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SARS-CoV-2 Molecular and Phylogenetic Analysis in COVID-19 Patients: A Preliminary Report from Iran
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  • Alireza Tabibzadeh,
  • Farhad Zamani,
  • Azadeh Laali,
  • Maryam Esghaei,
  • Fahimeh Safarnezhad Tameshkel,
  • Hossein Keyvani,
  • Mahin Jamshidi Makiani,
  • Mahshid Panahi,
  • Nima Motamed,
  • Dhayaneethie Perumal,
  • Mahmoodreza Khoonsari,
  • Hossein Ajdarkosh,
  • Masodreza Sohrabi,
  • Behrooz Ghanbari,
  • Shokoufeh Savaj,
  • Alireza Mosavi-Jarrahi,
  • Mohammad Hadi Karbalaie Niya
Alireza Tabibzadeh
Iran University of Medical Sciences

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Farhad Zamani
Iran University of Medical Sciences
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Azadeh Laali
Iran University of Medical Sciences
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Maryam Esghaei
Iran University of Medical Sciences
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Fahimeh Safarnezhad Tameshkel
Iran University of Medical Sciences
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Hossein Keyvani
Iran University of Medical Sciences
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Mahin Jamshidi Makiani
Iran University of Medical Sciences
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Mahshid Panahi
Iran University of Medical Sciences
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Nima Motamed
Zanjan University of Medical Sciences
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Dhayaneethie Perumal
Kingston University
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Mahmoodreza Khoonsari
Iran University of Medical Sciences
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Hossein Ajdarkosh
Iran University of Medical Sciences
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Masodreza Sohrabi
Iran University of Medical Sciences
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Behrooz Ghanbari
Iran University of Medical Sciences
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Shokoufeh Savaj
Iran University of Medical Sciences
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Alireza Mosavi-Jarrahi
Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences
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Mohammad Hadi Karbalaie Niya
Iran University of Medical Sciences
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Abstract

Background: The aim of the current study was to investigate and track the SARS-CoV-2 in Iranian Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients using molecular and phylogenetic methods. Methods: We enrolled seven confirmed cases of COVID-19 patients for the phylogenetic assessment of the SARS-CoV-2 in Iran. The nsp-2, nsp-12, and S genes were amplified using one-step RT-PCR and sequenced using Sanger sequencing method. Popular bioinformatics software were used for sequences alignment and analysis as well as phylogenetic construction. Results: The mean age of the patients in the present study was 60.42±9.94 years and 57.1% (4/7) were male. The results indicated high similarity between Iranian and Chinese strains. We could not find any particular polymorphisms in the assessed regions of the three genes. Phylogenetic trees by neighbor-joining and maximum likelihood method of nsp-2, nsp-12, and S genes showed that there are not any differences between Iranian isolates and those of other countries. Conclusion: As a preliminary phylogenetic study in Iranian SARS-CoV-2 isolates, we found that these isolates are closely related to the Chinese and reference sequences. Also, no sensible differences were observed between Iranian isolates and those of other countries. Further investigations are recommended using more comprehensive methods and larger sample sizes.
Oct 2020Published in Infection, Genetics and Evolution volume 84 on pages 104387. 10.1016/j.meegid.2020.104387