Genetic diversity and evolutionary patterns of SARS-CoV-2 among the Bhutanese population during the pandemic
Objectives The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by a dynamic virus, has had a profound global impact. Despite declining global COVID-19 cases and mortality rates, the emergence of new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants remains a major concern. T...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Osong Public Health and Research Perspectives |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://ophrp.org/upload/pdf/j-phrp-2023-0209.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797306985871310848 |
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| author | Tshering Dorji Kunzang Dorji Tandin Wangchuk Tshering Pelki Sonam Gyeltshen |
| author_facet | Tshering Dorji Kunzang Dorji Tandin Wangchuk Tshering Pelki Sonam Gyeltshen |
| author_sort | Tshering Dorji |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objectives The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by a dynamic virus, has had a profound global impact. Despite declining global COVID-19 cases and mortality rates, the emergence of new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants remains a major concern. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the genomic sequences of SARS-CoV-2 within the Bhutanese population during the pandemic. The primary aim was to elucidate the molecular epidemiology and evolutionary patterns of SARS-CoV-2 in Bhutan, with a particular focus on genetic variations and lineage dynamics. Methods Whole-genome sequences of SARS-CoV-2 collected from Bhutan between May 2020 and February 2023 (n=135) were retrieved from the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Database. Results The SARS-CoV-2 variants in Bhutan were predominantly classified within the Nextstrain clade 20A (31.1%), followed by clade 21L (20%) and clade 22D (15.6%). We identified 26 Pangolin lineages with variations in their spatial and temporal distribution. Bayesian time-scaled phylogenetic analysis estimated the time to the most recent common ancestor as February 15, 2020, with a substitution rate of 0.97×10–3 substitutions per site per year. Notably, the spike glycoprotein displayed the highest mutation frequency among major viral proteins, with 116 distinct mutations, including D614G. The Bhutanese isolates also featured mutations such as E484K, K417N, and S477N in the spike protein, which have implications for altered viral properties. Conclusion This is the first study to describe the genetic diversity of SARS-CoV-2 circulating in Bhutan during the pandemic, and this data can inform public health policies and strategies for preventing future outbreaks in Bhutan. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T00:50:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3b27329c6cf74ac8bbed99e2afcc437a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2233-6052 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T00:50:47Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Osong Public Health and Research Perspectives |
| spelling | doaj.art-3b27329c6cf74ac8bbed99e2afcc437a2024-02-15T04:49:28ZengKorea Disease Control and Prevention AgencyOsong Public Health and Research Perspectives2233-60522023-12-0114649450710.24171/j.phrp.2023.0209749Genetic diversity and evolutionary patterns of SARS-CoV-2 among the Bhutanese population during the pandemicTshering DorjiKunzang DorjiTandin WangchukTshering PelkiSonam GyeltshenObjectives The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by a dynamic virus, has had a profound global impact. Despite declining global COVID-19 cases and mortality rates, the emergence of new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants remains a major concern. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the genomic sequences of SARS-CoV-2 within the Bhutanese population during the pandemic. The primary aim was to elucidate the molecular epidemiology and evolutionary patterns of SARS-CoV-2 in Bhutan, with a particular focus on genetic variations and lineage dynamics. Methods Whole-genome sequences of SARS-CoV-2 collected from Bhutan between May 2020 and February 2023 (n=135) were retrieved from the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Database. Results The SARS-CoV-2 variants in Bhutan were predominantly classified within the Nextstrain clade 20A (31.1%), followed by clade 21L (20%) and clade 22D (15.6%). We identified 26 Pangolin lineages with variations in their spatial and temporal distribution. Bayesian time-scaled phylogenetic analysis estimated the time to the most recent common ancestor as February 15, 2020, with a substitution rate of 0.97×10–3 substitutions per site per year. Notably, the spike glycoprotein displayed the highest mutation frequency among major viral proteins, with 116 distinct mutations, including D614G. The Bhutanese isolates also featured mutations such as E484K, K417N, and S477N in the spike protein, which have implications for altered viral properties. Conclusion This is the first study to describe the genetic diversity of SARS-CoV-2 circulating in Bhutan during the pandemic, and this data can inform public health policies and strategies for preventing future outbreaks in Bhutan.http://ophrp.org/upload/pdf/j-phrp-2023-0209.pdfcoronavirus spike glycoproteinmolecular epidemiologymutationsars-cov-2 |
| spellingShingle | Tshering Dorji Kunzang Dorji Tandin Wangchuk Tshering Pelki Sonam Gyeltshen Genetic diversity and evolutionary patterns of SARS-CoV-2 among the Bhutanese population during the pandemic Osong Public Health and Research Perspectives coronavirus spike glycoprotein molecular epidemiology mutation sars-cov-2 |
| title | Genetic diversity and evolutionary patterns of SARS-CoV-2 among the Bhutanese population during the pandemic |
| title_full | Genetic diversity and evolutionary patterns of SARS-CoV-2 among the Bhutanese population during the pandemic |
| title_fullStr | Genetic diversity and evolutionary patterns of SARS-CoV-2 among the Bhutanese population during the pandemic |
| title_full_unstemmed | Genetic diversity and evolutionary patterns of SARS-CoV-2 among the Bhutanese population during the pandemic |
| title_short | Genetic diversity and evolutionary patterns of SARS-CoV-2 among the Bhutanese population during the pandemic |
| title_sort | genetic diversity and evolutionary patterns of sars cov 2 among the bhutanese population during the pandemic |
| topic | coronavirus spike glycoprotein molecular epidemiology mutation sars-cov-2 |
| url | http://ophrp.org/upload/pdf/j-phrp-2023-0209.pdf |
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