Nikonova A A, Faizuloev E B, Gracheva A V, Isakov I Yu, Zverev V V
Mechnikov Research Institute for Vaccines and Sera, Moscow, 105064 Russia.
Acta Naturae. 2021 Jul-Sep;13(3):77-88. doi: 10.32607/actanaturae.11337.
The new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) represents a challenge for global health. Since the outbreak began, the number of confirmed cases has exceeded 117 million, with more than 2.6 million deaths worldwide. With public health measures aimed at containing the spread of the disease, several countries have faced a crisis in the availability of intensive care units. Currently, a large-scale effort is underway to identify the nucleotide sequences of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that is an etiological agent of COVID-19. Global sequencing of thousands of viral genomes has revealed many common genetic variants, which enables the monitoring of the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 and the tracking of its spread over time. Understanding the current evolution of SARS-CoV-2 is necessary not only for a retrospective analysis of the new coronavirus infection spread, but also for the development of approaches to the therapy and prophylaxis of COVID-19. In this review, we have focused on the general characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19. Also, we have analyzed available publications on the genetic diversity of the virus and the relationship between the diversity and the biological properties of SARS-CoV-2, such as virulence and contagiousness.
新型冠状病毒感染（COVID-19）对全球卫生构成了挑战。自疫情爆发以来，确诊病例数已超过1.17亿，全球死亡人数超过260万。随着旨在遏制疾病传播的公共卫生措施的实施，一些国家面临着重症监护病房供应危机。目前，正在进行大规模努力以确定作为COVID-19病原体的严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）的核苷酸序列。对数千个病毒基因组进行全球测序已揭示了许多常见的基因变异，这使得能够监测SARS-CoV-2的进化并追踪其随时间的传播。了解SARS-CoV-2的当前进化不仅对于回顾性分析新型冠状病毒感染的传播是必要的，而且对于开发COVID-19的治疗和预防方法也是必要的。在本综述中，我们重点关注了SARS-CoV-2和COVID-19的一般特征。此外，我们分析了关于该病毒遗传多样性以及SARS-CoV-2的多样性与其生物学特性（如毒力和传染性）之间关系的现有出版物。
