk,Julia Bergholm,Patrik Ellströ m,Anna Hill,Johan Lindh,Rene Kaden |
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| Affiliation: | 1.Primary Care and Health, Uppsala County Council, 75320 Uppsala, Sweden; (M.M.); (T.A.);2.Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, 75237 Uppsala, Sweden;3.Clinical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Uppsala University Hospital, 75237 Uppsala, Sweden; (S.S.M.); (J.B.); (P.E.); (A.H.); (J.L.);4.Department of Medical Sciences, Clinical Microbiology, Uppsala University, 75236 Uppsala, Sweden;5.Science for Life Laboratory, Clinical Genomics Uppsala, 75237 Uppsala, Sweden |
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| Abstract: | We describe a flight-associated infection scenario of seven individuals with a B.1.617.2 (Delta) lineage, harbouring an S:E484Q point mutation. In Sweden, at least 10% of all positive SARS-CoV-2 samples were sequenced in each county; the B.1.717.2 + S:E484Q combination was not detected in Sweden before and was imported within the scenario described in this report. The high transmission rate of the delta lineage combined with the S:E484Q mutation, associated with immune escape in other lineages, makes this specific genetic combination a possible threat to the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Even within the Omicron wave, the B.1.617.2 + S:E484Q variant appeared in community samples in Sweden, as it seems that this combination has an evolutionary gain compared to other B.1.617.2 lineages. The here described genomic combination was not detectable with the common fasta file-based Pango-lineage analysis, hence increasing the probability of the true global prevalence to be higher. |
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| Keywords: | SARS-CoV-2 delta E484Q |
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