Dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 variants during the XBB wave in the Republic of Korea.

As COVID-19 has become endemic, SARS-CoV-2 variants are becoming increasingly diverse, underscoring the escalating importance of global genomic surveillance. This study analyzed 86,762 COVID-19 samples identified in the Republic of Korea from September 2022 to November 2023. The results revealed a consistent increase in the prevalence of the XBB variants following the dominance of BN.

Risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 transmission during a movie theater outbreak in Incheon in the Republic of Korea, November 2021: a retrospective study.

Background: We examined factors contributing to the transmission of an acute respiratory virus within multi-use facilities, focusing on an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in a movie theater in the Republic of Korea.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study involved a descriptive analysis of 48 confirmed cases. Logistic regression was applied to a cohort of 80 theater attendees to identify risk factors for infection.

Neutralization Testing-based Immunogenicity Analysis of Recent Prevalent Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Omicron Sublineages.

Although WHO declared the end of the public health emergency for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), XBB lineages continue to evolve and emerge globally. In particular, XBB.1.

Three distinct ORF1a recombinants of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant of concern.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to the emergency of various lineages through mutations and recombination. In the Delta lineage, we identified recombination events in the ORF1a gene, which divided the Delta sublineages into three different genotypes (Delta R1-R3). The regional distributions of Delta R1 and Delta R2 were not correlated, indicating that recombination occurred early in the Delta outbreak.

Comparative Computational Analysis of Spike Protein Structural Stability in SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Subvariants.

The continuous emergence of new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants with multiple spike (S) protein mutations pose serious threats to current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) therapies. A comprehensive understanding of the structural stability of SARS-CoV-2 variants is vital for the development of effective therapeutic strategies as it can offer valuable insights into their potential impact on viral infectivity. S protein mediates a virus' attachment to host cells by binding to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) through its receptor-binding domain (RBD), and mutations in this protein can affect its stability and binding affinity.

Complete Genome Sequence of Monkeypox Virus Strain MPXV-ROK-P1-2022 Isolated from the First Monkeypox Patient in the Republic of Korea.

We report the complete genome sequence of the monkeypox virus strain MPXV-ROK-P1-2022, isolated from the first patient diagnosed with monkeypox in the Republic of Korea in June 2022. The virus was fully sequenced on the Illumina MiSeq instrument, and the phylogenetic tree showed that the strain belongs to lineage B.1.

Clinical and Immunological Predictors of Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome Outcome during the Early Phase.

The ability to accurately predict the early progression of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is crucial for reducing morbidity and mortality rates in severely affected patients. However, the utility of biomarkers for predicting clinical outcomes remains elusive in HFRS. The aims of the current study were to analyze the serum levels of immune function-related proteins and identify novel biomarkers that may help ascertain clinical outcomes of HFRS.

Draft Genome Sequence of Francisella tularensis subsp. Strain H0001, Isolated from a Tularemia Patient in the Republic of Korea.

Francisella tularensis is the etiological agent of the zoonosis tularemia. Here, we report the draft genome sequence of F. tularensis subsp.

Discovery and Genetic Characterization of Novel Paramyxoviruses Related to the Genus in Species in the Republic of Korea.

Paramyxoviruses, negative-sense single-stranded RNA viruses, pose a critical threat to human public health. Currently, 78 species, 17 genera, and 4 subfamilies of paramyxoviruses are harbored by multiple natural reservoirs, including rodents, bats, birds, reptiles, and fish. Henipaviruses are critical zoonotic pathogens that cause severe acute respiratory distress and neurological diseases in humans.

Urinary genome detection and tracking of Hantaan virus from hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome patients using multiplex PCR-based next-generation sequencing.

Background: Hantavirus infection occurs through the inhalation of aerosolized excreta, including urine, feces, and saliva of infected rodents. The presence of Hantaan virus (HTNV) RNA or infectious particles in urine specimens of patient with hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) remains to be investigated.

Methodology/principal Findings: We collected four urine and serum specimens of Republic of Korea Army (ROKA) patients with HFRS.

Novel Paju Apodemus paramyxovirus 1 and 2, harbored by Apodemus agrarius in the Republic of Korea.

Paramyxoviruses harbored by multiple natural reservoirs pose a potential threat to public health. Jeilongvirus has been proposed as a novel paramyxovirus genus found in rodents, bats, and cats. Paramyxovirus RNA was detected in 108/824 (13.

Multiplex PCR-Based Nanopore Sequencing and Epidemiological Surveillance of in , Republic of Korea.

Whole-genome sequencing of infectious agents enables the identification and characterization of emerging viruses. The MinION device is a portable sequencer that allows real-time sequencing in fields or hospitals. (Hantaan virus, HTNV), harbored by , causes hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and poses a critical public health threat worldwide.

A novel genotype of Hantaan orthohantavirus harbored by Apodemus agrarius chejuensis as a potential etiologic agent of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in Republic of Korea.

Background: Orthohantaviruses, causing hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome, pose a significant public health threat worldwide. Despite the significant mortality and morbidity, effective antiviral therapeutics for orthohantavirus infections are currently unavailable. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of HFRS-associated orthohantaviruses and identify the etiological agent of orthohantavirus outbreaks in southern Republic of Korea (ROK).

A Clinical Case of Scrub Typhus in the United States Forces Korea Patient with Eschar and Genetic Identification of Using Multiplex PCR-Based Next-Generation Sequencing.

An epidemiological investigation was conducted for a scrub typhus case reported in a U.S. Forces Korea military patient in the Republic of Korea in November 2018.

Genomic Epidemiology and Active Surveillance to Investigate Outbreaks of Hantaviruses.

Emerging and re-emerging RNA viruses pose significant public health, economic, and societal burdens. Hantaviruses (genus , family , order ) are enveloped, negative-sense, single-stranded, tripartite RNA viruses that are emerging zoonotic pathogens harbored by small mammals such as rodents, bats, moles, and shrews. Orthohantavirus infections cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome in humans (HCPS).

2019 Tabletop Exercise for Laboratory Diagnosis and Analyses of Unknown Disease Outbreaks by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Objectives: The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has published "A Guideline for Unknown Disease Outbreaks (UDO)." The aim of this report was to introduce tabletop exercises (TTX) to prepare for UDO in the future.

Methods: The UDO Laboratory Analyses Task Force in Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in April 2018, assigned unknown diseases into 5 syndromes, designed an algorithm for diagnosis, and made a panel list for diagnosis by exclusion.

Phylogeographic diversity and hybrid zone of Hantaan orthohantavirus collected in Gangwon Province, Republic of Korea.

Background: Hantaan orthohantavirus (Hantaan virus, HTNV), harbored by Apodemus agrarius (the striped field mouse), causes hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) in humans. Viral genome-based surveillance at new expansion sites to identify HFRS risks plays a critical role in tracking the infection source of orthohantavirus outbreak. In the Republic of Korea (ROK), most studies demonstrated the serological prevalence and genetic diversity of orthohantaviruses collected from HFRS patients or rodents in Gyeonggi Province.

Molecular Epidemiology and Genetic Diversity of Orthohantaviruses in Small Mammals in Western Poland.

Orthohantaviruses are negative-sense, single-stranded RNA viruses harbored by multiple small mammals. Dobrava-Belgrade virus (DOBV) and Puumala virus (PUUV) cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) in Europe. In Poland, serological surveys have demonstrated antibodies against DOBV and PUUV in patients with HFRS.