What is it about?
Many SARS-CoV-2 genomes in GenBank and GISAID could be fake. Imagine that you see a SARS-CoV-2 genome identical to the reference genome (NC_045512) but from a virus isolated in 2024. Now, imagine that it is not just one genome, but multiple genomes from viruses isolated in human respiratory systems, in stool, in sewage, etc., in 2024, all being exact copies of the reference genome! Exactly the same length and absolutely no nucleotide changes. Yes, there are such SARS-CoV-2 genomes in both GenBank and GISAID. Such SARS-CoV-2 genomes cannot possibly be authentic.
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Why is it important?
Fake genomes with fake collection dates could strongly bias the estimation of the origin of SARS-CoV-2.
Perspectives
NCBI should formulate new policies and create new protocols to prevent submission of fake data.
Prof. Xuhua Xia
University of Ottawa
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: How Trustworthy Are the Genomic Sequences of SARS-CoV-2 in GenBank?, Microorganisms, October 2024, MDPI AG,
DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12112187.
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