A novel approach to profile global circulation pathway of SARS-CoV-2 variants by site-based mutation dynamics

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Zheng, Hong, Su, Shimin, Liu, Caiqi, Lou, Jingzhi, Cao, Lirong, Zhang, Yexian, Zhang, Zhihui, Chong, Marc Ka Chun, Zee, Benny Chung-Ying, Cheung, Peter Pak-Hang, Gu, Haogao, Pu, Juan, Poon, Leo Lit Man, Yen, Hui-Ling, Wang, Maggie Haitian
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866915643083718656
author Zheng, Hong
Su, Shimin
Liu, Caiqi
Lou, Jingzhi
Cao, Lirong
Zhang, Yexian
Zhang, Zhihui
Chong, Marc Ka Chun
Zee, Benny Chung-Ying
Cheung, Peter Pak-Hang
Gu, Haogao
Pu, Juan
Poon, Leo Lit Man
Yen, Hui-Ling
Wang, Maggie Haitian
author_facet Zheng, Hong
Su, Shimin
Liu, Caiqi
Lou, Jingzhi
Cao, Lirong
Zhang, Yexian
Zhang, Zhihui
Chong, Marc Ka Chun
Zee, Benny Chung-Ying
Cheung, Peter Pak-Hang
Gu, Haogao
Pu, Juan
Poon, Leo Lit Man
Yen, Hui-Ling
Wang, Maggie Haitian
contents The genetic evolution of SARS-CoV-2 has caused recurring epidemic waves, understanding its global dispersal patterns is critical for effective surveillance. We developed the Site-based mutation dynamics - Equal Power Sampling (S-EPS) framework, a phylogenetic-free, bias-correcting framework for profiling viral source-sink dynamics. Applying S-EPS to 6.6 million SARS-CoV-2 genomes (March 2020 - June 2024) from 13 regions worldwide, we identified Africa and the Indian subcontinent as the predominant sources of key mutations. Southeast Asia serves as an early transmission hub, while Russia and South America mainly acted as sinks. Key mutations took longer to establish fitness in source regions than externally. Once an amino acid substitution on the receptor-binding domain reached 1% prevalence in major sources, there is an 80% probability it would spread elsewhere, with a 2-month median lead time (IQR: 1-4). Our findings underscore the importance of genetic surveillance, with S-EPS offering enhanced capability for monitoring emerging viral threats.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2511_22841
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle A novel approach to profile global circulation pathway of SARS-CoV-2 variants by site-based mutation dynamics
Zheng, Hong
Su, Shimin
Liu, Caiqi
Lou, Jingzhi
Cao, Lirong
Zhang, Yexian
Zhang, Zhihui
Chong, Marc Ka Chun
Zee, Benny Chung-Ying
Cheung, Peter Pak-Hang
Gu, Haogao
Pu, Juan
Poon, Leo Lit Man
Yen, Hui-Ling
Wang, Maggie Haitian
Populations and Evolution
Quantitative Methods
The genetic evolution of SARS-CoV-2 has caused recurring epidemic waves, understanding its global dispersal patterns is critical for effective surveillance. We developed the Site-based mutation dynamics - Equal Power Sampling (S-EPS) framework, a phylogenetic-free, bias-correcting framework for profiling viral source-sink dynamics. Applying S-EPS to 6.6 million SARS-CoV-2 genomes (March 2020 - June 2024) from 13 regions worldwide, we identified Africa and the Indian subcontinent as the predominant sources of key mutations. Southeast Asia serves as an early transmission hub, while Russia and South America mainly acted as sinks. Key mutations took longer to establish fitness in source regions than externally. Once an amino acid substitution on the receptor-binding domain reached 1% prevalence in major sources, there is an 80% probability it would spread elsewhere, with a 2-month median lead time (IQR: 1-4). Our findings underscore the importance of genetic surveillance, with S-EPS offering enhanced capability for monitoring emerging viral threats.
title A novel approach to profile global circulation pathway of SARS-CoV-2 variants by site-based mutation dynamics
topic Populations and Evolution
Quantitative Methods
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.22841