Highlights
- 1.The B.1.427/B.1.429 variant grew to >50% of cases in California by early 2021.
- 2.The variant is 20% more transmissible with 2-fold increased shedding in vivo.
- 3.The variant has a spike L452R mutation conferring increased infectivity in vitro.
- 4.Antibody neutralization is reduced in COVID-19 patients and vaccine recipients.
Summary
We identified an emerging SARS-CoV-2 variant by viral whole-genome sequencing of 2,172 nasal/nasopharyngeal swab samples from 44 counties in California, a state in the Western United States. Named B.1.427/B.1.429 to denote its 2 lineages, the variant emerged in May 2020 and increased from 0% to >50% of sequenced cases from September 2020 to January 2021, showing 18.6-24% increased transmissibility relative to wild-type circulating strains. The variant carries 3 mutations in the spike protein, including an L452R substitution. We found 2-fold increased B.1.427/B.1.429 viral shedding in vivo and increased L452R pseudovirus infection of cell cultures and lung organoids, albeit decreased relative to pseudoviruses carrying the N501Y mutation common to variants B.1.1.7, B.1.351, and P.1. Antibody neutralization assays revealed 4.0 to 6.7-fold and 2.0-fold decreases in neutralizing titers from convalescent patients and vaccine recipients, respectively. The increased prevalence of a more transmissible variant in California exhibiting decreased antibody neutralization warrants further investigation.
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Article Info
Publication History
Accepted:
April 15,
2021
Received in revised form:
April 2,
2021
Received:
March 3,
2021
Publication stage
In Press, Journal Pre-proofIdentification
Copyright
© 2021 Published by Elsevier Inc.
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