Abstract:
Covid-19 was first reported in Wuhan China but has now spread globally with
overwhelming impacts on human health and health systems. The disease is caused
by the SARs-Cov-2 which is related to the SARs-Cov-1 that causes SARs. There is
evidence suggesting that the virus originated from the Rhinolophilid bats and has
subsequently undergone recombination to allow for a natural selection for a
human host and it is thought that the recombination might have occurred either
prior or upon infection of the human host. These events of natural selection are
presumed to have hastened human to human transmission. However, analyses
of sequences from Covid-19 isolates from China and across the globe point to a
unique case scenario that may suggest selection and evolution of the virus upon
infection of the human host. In this paper we have examined the role of the
human ACE-2 receptor in determining the predisposition to Covid-19 and
analyzed Covid-19 sequences deposited in the virus database from around the
globe to provide evidence that the disease burden is different across regions and
among individuals as determined by the genetics of the virus and that the virus
is rapidly evolving across regions and populations. Our phylogenetics data
confirms that all strains circulating around the globe are related to the strains
from China, the origin of the virus and further depicts varying degrees of
similarity and disparity which suggests that the virus is mutating. While the
USA has already been shown to have sequences closely related to the Wuhan
sequences, here we report that the sequences from Spain and Africa are distantly
related to the Wuhan sequences. Owing to the unique presentation of the disease
in regions across the globe, the summary presented here informs of the need to
tailor the management of the disease as dictated by viral and host genetic factors
and the observed regional burden of the disease.
