RASHMI VIRKAR - Profile on Academia.edu (original) (raw)
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Emergence of Two Distinct Variants of SARS-CoV-2 and Explosive Second Wave of COVID-19: An Experience From A Tertiary Care Hospital, Pune, India
The emergence of novel variants of SARS-CoV-2 in several countries has been associated with the i... more The emergence of novel variants of SARS-CoV-2 in several countries has been associated with the increased transmission/ reduced neutralization potential of antibodies against the Wuhan virus (wild type). Currently, India is recovering from an explosive second wave of COVID-19. This prospective study was conducted quarterly for one year (May 2020 to June 2021) at a tertiary care hospital, Pune city, western India. Receptor binding domain (RBD, n = 319) and full genome (n = 20) sequences from viral RNA positive nasopharyngeal swabs of COVID-19 patients representing first and second waves were used for analysis. We did not detect Brazil, South Africa and California variants. Till December, only wild type strain was prevalent. Concurrent with the upsurge of second wave in March-2021, 73% (33/45) of RBD sequences harboured L452R/E484Q mutations characteristic of Kappa variant. In April, co-circulation of Kappa (37%) and Delta (L452R/T478K, 59%) variants was recorded. During May and June,...
Emergence of Two Distinct Variants of SARS-CoV-2 and Explosive Second Wave of COVID-19: An Experience From A Tertiary Care Hospital, Pune, India
The emergence of novel variants of SARS-CoV-2 in several countries has been associated with the i... more The emergence of novel variants of SARS-CoV-2 in several countries has been associated with the increased transmission/ reduced neutralization potential of antibodies against the Wuhan virus (wild type). Currently, India is recovering from an explosive second wave of COVID-19. This prospective study was conducted quarterly for one year (May 2020 to June 2021) at a tertiary care hospital, Pune city, western India. Receptor binding domain (RBD, n = 319) and full genome (n = 20) sequences from viral RNA positive nasopharyngeal swabs of COVID-19 patients representing first and second waves were used for analysis. We did not detect Brazil, South Africa and California variants. Till December, only wild type strain was prevalent. Concurrent with the upsurge of second wave in March-2021, 73% (33/45) of RBD sequences harboured L452R/E484Q mutations characteristic of Kappa variant. In April, co-circulation of Kappa (37%) and Delta (L452R/T478K, 59%) variants was recorded. During May and June,...