Genetic diversity analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 virus: a literature review

Introduction. The continuous evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 virus through the accumulation of genetic mutations has led to the emergence of variants with different characteristics, including increased transmissibility, heightened resistance, and changes in disease severity. Material and methods. The r...

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Main Authors: Svetlana COLAC, Mariana ULINICI, Olga BURDUNIUC
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Asociatia de Biosiguranta si Biosecuritate 2025-01-01
Series:One Health & Risk Management
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Online Access:https://journal.ohrm.bba.md/index.php/journal-ohrm-bba-md/article/view/800
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author Svetlana COLAC
Mariana ULINICI
Olga BURDUNIUC
author_facet Svetlana COLAC
Mariana ULINICI
Olga BURDUNIUC
author_sort Svetlana COLAC
collection DOAJ
description Introduction. The continuous evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 virus through the accumulation of genetic mutations has led to the emergence of variants with different characteristics, including increased transmissibility, heightened resistance, and changes in disease severity. Material and methods. The research was conducted using open-access international databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, and national libraries, employing the keywords: SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, genetic monitoring, mutation variants, sequencing, S protein. Results. Currently, the WHO identifies five major genetic variants of concern (VOCs): Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Omicron. The Alpha variant became globally dominant in early 2021 and was replaced by the Delta variant in the summer of 2021. The Delta strain has over 13 mutations, nine of which are found in the S protein. The genome of the Omicron variant contains more than 30 mutations in the conserved domain of the Spike protein. The Omicron variant caused a sharp increase in the number of COVID-19 cases worldwide and was responsible for a record 15 million new infections reported worldwide in one week. Conclusions. The continuous evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 genome poses new challenges for public health. It is essential to study the virus's genetic characteristics to understand mutations, immune evasion, and the persistent effects of infection, with the aim of optimizing prevention and treatment strategies.
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publishDate 2025-01-01
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spelling doaj-art-44de96d526b44c51a834a9a96c69b00b2025-08-20T02:54:04ZengAsociatia de Biosiguranta si BiosecuritateOne Health & Risk Management2587-34582587-34662025-01-0161162910.38045/ohrm.2025.1.02Genetic diversity analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 virus: a literature reviewSvetlana COLAC0https://orcid.org/0009-0006-4505-9948Mariana ULINICI1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9292-0124Olga BURDUNIUC2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6944-0800National Agency for Public Health, Chisinau, the Republic of MoldovaInternational Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Trieste, ItalyNational Agency for Public Health; ”Nicolae Testemitanu” State University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Chisinau, the Republic of MoldovaIntroduction. The continuous evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 virus through the accumulation of genetic mutations has led to the emergence of variants with different characteristics, including increased transmissibility, heightened resistance, and changes in disease severity. Material and methods. The research was conducted using open-access international databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, and national libraries, employing the keywords: SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, genetic monitoring, mutation variants, sequencing, S protein. Results. Currently, the WHO identifies five major genetic variants of concern (VOCs): Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Omicron. The Alpha variant became globally dominant in early 2021 and was replaced by the Delta variant in the summer of 2021. The Delta strain has over 13 mutations, nine of which are found in the S protein. The genome of the Omicron variant contains more than 30 mutations in the conserved domain of the Spike protein. The Omicron variant caused a sharp increase in the number of COVID-19 cases worldwide and was responsible for a record 15 million new infections reported worldwide in one week. Conclusions. The continuous evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 genome poses new challenges for public health. It is essential to study the virus's genetic characteristics to understand mutations, immune evasion, and the persistent effects of infection, with the aim of optimizing prevention and treatment strategies.https://journal.ohrm.bba.md/index.php/journal-ohrm-bba-md/article/view/800sars-cov-2covid-19genetic moni-toringmutation variantssequenc-ings protein.
spellingShingle Svetlana COLAC
Mariana ULINICI
Olga BURDUNIUC
Genetic diversity analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 virus: a literature review
One Health & Risk Management
sars-cov-2
covid-19
genetic moni-toring
mutation variants
sequenc-ing
s protein.
title Genetic diversity analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 virus: a literature review
title_full Genetic diversity analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 virus: a literature review
title_fullStr Genetic diversity analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 virus: a literature review
title_full_unstemmed Genetic diversity analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 virus: a literature review
title_short Genetic diversity analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 virus: a literature review
title_sort genetic diversity analysis of the sars cov 2 virus a literature review
topic sars-cov-2
covid-19
genetic moni-toring
mutation variants
sequenc-ing
s protein.
url https://journal.ohrm.bba.md/index.php/journal-ohrm-bba-md/article/view/800
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AT olgaburduniuc geneticdiversityanalysisofthesarscov2virusaliteraturereview