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Article

An Autochthonous Outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 P.1 Variant of Concern in Southern Italy, April 2021

by
Daniela Loconsole
1,
Anna Sallustio
2,
Francesca Centrone
1,
Daniele Casulli
2,
Maurizio Mario Ferrara
3,
Antonio Sanguedolce
3,
Marisa Accogli
1 and
Maria Chironna
1,*
1
Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology-Hygiene Section, University of Bari, 70124 Bari, Italy
2
Hygiene Unit, University Hospital Consortium Policlinico, 70124 Bari, Italy
3
Local Health Unit of Bari, Department of Prevention, 70132 Bari, Italy
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2021, 6(3), 151; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed6030151
Submission received: 3 August 2021 / Revised: 11 August 2021 / Accepted: 11 August 2021 / Published: 12 August 2021
(This article belongs to the Special Issue COVID-19: Current Status and Future Prospects)
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Abstract

The SARS-CoV-2 P.1 variant of concern (VOC) was first identified in Brazil and is now spreading in European countries. It is characterized by the E484K mutation in the receptor-binding domain, which could contribute to the evasion from neutralizing antibodies. In Italy, this variant was first identified in January 2021. Here, we report an autochthonous outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 P.1 variant infections in southern Italy in subjects who had not travelled to endemic areas or outside the Apulia region. The outbreak involved seven subjects, three of whom had received a COVID-19 vaccine (one had received two doses and two had received one dose). Four patients had a mild clinical presentation. Laboratory investigations of nasopharyngeal swabs revealed that all strains were S-gene target failure-negative and molecular tests revealed they were the P.1 variant. Whole-genome sequencing confirmed that five subjects were infected with closely related strains classified as the P.1 lineage. The circulation of VOCs highlights the importance of strictly monitoring the spread of SARS-CoV-2 variants through genomic surveillance and of investigating local outbreaks. Furthermore, public health measures including social distancing, screening, and quarantine for travelers are key tools to slow down the viral transmission and to contain and mitigate the impact of VOC diffusion, and rapid scaling-up of vaccination is crucial to avoid a possible new epidemic wave.
Keywords: outbreak; P.1 variant; Gamma variant; SARS-CoV-2 infection; COVID-19; whole-genome sequencing outbreak; P.1 variant; Gamma variant; SARS-CoV-2 infection; COVID-19; whole-genome sequencing

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Loconsole, D.; Sallustio, A.; Centrone, F.; Casulli, D.; Ferrara, M.M.; Sanguedolce, A.; Accogli, M.; Chironna, M. An Autochthonous Outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 P.1 Variant of Concern in Southern Italy, April 2021. Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2021, 6, 151. https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed6030151

AMA Style

Loconsole D, Sallustio A, Centrone F, Casulli D, Ferrara MM, Sanguedolce A, Accogli M, Chironna M. An Autochthonous Outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 P.1 Variant of Concern in Southern Italy, April 2021. Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease. 2021; 6(3):151. https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed6030151

Chicago/Turabian Style

Loconsole, Daniela, Anna Sallustio, Francesca Centrone, Daniele Casulli, Maurizio Mario Ferrara, Antonio Sanguedolce, Marisa Accogli, and Maria Chironna. 2021. "An Autochthonous Outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 P.1 Variant of Concern in Southern Italy, April 2021" Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease 6, no. 3: 151. https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed6030151

APA Style

Loconsole, D., Sallustio, A., Centrone, F., Casulli, D., Ferrara, M. M., Sanguedolce, A., Accogli, M., & Chironna, M. (2021). An Autochthonous Outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 P.1 Variant of Concern in Southern Italy, April 2021. Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease, 6(3), 151. https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed6030151

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