Genomic evolution of SARS-CoV-2 in Morocco: Insights from whole genome sequences collected from 2020 to 2024

IF 2.5 4区医学 Q3 VIROLOGY

Virus research Pub Date : 2025-01-31 DOI:10.1016/j.virusres.2025.199530

Hamza GHAMMAZ , Marouane MELLOUL , Ahlam MBARKI , Mouhssine HEMLALI , Taha CHOUATI , Hicham EL ANNAZ , Nadia TOUIL , Mostafa ELOUENNASS , Khalid ENNIBI , Elmostafa EL FAHIME

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

This study investigates the evolution and genetic diversity of SARS-CoV-2 strains circulating in Morocco to track the spread, clade distributions and mutations of the virus across various regions from February 2020 to June 2024. The genome sequences were retrieved from the GISAID database. A total of 2630 SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences were analyzed using bioinformatic tools such as Nextclade, followed by phylogenetic and statistical analyses. The study highlights the predominance of the GRA clade (Omicron variant) since November 2021, while clades such as G, GH, GR, and GRY were identified earlier. The GRA clade exhibited the highest number of non-synonymous mutations, particularly in the Spike (S) gene, suggesting strong evolutionary pressure. The correlation analysis between structural and non-structural proteins revealed key interactions between S and NSP5, providing insights into the viral replication and assembly processes. This work gives new insights to the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 in Morocco and underscores the importance of ongoing genomic surveillance to respond to emerging variants and potential future outbreaks.

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来源期刊

Virus research 医学-病毒学

CiteScore

9.50

自引率

2.00%

发文量

239

审稿时长

43 days

期刊介绍： Virus Research provides a means of fast publication for original papers on fundamental research in virology. Contributions on new developments concerning virus structure, replication, pathogenesis and evolution are encouraged. These include reports describing virus morphology, the function and antigenic analysis of virus structural components, virus genome structure and expression, analysis on virus replication processes, virus evolution in connection with antiviral interventions, effects of viruses on their host cells, particularly on the immune system, and the pathogenesis of virus infections, including oncogene activation and transduction.