Molecular epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in Mongolia, first experience with nanopore sequencing in lower- and middle-income countries setting.

Background: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has had a significant impact globally, and extensive genomic research has been conducted on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) lineage patterns and its variants. Mongolia's effective response resulted in low prevalence until vaccinations became available. However, due to the lack of systematically collected data and absence of whole genome sequencing capabilities, we conducted a two-stepped, nationally representative molecular epidemiologic study of SARS-CoV-2 in Mongolia for 2020 and 2021.

Direct comparison of antibody responses to four SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in Mongolia.

Different SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are approved in various countries, but few direct comparisons of the antibody responses they stimulate have been reported. We collected plasma specimens in July 2021 from 196 Mongolian participants fully vaccinated with one of four COVID-19 vaccines: Pfizer/BioNTech, AstraZeneca, Sputnik V, and Sinopharm. Functional antibody testing with a panel of nine SARS-CoV-2 viral variant receptor binding domain (RBD) proteins revealed marked differences in vaccine responses, with low antibody levels and RBD-ACE2 blocking activity stimulated by the Sinopharm and Sputnik V vaccines in comparison to the AstraZeneca or Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines.

A case series of fatal meningoencephalitis in Mongolia: epidemiological and molecular characteristics of tick-borne encephalitis virus.

In Mongolia, the incidence and fatality rates of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) have been increasing. We aimed to identify the epidemiological and molecular characteristics of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) associated with fatal meningoencephalitis in Mongolia. We conducted a descriptive study of 14 fatal cases of TBE that occurred between 2008 and 2017 in Mongolia.