Genomic and epidemiological analysis of SARS-CoV-2 variants isolated in Guinea: a routine sequencing implementation.

Background: Several variants of SARS-CoV-2 have a demonstrated impact on public health, including high and increased transmissibility, severity of infection, and immune escape. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the SARS-CoV-2 lineages and better characterize the dynamics of the pandemic during the different waves in Guinea.

Methods: Whole genome sequencing of 363 samples with PCR cycle threshold (Ct) values under thirty was undertaken between May 2020 and May 2023.

Use of strips of rapid diagnostic tests as a source of ribonucleic acid for genomic surveillance of viruses: an example of SARS-CoV-2.

Background: This study aimed to demonstrate that the genomic material of SARS-CoV-2 can be isolated from strips of COVID-19 rapid diagnostic test cassettes.

Method: It was a prospective cross-sectional study involving patients admitted to treatment centers and sampling sites in the city of Conakry, Guinea. A total of 121 patients were double sampled, and 9 more patients were tested only for RDT.

Wide Diversity of Coronaviruses in Frugivorous and Insectivorous Bat Species: A Pilot Study in Guinea, West Africa.

Zoonoses can constitute a threat for public health that can have a global importance, as seen with the current COVID-19 pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV2). Bats have been recognized as an important reservoir of zoonotic coronaviruses (CoVs). In West Africa, where there is a high diversity of bat species, little is known on the circulation of CoVs in these hosts, especially at the interface with human populations.