We found a match
Your institution may have rights to this item. Sign in to continue.
- Title
Natural Transmission of Bat-like Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Without Proline-Arginine-Arginine-Alanine Variants in Coronavirus Disease 2019 Patients.
- Authors
Wong, Yik Chun; Lau, Siu Ying; To, Kelvin Kai Wang; Mok, Bobo Wing Yee; Li, Xin; Wang, Pui; Deng, Shaofeng; Woo, Kin Fai; Du, Zhenglong; Li, Cun; Zhou, Jie; Chan, Jasper Fuk Woo; Yuen, Kwok Yung; Chen, Honglin; Chen, Zhiwei
- Abstract
Background Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) contains the furin cleavage Proline-Arginine-Arginine-Alanine (PRRA) motif in the S1/S2 region, which enhances viral pathogenicity but is absent in closely related bat and pangolin coronaviruses. Whether bat-like coronaviral variants without PRRA (∆PRRA) can establish natural infections in humans is unknown. Methods Here, we developed a duplex digital polymerase chain reaction assay to examine ∆PRRA variants in Vero-E6-propagated isolates, human organoids, experimentally infected hamsters, and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. Results We found that SARS-CoV-2, as currently transmitting in humans, contained a quasispecies of wild-type, ∆PRRA variants and variants that have mutations upstream of the PRRA motif. Moreover, the ∆PRRA variants were readily detected despite being at a low intra-host frequency in transmitted founder viruses in hamsters and in COVID-19 patients, including in acute cases and a family cluster, with a prevalence rate of 52.9%. Conclusions Our findings demonstrate that bat-like SARS-CoV-2ΔPRRA not only naturally exists but remains transmissible in COVID-19 patients, which has significant implications regarding the zoonotic origin and natural evolution of SARS-CoV-2.
- Subjects
COVID-19; GENETIC mutation; ARGININE; ALANINE; PROLINE; VIROLOGY; COVID-19 testing; POLYMERASE chain reaction
- Publication
Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2021, Vol 73, Issue 2, pe437
- ISSN
1058-4838
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1093/cid/ciaa953