@article {813, title = {The integrated genomic surveillance system of Andalusia (SIEGA) provides a One Health regional resource connected with the clinic.}, journal = {Sci Rep}, volume = {14}, year = {2024}, month = {2024 Aug 19}, pages = {19200}, abstract = {

The One Health approach, recognizing the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health, has gained significance amid emerging zoonotic diseases and antibiotic resistance concerns. This paper aims to demonstrate the utility of a collaborative tool, the SIEGA, for monitoring infectious diseases across domains, fostering a comprehensive understanding of disease dynamics and risk factors, highlighting the pivotal role of One Health surveillance systems. Raw whole-genome sequencing is processed through different species-specific open software that additionally reports the presence of genes associated to anti-microbial resistances and virulence. The SIEGA application is a Laboratory Information Management System, that allows customizing reports, detect transmission chains, and promptly alert on alarming genetic similarities. The SIEGA initiative has successfully accumulated a comprehensive collection of more than 1900 bacterial genomes, including Salmonella enterica, Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter jejuni, Escherichia coli, Yersinia enterocolitica and Legionella pneumophila, showcasing its potential in monitoring pathogen transmission, resistance patterns, and virulence factors. SIEGA enables customizable reports and prompt detection of transmission chains, highlighting its contribution to enhancing vigilance and response capabilities. Here we show the potential of genomics in One Health surveillance when supported by an appropriate bioinformatic tool. By facilitating precise disease control strategies and antimicrobial resistance management, SIEGA enhances global health security and reduces the burden of infectious diseases. The integration of health data from humans, animals, and the environment, coupled with advanced genomics, underscores the importance of a holistic One Health approach in mitigating health threats.

}, keywords = {Animals, Drug Resistance, Bacterial, Genome, Bacterial, Genomics, Humans, One Health, Virulence Factors, Whole Genome Sequencing}, issn = {2045-2322}, doi = {10.1038/s41598-024-70107-0}, author = {Casimiro-Soriguer, Carlos S and Perez-Florido, Javier and Robles, Enrique A and Lara, Mar{\'\i}a and Aguado, Andrea and Rodr{\'\i}guez Iglesias, Manuel A and Lepe, Jose A and Garc{\'\i}a, Federico and P{\'e}rez-Alegre, M{\'o}nica and And{\'u}jar, Elo{\'\i}sa and Jim{\'e}nez, Victoria E and Camino, Lola P and Loruso, Nicola and Ameyugo, Ulises and Vazquez, Isabel Mar{\'\i}a and Lozano, Carlota M and Chaves, J Alberto and Dopazo, Joaquin} } @article {809, title = {Molecular and phylogenetic characterization of the monkeypox outbreak in the South of Spain.}, journal = {Health Sci Rep}, volume = {7}, year = {2024}, month = {2024 Mar}, pages = {e1965}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Until the May 2022 Monkeypox (MPXV) outbreak, which spread rapidly to many non-endemic countries, the virus was considered a viral zoonosis limited to some African countries. The Andalusian circuit of genomic surveillance was rapidly applied to characterize the MPXV~outbreak in the South of Spain.

METHODS: Whole genome sequencing was used to obtain the genomic profiles of samples collected across the south of Spain, representative of all the provinces of Andalusia. Phylogenetic analysis was used to study the relationship of the isolates and the available sequences of the 2022 outbreak.

RESULTS: Whole genome sequencing of a total of 160 MPXV~viruses from the different provinces that reported cases were obtained. Interestingly, we report the sequences of MPXV~viruses obtained from two patients who died. While one of the isolates bore no noteworthy mutations that explain a potential heightened virulence, in another patient the second consecutive genome sequence, performed after the administration of tecovirimat, uncovered a mutation within the A0A7H0DN30 gene, known to be a prime target for tecovirimat in its Vaccinia counterpart. In general, a low number of mutations were observed in the sequences reported, which were very similar to the reference of the 2022 outbreak (OX044336), as expected from a DNA virus. The samples likely correspond to several introductions of the circulating MPXV~viruses from the last outbreak. The virus sequenced from one of the two patients that died presented a mutation in a gene that bears potential connections to drug resistance. This mutation was absent in the initial sequencing before treatment.

}, issn = {2398-8835}, doi = {10.1002/hsr2.1965}, author = {Casimiro-Soriguer, Carlos S and Perez-Florido, Javier and Lara, Mar{\'\i}a and Camacho-Martinez, Pedro and Merino-Diaz, Laura and Pupo-Ledo, Inmaculada and de Salazar, Adolfo and Fuentes, Ana and Vi{\~n}uela, Laura and Chueca, Natalia and Martinez-Martinez, Luis and Lorusso, Nicola and Lepe, Jose A and Dopazo, Joaquin and Garc{\'\i}a, Federico} } @article {766, title = {Detection of High Level of Co-Infection and the Emergence of Novel SARS CoV-2 Delta-Omicron and Omicron-Omicron Recombinants in the Epidemiological Surveillance of Andalusia.}, journal = {Int J Mol Sci}, volume = {24}, year = {2023}, month = {2023 Jan 26}, abstract = {

Recombination is an evolutionary strategy to quickly acquire new viral properties inherited from the parental lineages. The systematic survey of the SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences of the Andalusian genomic surveillance strategy has allowed the detection of an unexpectedly high number of co-infections, which constitute the ideal scenario for the emergence of new recombinants. Whole genome sequence of SARS-CoV-2 has been carried out as part of the genomic surveillance programme. Sample sources included the main hospitals in the Andalusia region. In addition to the increase of co-infections and known recombinants, three novel SARS-CoV-2 delta-omicron and omicron-omicron recombinant variants with two break points have been detected. Our observations document an epidemiological scenario in which co-infection and recombination are detected more frequently. Finally, we describe a family case in which co-infection is followed by the detection of a recombinant made from the two co-infecting variants. This increased number of recombinants raises the risk of emergence of recombinant variants with increased transmissibility and pathogenicity.

}, issn = {1422-0067}, doi = {10.3390/ijms24032419}, author = {Perez-Florido, Javier and Casimiro-Soriguer, Carlos S and Ortuno, Francisco and Fernandez-Rueda, Jose L and Aguado, Andrea and Lara, Mar{\'\i}a and Riazzo, Cristina and Rodriguez-Iglesias, Manuel A and Camacho-Martinez, Pedro and Merino-Diaz, Laura and Pupo-Ledo, Inmaculada and de Salazar, Adolfo and Vi{\~n}uela, Laura and Fuentes, Ana and Chueca, Natalia and Garc{\'\i}a, Federico and Dopazo, Joaquin and Lepe, Jose A} } @article {801, title = {Evaluation of a combined detection of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants using real-time allele-specific PCR strategy: an advantage for clinical practice.}, journal = {Epidemiol Infect}, volume = {151}, year = {2023}, month = {2023 Nov 24}, pages = {e201}, abstract = {

This study aimed to assess the ability of a real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with multiple targets to detect SARS-CoV-2 and its variants in a single test. Nasopharyngeal specimens were collected from patients in Granada, Spain, between January 2021 and December 2022. Five allele-specific RT-PCR kits were used sequentially, with each kit designed to detect a predominant variant at the time. When the Alpha variant was dominant, the kit included the HV69/70 deletion, E and N genes. When Delta replaced Alpha, the kit incorporated the L452R mutation in addition to E and N genes. When Omicron became dominant, L452R was replaced with the N679K mutation. Before incorporating each variant kit, a comparative analysis was carried out with SARS-CoV-2 whole genome sequencing (WGS). The results demonstrated that RT-PCR with multiple targets can provide rapid and effective detection of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants in a single test. A very high degree of agreement (96.2\%) was obtained between the comparison of RT-PCR and WGS. Allele-specific RT-PCR assays make it easier to implement epidemiological surveillance systems for effective public health decision making.

}, keywords = {Alleles, COVID-19, COVID-19 Testing, Humans, Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction, SARS-CoV-2, Sensitivity and Specificity}, issn = {1469-4409}, doi = {10.1017/S095026882300184X}, author = {Chaves-Blanco, Luc{\'\i}a and de Salazar, Adolfo and Fuentes, Ana and Vi{\~n}uela, Laura and Perez-Florido, Javier and Dopazo, Joaquin and Garc{\'\i}a, Federico} } @article {762, title = {Assessing the Impact of SARS-CoV-2 Lineages and Mutations on Patient Survival.}, journal = {Viruses}, volume = {14}, year = {2022}, month = {2022 Aug 27}, abstract = {

OBJECTIVES: More than two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, SARS-CoV-2 still remains a global public health problem. Successive waves of infection have produced new SARS-CoV-2 variants with new mutations for which the impact on COVID-19 severity and patient survival is uncertain.

METHODS: A total of 764 SARS-CoV-2 genomes, sequenced from COVID-19 patients, hospitalized from 19th February 2020 to 30 April 2021, along with their clinical data, were used for survival analysis.

RESULTS: A significant association of B.1.1.7, the alpha lineage, with patient mortality (log hazard ratio (LHR) = 0.51, C.I. = [0.14,0.88]) was found upon adjustment by all the covariates known to affect COVID-19 prognosis. Moreover, survival analysis of mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 genome revealed 27 of them were significantly associated with higher mortality of patients. Most of these mutations were located in the genes coding for the S, ORF8, and N proteins.

CONCLUSIONS: This study illustrates how a combination of genomic and clinical data can provide solid evidence for the impact of viral lineage on patient survival.

}, keywords = {COVID-19, Genome, Viral, Humans, mutation, Pandemics, Phylogeny, SARS-CoV-2}, issn = {1999-4915}, doi = {10.3390/v14091893}, author = {Loucera, Carlos and Perez-Florido, Javier and Casimiro-Soriguer, Carlos S and Ortuno, Francisco M and Carmona, Rosario and Bostelmann, Gerrit and Mart{\'\i}nez-Gonz{\'a}lez, L Javier and Mu{\~n}oyerro-Mu{\~n}iz, Dolores and Villegas, Rom{\'a}n and Rodr{\'\i}guez-Ba{\~n}o, Jes{\'u}s and Romero-G{\'o}mez, Manuel and Lorusso, Nicola and Garcia-Le{\'o}n, Javier and Navarro-Mar{\'\i}, Jose M and Camacho-Martinez, Pedro and Merino-Diaz, Laura and Salazar, Adolfo de and Vi{\~n}uela, Laura and Lepe, Jose A and Garc{\'\i}a, Federico and Dopazo, Joaquin} } @article {760, title = {Novel genes and sex differences in COVID-19 severity.}, journal = {Hum Mol Genet}, year = {2022}, month = {2022 Jun 16}, abstract = {

Here we describe the results of a genome-wide study conducted in 11 939 COVID-19 positive cases with an extensive clinical information that were recruited from 34 hospitals across Spain (SCOURGE consortium). In sex-disaggregated genome-wide association studies for COVID-19 hospitalization, genome-wide significance (p < 5x10-8) was crossed for variants in 3p21.31 and 21q22.11 loci only among males (p =~1.3x10-22 and p =~8.1x10-12, respectively), and for variants in 9q21.32 near TLE1 only among females (p =~4.4x10-8). In a second phase, results were combined with an independent Spanish cohort (1598 COVID-19 cases and 1068 population controls), revealing in the overall analysis two novel risk loci in 9p13.3 and 19q13.12, with fine-mapping prioritized variants functionally associated with AQP3 (p =~2.7x10-8) and ARHGAP33 (p =~1.3x10-8), respectively. The meta-analysis of both phases with four European studies stratified by sex from the Host Genetics Initiative confirmed the association of the 3p21.31 and 21q22.11 loci predominantly in males and replicated a recently reported variant in 11p13 (ELF5, p = 4.1x10-8). Six of the COVID-19 HGI discovered loci were replicated and an HGI-based genetic risk score predicted the severity strata in SCOURGE. We also found more SNP-heritability and larger heritability differences by age (<60 or >= 60~years) among males than among females. Parallel genome-wide screening of inbreeding depression in SCOURGE also showed an effect of homozygosity in COVID-19 hospitalization and severity and this effect was stronger among older males. In summary, new candidate genes for COVID-19 severity and evidence supporting genetic disparities among sexes are provided.

}, issn = {1460-2083}, doi = {10.1093/hmg/ddac132}, author = {Cruz, Raquel and Almeida, Silvia Diz-de and Heredia, Miguel L{\'o}pez and Quintela, In{\'e}s and Ceballos, Francisco C and Pita, Guillermo and Lorenzo-Salazar, Jos{\'e} M and Gonz{\'a}lez-Montelongo, Rafaela and Gago-Dom{\'\i}nguez, Manuela and Porras, Marta Sevilla and Casta{\~n}o, Jair Antonio Tenorio and Nevado, Juli{\'a}n and Aguado, Jose Mar{\'\i}a and Aguilar, Carlos and Aguilera-Albesa, Sergio and Almadana, Virginia and Almoguera, Berta and Alvarez, Nuria and Andreu-Bernabeu, {\'A}lvaro and Arana-Arri, Eunate and Arango, Celso and Arranz, Mar{\'\i}a J and Artiga, Maria-Jesus and Baptista-Rosas, Ra{\'u}l C and Barreda-S{\'a}nchez, Mar{\'\i}a and Belhassen-Garcia, Moncef and Bezerra, Joao F and Bezerra, Marcos A C and Boix-Palop, Luc{\'\i}a and Bri{\'o}n, Maria and Brugada, Ram{\'o}n and Bustos, Matilde and Calder{\'o}n, Enrique J and Carbonell, Cristina and Castano, Luis and Castelao, Jose E and Conde-Vicente, Rosa and Cordero-Lorenzana, M Lourdes and Cortes-Sanchez, Jose L and Corton, Marta and Darnaude, M Teresa and De Martino-Rodr{\'\i}guez, Alba and Campo-P{\'e}rez, Victor and Bustamante, Aranzazu Diaz and Dom{\'\i}nguez-Garrido, Elena and Luchessi, Andr{\'e} D and Eir{\'o}s, Roc{\'\i}o and Sanabria, Gladys Mercedes Estigarribia and Fari{\~n}as, Mar{\'\i}a Carmen and Fern{\'a}ndez-Robelo, Ux{\'\i}a and Fern{\'a}ndez-Rodr{\'\i}guez, Amanda and Fern{\'a}ndez-Villa, Tania and Gil-Fournier, Bel{\'e}n and G{\'o}mez-Arrue, Javier and {\'A}lvarez, Beatriz Gonz{\'a}lez and Quir{\'o}s, Fernan Gonzalez Bernaldo and Gonz{\'a}lez-Pe{\~n}as, Javier and Guti{\'e}rrez-Bautista, Juan F and Herrero, Mar{\'\i}a Jos{\'e} and Herrero-Gonzalez, Antonio and Jimenez-Sousa, Mar{\'\i}a A and Lattig, Mar{\'\i}a Claudia and Borja, Anabel Liger and Lopez-Rodriguez, Rosario and Mancebo, Esther and Mart{\'\i}n-L{\'o}pez, Caridad and Mart{\'\i}n, Vicente and Martinez-Nieto, Oscar and Martinez-Lopez, Iciar and Martinez-Resendez, Michel F and Martinez-Perez, {\'A}ngel and Mazzeu, Juliana A and Mac{\'\i}as, Eleuterio Merayo and Minguez, Pablo and Cuerda, Victor Moreno and Silbiger, Vivian N and Oliveira, Silviene F and Ortega-Paino, Eva and Parellada, Mara and Paz-Artal, Estela and Santos, Ney P C and P{\'e}rez-Matute, Patricia and Perez, Patricia and P{\'e}rez-Tom{\'a}s, M Elena and Perucho, Teresa and Pinsach-Abuin, Mel Lina and Pompa-Mera, Ericka N and Porras-Hurtado, Gloria L and Pujol, Aurora and Le{\'o}n, Soraya Ramiro and Resino, Salvador and Fernandes, Marianne R and Rodr{\'\i}guez-Ruiz, Emilio and Rodriguez-Artalejo, Fernando and Rodriguez-Garcia, Jos{\'e} A and Ruiz-Cabello, Francisco and Ruiz-Hornillos, Javier and Ryan, Pablo and Soria, Jos{\'e} Manuel and Souto, Juan Carlos and Tamayo, Eduardo and Tamayo-Velasco, Alvaro and Taracido-Fernandez, Juan Carlos and Teper, Alejandro and Torres-Tobar, Lilian and Urioste, Miguel and Valencia-Ramos, Juan and Y{\'a}{\~n}ez, Zuleima and Zarate, Ruth and Nakanishi, Tomoko and Pigazzini, Sara and Degenhardt, Frauke and Butler-Laporte, Guillaume and Maya-Miles, Douglas and Bujanda, Luis and Bouysran, Youssef and Palom, Adriana and Ellinghaus, David and Mart{\'\i}nez-Bueno, Manuel and Rolker, Selina and Amitrano, Sara and Roade, Luisa and Fava, Francesca and Spinner, Christoph D and Prati, Daniele and Bernardo, David and Garc{\'\i}a, Federico and Darcis, Gilles and Fern{\'a}ndez-Cadenas, Israel and Holter, Jan Cato and Banales, Jesus M and Frithiof, Robert and Duga, Stefano and Asselta, Rosanna and Pereira, Alexandre C and Romero-G{\'o}mez, Manuel and Nafr{\'\i}a-Jim{\'e}nez, Beatriz and Hov, Johannes R and Migeotte, Isabelle and Renieri, Alessandra and Planas, Anna M and Ludwig, Kerstin U and Buti, Maria and Rahmouni, Souad and Alarc{\'o}n-Riquelme, Marta E and Schulte, Eva C and Franke, Andre and Karlsen, Tom H and Valenti, Luca and Zeberg, Hugo and Richards, Brent and Ganna, Andrea and Boada, Merc{\`e} and Rojas, Itziar and Ruiz, Agust{\'\i}n and S{\'a}nchez, Pascual and Real, Luis Miguel and Guill{\'e}n-Navarro, Encarna and Ayuso, Carmen and Gonz{\'a}lez-Neira, Anna and Riancho, Jos{\'e} A and Rojas-Martinez, Augusto and Flores, Carlos and Lapunzina, Pablo and Carracedo, {\'A}ngel} } @article {744, title = {Highly accurate whole-genome imputation of SARS-CoV-2 from partial or low-quality sequences.}, journal = {Gigascience}, volume = {10}, year = {2021}, month = {2021 12 02}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: The current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has emphasized the utility of viral whole-genome sequencing in the surveillance and control of the pathogen. An unprecedented ongoing global initiative is producing hundreds of thousands of sequences worldwide. However, the complex circumstances in which viruses are sequenced, along with the demand of urgent results, causes a high rate of incomplete and, therefore, useless sequences. Viral sequences evolve in the context of a complex phylogeny and different positions along the genome are in linkage disequilibrium. Therefore, an imputation method would be able to predict missing positions from the available sequencing data.

RESULTS: We have developed the impuSARS application, which takes advantage of the enormous number of SARS-CoV-2 genomes available, using a reference panel containing 239,301 sequences, to produce missing data imputation in viral genomes. ImpuSARS was tested in a wide range of conditions (continuous fragments, amplicons or sparse individual positions missing), showing great fidelity when reconstructing the original sequences, recovering the lineage with a 100\% precision for almost all the lineages, even in very poorly covered genomes (<20\%).

CONCLUSIONS: Imputation can improve the pace of SARS-CoV-2 sequencing production by recovering many incomplete or low-quality sequences that would be otherwise discarded. ImpuSARS can be incorporated in any primary data processing pipeline for SARS-CoV-2 whole-genome sequencing.

}, keywords = {Genome, Viral, Phylogeny, SARS-CoV-2, Whole Genome Sequencing}, issn = {2047-217X}, doi = {10.1093/gigascience/giab078}, author = {Ortuno, Francisco M and Loucera, Carlos and Casimiro-Soriguer, Carlos S and Lepe, Jose A and Camacho Martinez, Pedro and Merino Diaz, Laura and de Salazar, Adolfo and Chueca, Natalia and Garc{\'\i}a, Federico and Perez-Florido, Javier and Dopazo, Joaquin} } @article {725, title = {Implementing Personalized Medicine in COVID-19 in Andalusia: An Opportunity to Transform the Healthcare System.}, journal = {J Pers Med}, volume = {11}, year = {2021}, month = {2021 May 26}, abstract = {

The COVID-19 pandemic represents an unprecedented opportunity to exploit the advantages of personalized medicine for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, surveillance and management of a new challenge in public health. COVID-19 infection is highly variable, ranging from asymptomatic infections to severe, life-threatening manifestations. Personalized medicine can play a key role in elucidating individual susceptibility to the infection as well as inter-individual variability in clinical course, prognosis and response to treatment. Integrating personalized medicine into clinical practice can also transform health care by enabling the design of preventive and therapeutic strategies tailored to individual profiles, improving the detection of outbreaks or defining transmission patterns at an increasingly local level. SARS-CoV2 genome sequencing, together with the assessment of specific patient genetic variants, will support clinical decision-makers and ultimately better ways to fight this disease. Additionally, it would facilitate a better stratification and selection of patients for clinical trials, thus increasing the likelihood of obtaining positive results. Lastly, defining a national strategy to implement in clinical practice all available tools of personalized medicine in COVID-19 could be challenging but linked to a positive transformation of the health care system. In this review, we provide an update of the achievements, promises, and challenges of personalized medicine in the fight against COVID-19 from susceptibility to natural history and response to therapy, as well as from surveillance to control measures and vaccination. We also discuss strategies to facilitate the adoption of this new paradigm for medical and public health measures during and after the pandemic in health care systems.

}, issn = {2075-4426}, doi = {10.3390/jpm11060475}, author = {Dopazo, Joaquin and Maya-Miles, Douglas and Garc{\'\i}a, Federico and Lorusso, Nicola and Calleja, Miguel {\'A}ngel and Pareja, Mar{\'\i}a Jes{\'u}s and L{\'o}pez-Miranda, Jos{\'e} and Rodr{\'\i}guez-Ba{\~n}o, Jes{\'u}s and Padillo, Javier and T{\'u}nez, Isaac and Romero-G{\'o}mez, Manuel} }