key: cord-0772096-g74knxqm authors: Wink, P. L.; Volpato, F. C. Z.; Monteiro, F. L.; Willig, J. B.; Zavascki, A. P.; Barth, A. L.; Martins, A. F. title: First identification of SARS-CoV-2 Lambda (C.37) variant in Southern Brazil date: 2021-06-23 journal: nan DOI: 10.1101/2021.06.21.21259241 sha: a1953297adcd5fcca80ffe324bee82c01a96f1ba doc_id: 772096 cord_uid: g74knxqm In June 15, 2021, the lineage Lambda (C.37) of SARS-CoV-2 was considered a variant of interest (VOI) by the World Health Organization. This lineage has high prevalence in some South America countries but it was described only occasionally in Brazil. Here we describe the first report of the SARS-CoV-2 Lambda variant in Southern Brazil. The sequence described in this paper presented all the eight C.37 defining lineage mutations (ORF1a gene: del916;3675-3677; Spike gene: del16;246-252, G75V, T76I, L452Q, F490S, D614G, and T859N) in addition to other 19 mutations. Considering that this VOI has been associated with high rates of transmissibility, the possible spread in the Southern Brazilian community is a matter of concern. In June 15, 2021, the lineage Lambda (C.37) of SARS-CoV-2 was considered a variant of interest (VOI) by the World Health Organization. This lineage has high prevalence in some South America countries but it was described only occasionally in Brazil. Here we describe the first report of the SARS-CoV-2 Lambda variant in Southern Brazil. The sequence described in this paper presented all the eight C.37 defining lineage mutations (ORF1a gene: Keywords: COVID-19; C.37 lineage; Lambda variant; SARS-CoV-2. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission. (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted medRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. Since the emergence of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in December 2019, new lineages of this virus have been described. The recent emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of interest (VOI) and variants of concern (VOC) with potentially increased transmissibility and reduced sensitivity to antibody neutralization, may impact the efficacy of strategies to control the COVID-19 pandemic. 1 (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted medRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. The copyright holder for this preprint this version posted June 23, 2021. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission. (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted medRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. The high prevalence of the Lambda variant has been described particularly in South America countries such as Chile, Peru, Ecuador, and Argentina, where this new VOI is spreading rapidly, being associated with substantial rates of community transmission. 2 It is believed that the health care system critical situation and the recent report of increased deaths in these countries is associated with the rising prevalence of the Lambda variant. [8] [9] [10] Noteworthy, only in June 15, 2021, Lambda was considered a VOI by the World Health Organization. 2 It is not known whether the Lambda variant is more transmissible or more pathogenic than other variants or whether it is able to evade the effect of available vaccines. The novel S: Δ 246-252 deletion and additional mutations in the spike protein should be taken into account to understand their effects on viral fitness and host interaction. This first report of SARS-CoV-2 Lambda variant in Southern Brazil raises concern regarding a possible dissemination of this lineage in the region. Moreover, considering that this VOI has rapidly spread in Peru, Ecuador, Chile, and Argentina, we believe that Lambda variant has a considerable potential to become VOC. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission. (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted medRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. Acknowledgements. We thank the staff of "Laboratório de Diagnóstico de SARS-CoV-2" as well as the staff of the Hospital Infection Committee of our institution ("Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre") for providing data used in this study. This research has been conducted using the "Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre" Biobank resources under Application Number GPPG 2020-0163. Ethical statement. This study was approved by the Ethics Committees from Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (CAAE: 30767420.2.0000.5327). All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission. (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted medRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. The copyright holder for this preprint this version posted June 23, 2021. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.06.21.21259241 doi: medRxiv preprint Identification of SARS-CoV-2 spike mutations that attenuate monoclonal and serum antibody neutralization COVID-19 Weekly Epidemiological Update Pangolin: lineage assignment in an emerging pandemic as an epidemiological tool GISAID. Tracking of variants. www.gisaid.org/hcov19-variants Accessed RT-qPCR half reaction optimization for the detection of SARS-CoV-2. 1. medRxiv 2021 No reuse allowed without permission. (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted medRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. The copyright holder for this preprint this version posted Instituto Nacional de Salud. INS confirma presencia de variante C-37 del coronavirus en Perú All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission.(which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted medRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission.(which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted medRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity.The copyright holder for this preprint this version posted June 23, 2021. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.06.21.21259241 doi: medRxiv preprint All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission.(which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted medRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity.The copyright holder for this preprint this version posted June 23, 2021. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.06.21.21259241 doi: medRxiv preprint