First confirmation of importation and transmission in Spain of the newly identified SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 variant

Abstract

Introducción: Recientemente, ha surgido en Reino Unido una nueva variante de SARS-CoV-2, VOC202012/01, que origina el linaje B.1.1.7. Su rápida distribución en R.U. ha alertado a otros paises a vigilar su presencia. Material y Métodos: El rastreo inicial de la variante B.1.1.7 se basó en la ausencia de amplificación del gen S en el el ensayo TaqPath, causado por la deleción 69/70. Todos los casos candidatos de corresponder a la variante B.1.1.7 con este criterio fueron posteriormente confrimados por secuenciación de genoma completo. Resultados: Describimos los primeros tres casos importados de esta variante, desde Londres a Madrid, con la posterior transmisión domiciliaria de uno de estos casos a tres faniliares y, adicionalmente, los dos primeros casos con la variante sin vínculo epidemiológico con R.U. Uno de los casos requirió hospitalización. En todos los casos el criterio de no amplificación del gen S identificó con precisión a la variante B.1.1.7, como demostró posteriormente la presencia de las 17 mutaciones marcadoras de este linaje. Conclusión: Las primeras identificaciones de la variante B.1.1.7 de SARS-CoV-2 indican un papel solapante de las introducciones independientes desde R.U., con eventos de transmisión comunitaria, incluso desde los primeros momentos de presencia de esta variante en nuestro país.

SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 Decline Is Not Driven by the Introduction of a More Successful Variant

“…This test allows for the determination of population-based frequency of VOC Alpha, taking advantage of the S gene dropout ( https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/threat-assessment-brief-rapid-increase-sars-cov-2-variant-united-kingdom ), a way to indicate this VOC. TaqPath results confirmed the same situation reported in the United Kingdom, with all cases associated with this VOC by 18 March, 13 weeks after the description of the first cases in mid-December 2020 ( 3 ) ( Fig. 1A ).…”

Neutralizing Activity of Sera from Sputnik V-Vaccinated People against Variants of Concern (VOC: B.1.1.7, B.1.351, P.1, B.1.617.2, B.1.617.3) and Moscow Endemic SARS-CoV-2 Variants

“…There is evidence that B.1.1.7 variants increased lethality [ 29 ] and moderate escape from the antibody-neutralizing effects [ 30 , 31 , 32 ]. This lineage is already dominant in the UK and is widely spread throughout Europe and the United States [ 28 , 33 , 34 ].…”

Emergence and Spread of B.1.1.7 Lineage in Primary Care and Clinical Impact in the Morbi-Mortality among Hospitalized Patients in Madrid, Spain

“…Although the impact of the virulence is not clear, there is controversy about a higher pathogenicity, especially among patients under 70 years old [ 11 ]. This variant is characterized by 17 nonsynonymous mutations and 3 deletions, including N501Y mutation associated with higher transmissibility [ 9 ], P681H mutation related to the enhancement of virus entry into cells and 69–70 deletion in protein S. In Spain, the B.1.1.7 lineage was first detected in the last days of 2020 [ 12 ], and for 4 months we systematically performed screening to detect this variant among all SARS-CoV-2-positive samples analyzed by any platform used in our laboratory. The aim of this study was to evaluate how the new variant has replaced the other ones circulating in our geographic area, to study its transmissibility and to understand the associated burden of disease.…”