Molecular Epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 Variants in Vaccinated and Non-Vaccinated Patients of Erbil Province, Kurdistan Region-Iraq

Dlshad Abdullah Hassan; Sazan Qadir Maulud; Rzgar Farooq Rashid; Jivan Qasim Ahmed; Rezhna Khider Ali

doi:10.59786/bmtj.213

Authors

Dlshad Abdullah Hassan Public Health Laboratory Management-Erbil, Erbil, 44001, Iraq https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2548-2336
Sazan Qadir Maulud Department of Biology, College of Education, Salahaddin University-Erbil, 44001, Iraq https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2399-3055
Rzgar Farooq Rashid Department of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Science, Knowledge University, Erbil 44001, Iraq https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0846-9888
Jivan Qasim Ahmed Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Duhok, Duhok, 42001, Iraq https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1461-712X
Rezhna Khider Ali Department of Biology, College of Education, Salahaddin University-Erbil, 44001, Iraq

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.59786/bmtj.213

Keywords:

COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Variants, RT-PCR, Erbil, Iraq

Abstract

Multiple new SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC) have emerged globally since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the virus continuing to evolve, more are expected. This emphasizes the need for rapid diagnostic methods for the detection of circulating lineages. Variants-specific real-time reverse transcription (rRT)-PCR method can be used as an alternative to genome sequencing, which is expensive and labored for identifying these variants, especially in settings with limited resources. We assessed the prevalence of various SARS-CoV-2 variants spreading in the Erbil province using a diagnostic screening RT-PCR-based method. A total of 144 SARS-CoV-2 positive samples were prospectively tested for known SARS-CoV2 variants using ViroQ® SC2 Variant rRT-PCR. Furthermore, the technique was validated using 25 SARS-CoV-2 negative nasal samples. Out of 144 SARS-CoV-2 positive samples, 118 (81.9%) were B.1.617.2 (Delta), 5 (3.5%) were Epsilon B.1.427/B.1.429, 1(0.7%) was Eta B.1.525, 2(1.4%) were SARS-CoV-2 Wild type, while 18 (12.5%) were undefined variant, and the delta strain was the most prevalent SARS-CoV-2 strain. Our study showed that variant-specific RT-PCR could be a useful tool for the rapid screening of SARS-CoV-2 variants.

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