August 19, 2020

Effects of a Major Deletion in the SARS-CoV-2 Genome on the Severity of Infection and the Inflammatory Response: An Observational Cohort Study

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Clinical Characteristics and Health Care Setting

• Findings from a prospective observational cohort study conducted at seven public hospitals in Singapore show that the 382-nucleotide deletion (∆382) variant of SARS-CoV-2 is associated with a milder infection. Individuals infected with the ∆382 variant were compared with those infected with wild-type SARS-CoV-2. Between January 22 and March 21, among 131 individuals enrolled, 70% were infected with the wild-type virus, 8% had a mix of wild-type and ∆382-variant viruses, and 22% had only the ∆382 variant. After adjusting for age and presence of comorbidities, infection with the ∆382 variant only was associated with a 93% lower odds of developing hypoxia requiring supplemental oxygen, compared with infection with wild-type virus only. 

Young et al. (Aug 18, 2020). Effects of a Major Deletion in the SARS-CoV-2 Genome on the Severity of Infection and the Inflammatory Response: An Observational Cohort Study. The Lancet. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)31757-8