SARS-CoV-2 Point Mutation and Deletion Spectra and Their Association with Different Disease Outcomes
Brenda Martínez‐González, María Eugenia Soria, Lucía Vázquez-Sirvent, Cristina Ferrer‐Orta, Rebeca Lobo-Vega, Pablo Mínguez, Lorena de la Fuente, Carlos Lloréns, Beatriz Soriano, Ricardo Ramos, Marta Cortón, Rosario López‐Rodríguez, Carlos García‐Crespo, Isabel Gallego, Ana Isabel de Ávila, Jordi Gómez, Luis Enjuanes, Llanos Salar‐Vidal, Jaime Esteban, R. Fernández‐Roblas, Ignacio Gadea, Carmen Ayuso, Javier Ruiz‐Hornillos, Núria Verdaguer, Esteban Domingo, Celia Perales
Abstract
The study shows that mutant spectra of SARS-CoV-2 from diagnostic samples differ in point mutation abundance and complexity and that significantly larger values were observed in virus from patients who developed mild COVID-19 symptoms. Mutant spectrum complexity is not a uniform trait among isolates. The nature and location of low-frequency amino acid substitutions present in mutant spectra anticipate great potential for phenotypic diversification of SARS-CoV-2.