SARS‐CoV‐2 AY.4.2 variant circulating in Italy: Genomic preliminary insight
Silvia Angeletti, Marta Giovanetti, Marta Fogolari, Eleonora Cella, Lucia De Florio, Carla Lintas, Roberta Veralli, Maria Francesconi, Francesca Caccuri, Marina De Cesaris, Cecilia De Flora, Giancarlo Ceccarelli, Silvia Spoto, Arnaldo Caruso, Stefano Pascarella, E. Riva, Massimo Ciccozzi
Abstract
The appearance of emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2 carrying mutations into the spike protein has recently raised concern with respect to tracking their transmission and mitigating the impact in the evolving pandemic across countries. AY.4.2, a recently detected Delta variant sublineage, is considered a new variant under investigation (VUI) as it carries specific genetic signatures present in the spike protein, called Y145H and A222V. Here, using genomic epidemiology, we provide the first preliminary insight regarding the circulation of this emerging VUI in Italy.