Ancestral origin, antigenic resemblance and epidemiological insights of novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2): Global burden and Bangladesh perspective

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2, a new coronavirus strain responsible for COVID-19, has emerged in Wuhan City, China, and continuing its global pandemic nature. The availability of the complete gene sequences of the virus helps to know about the origin and molecular characteristics of this virus. In the present study, we performed bioinformatic analysis of the available gene sequence data of SARS-CoV-2 for the understanding of evolution and molecular characteristics and immunogenic resemblance of the circulating viruses. Phylogenetic analysis was performed for four types of representative viral proteins (spike, membrane, envelope and nucleoprotein) of SARS-CoV-2, HCoV-229E, HCoV-OC43, SARS-CoV, HCoV-NL63, HKU1, MERS-CoV, HKU4, HKU5 and BufCoV-HKU26. The findings demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 exhibited convergent evolutionary relation with previously reported SARS-CoV. It was also depicted that SARS-CoV-2 proteins were highly similar and identical to SARS-CoV proteins, though proteins from other coronaviruses showed a lower level of resemblance. The cross-checked conservancy analysis of SARS-CoV-2 antigenic epitopes showed significant conservancy with antigenic epitopes derived from SARS-CoV. Descriptive epidemiological analysis on several epidemiological indices was performed on available epidemiological outbreak information from several open databases on COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2). Satellite-derived imaging data have been employed to understand the role of temperature in the environmental persistence of the virus. Findings of the descriptive analysis were used to describe the global impact of newly emerged SARS-CoV-2, and the risk of an epidemic in Bangladesh.

Features and Functions of Systemic and Mucosal Humoral Immunity Among SARS-CoV-2 Convalescent Individuals

“…S1, S2), and receptor binding domain (RBD) forms, nucleocapsid (N) protein, and the fusion peptide. S proteins from seven other endemic CoV strains, those associated with prior outbreaks (SARS-CoV-1 and MERS), and a closely related bat coronavirus, WIV1 (77.1% S amino acid identity) (Uddin et al, 2020), plus two non-CoV control antigens (influenza HA and herpes simplex virus gE), were also evaluated. Our results demonstrate SARS-CoV-2-specific Ab responses in COVID-19 convalescent but not naïve donor sera and nasal wash ( Fig.…”

Super-rapid race for saving lives by developing COVID-19 vaccines

“…The phase I/II trials were done in March 2020 to investigate the safety, reactogenicity, and immunogenicity in healthy individuals between 18 and 60 years of age through receiving the vaccine as an intramuscular injection (NCT04313127). In the May 2020, Wei Chen from the Academy of Military Medical Sciences, China, and CanSino Biologics entered into a co-development agreement with Vancouver, a British Columbia-based Precision NanoSystems for an mRNA lipid nanoparticle vaccine, Ad5-nCov against COVID-19 [ 41 ], [ 43 ]. The National Research Council of Canada in collaboration with CanSino Biologics Inc., to advance the bioprocessing and clinical development, has started the first Canadian clinical trials at the Canadian Centre for Vaccinology at Dalhousie University.…”

“…The phase I trials of this vaccine have been started by Emory University in Atlanta on 45 healthy individuals aged between 18 and 55 years on 16 March 2020 in collaboration with NIH [ 46 ]. 100 µg has been selected as the optimal dose level from phase I trial data to maximize the immune response and minimize adverse reactions [ 43 ].…”

COVID-19 and Bangladesh: Socio-Economic Analysis towards the Future Correspondence

“…The World Health Organization (WHO) named the virus as 2019 novel coronavirus and present reference name for the virus is severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This virus affected lower respiratory tract of patients with pneumonia [3]. The outbreak began from a wholesale market of Wuhan where workers slaughtered animal like dog, pig, rat, cat, civet and snakes etc.…”

“…[4]. Although novel coronavirus was first traced in Wuhan, China, in December 2019 the number of affected people is gradually increased within a month and spreading in Italy, USA, France, Iran, Thailand, South Korea, Japan and many more which is knocking the world for experiencing such outbreak [3]. Therefore this outbreak is considered as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern and recognized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization on 11 March 2020 [5,6].…”