February 11, 2021

Novel SARS-CoV-2 Variant Identified in Travelers from Brazil to Japan

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Geographic Spread

Keywords (Tags): geographic spread, variants

A novel SARS-CoV-2 strain was detected in 4 travelers flying from Brazil to Japan on January 2, 2021. Whole genome sequencing suggests the variant descends from the P.1 lineage with 12 nonsynonymous mutations in the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein, including the K417T, E484K, and N501Y mutations also present in the B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 variants. Three travelers remained asymptomatic, while one experienced symptomatic COVID-19 infection.

Fujino et al. (Feb 10, 2021). Novel SARS-CoV-2 Variant Identified in Travelers from Brazil to Japan. Emerging Infectious Diseases. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2704.210138