Código ISSN 2588-0551 Código ISSN 2588-0551
Revista INSPILIP - Volumen 4 - Número 4 - Enero del 2021
https://www.inspilip.gob.ec/
1
Bruno A. et al. Genomic surveillance:
Brief summary of the Inuenza
virological activity in Ecuador
Reported by National Inuenza Centre
of Ecuador. National Institute of
Public Health and Research. Revista
cientíca INSPILIP V. (4), Número 4,
Guayaquil, Ecuador. DOI:10.31790/
inspilip.v4i5
El autor declara estar libre de cualquier
asociación personal o comercial que
pueda suponer un conicto de intereses
en conexión con el artículo, así como
el haber respetado los principios éticos
de investigación, como por ejemplo
haber solicitado las autorizaciones
de la institución donde se realizó el
estudio, permiso para utilizar los datos,
consentimientos informados y en caso
de tratarse de estudio observacionales
y ensayos clínicos, autorización de un
CEISH, ARCSA, DIS, Medio Ambiente,
entre otros. Además, la licencia para
publicar imágenes de la o las personas
que aparecen en el manuscrito. Por ello la
revista no se responsabiliza por cualquier
afectación a terceros.
Alfredo Bruno
1,2
, abruno@inspi.gob.ec; Maritza Olmedo
1
, molmedo@inspi.gob.ec;
Denisses Portugal
1
, dportugal@inspi.gob.ec; Manuel González
1,3
, mgonzalez@inspi.gob.ec
María Angélica Becerra
1
; mbecerra@inspi.gob.ec, Marcela Mejía
1
, mmejia@inspi.gob.ec
María Pacurucu
1
,
mpacurucu@inspi.gob.ec, Alberto Orlando
1,2
aorlando@inspi.gob.ec
Natalia Goñi
4
, tati24@adinet.com.uy,
iD
Juan Cristina
5
;
Doménica De Mora
1
, ddemora@inspi.gob.ec
1. Instituto Nacional de Investigación en Salud Pública (INSPI),Ecuador
2. Universidad Agraria del Ecuador (UAE), Ecuador
3. Universidad de Guayaquil (UG), Ecuador.
4. Universidad de la República del Uruguay PEDECIBA, departamento de laboratorios de
Salud Pública MSP, Uruguay.
5. Sección de Virología, Facultad de Ciencias, República de Uruguay
Correspondencia Mgs. Alfredo Bruno Mail: abruno@inspi.gob.ec
Identicación de la responsabilidad y contribución de los autores: los autores declaran haber
contribuido de forma similar en la idea original (AB, JC, NG, DDM), diseño del estudio (AB, JC,
NG, DDM), recolección de datos (AB, MO, DP, MB, MM, AO, MP, DDM), análisis de datos (AB,
JC, NG, DDM), redacción del borrador, ( AB, JC, NG, DDM), revisión del borrador ( AB, JC,
NG, DDM) y redacción del artículo ( AB, JC, NG, DDM),
Fecha de ingreso: 31/08/2020, Fecha de aprobación: 29/11/2020, Fecha de publicación: 01/01/2021
Abstract
For H1N1pdm were grouped within clade 6B.1, and related to the strain of vaccine reference
for that year, regarding the H3 subtype were grouped within genotype 3C.2a, which are
related to the strain of vaccine reference for the H3N2 subtype recommended by WHO in the
formulation of the 2016 Southern Hemisphere and 2017-18 Northern Hemisphere (A/Hong
Kong/ 4801/2014), but other group of Ecuadorian samples from 2017, were genetically related
to clade 3C.3a, this cluster is more related to Northern Hemisphere Vaccine strain 2015-2016
and Southern Hemisphere 2015 (A/Switzerland/9715293/2013), so we could observe dierent
genetic lineages of H3N2 subtype co-circulate in Ecuador during 2017. In the case of Inuenza
B we also had a co-circulation of Yamagata and Victoria lineages but the trivalent formulation
only had Victoria lineages.
Keywords: Inuenza, Tropical country, AH1N1 pdm, B, H3N2, Ecuador, Genetic
Characterization
Genomic surveillance: Brief summary of the Inuenza virological activity in Ecuador reported
by National Inuenza Centre of Ecuador from INSPI
Vigilancia genómica: Breve resumen de la actividad virológica de Inuenza en Ecuador reportado
por el Centro Nacional de Inuenza de Ecuador del INSPI
Original article:
Citación
Acceso Abierto
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DOI:10.31790/inspilip.v4i5
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Código ISSN 2588-0551
Revista INSPILIP - Volumen 4 - Número 4 - Enero del 2021
https://www.inspilip.gob.ec/
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Introduction
Inuenza surveillance
Inuenza surveillance Ecuador is a tropical country that falls
in Equator line between Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic
of Capricorn and has a climatic inuence of the northern
hemisphere and the southern hemisphere. Climatological
inuences could aect the circulation of the virus in the
country and usually inuenza cases have two peaks per
year (December to March and June to August). Inuenza
surveillance is carried out both with epidemiological
and laboratory data. The Ministry of Health is in charge
of the epidemiological information, and has a national
surveillance of severe acute respiratory infections (SARI)
with 17 sentinel hospitals in the country. Laboratory data
has been performing by the National Inuenza Centre
(NIC), located in Guayaquil and two regional laboratories
of the National Institute of Public Health and Research,
located in the city of Quito and Cuenca. DOI: 10.31790/
inspilip.v4i5 Revista cientíca digital INSPILIP Código
ISSN 2588-0551 Revista cientíca INSPILIP.
Disponible en: https://www.inspilip.gob.ec/ 2/14
Diciembre del 2020 Viral circulation From 1 January
until 31 August 2017 a total of 3186 throat swab
specimens, collected from SARI patients, were tested
for presence of inuenza and other respiratory viruses.
Of all specimens 356 (11.17%) samples were positive
for inuenza viruses. The large majority (63.48%)
were type A viruses and 36.51 were positive for type
B. At the beginning of the year from the three week
until the eight week was principal peak of Inuenza
virus. In this year have been found predominance of
H3 subtype followed by Inuenza B and there has
been almost no circulation of inuenza AH1N1 pdm,
throughout the year.
Figure No. 1. Distribution of respiratory viruses, Ecuador 2017 by epidemiological week.
Código ISSN 2588-0551 Código ISSN 2588-0551
Revista INSPILIP - Volumen 4 - Número 4 - Enero del 2021
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II. Methodology:
Ecuadorian samples were obtained by surveillance program of SARI of Ministry of Public Health, then were analysed
by qRT-PCR at INSPI, selected and sent to WHO collaborator center (CDC) for sequencing. In order to study the
genetic relationships among Ecuadorian inuenza viruses, samples were compared with additional nucleotide
sequences obtained from the GISAID computer platform with reference sequence of HA region and vaccine
strains recommended by WHO. Analysis and alignment was performed using Bioedit software, the phylogenetic
tree was developed using the MEGA 6 program; In terms of evolutionary history the Neighbor-Joining method was
selected; fasta tree, AA dif, and Count GS order were used to establish the aminoacid residue dierences.
Figure No. 2. Distribution of Inuenza Virus types and subtype, Ecuador 2017 by epidemiological week.
Código ISSN 2588-0551
Revista INSPILIP - Volumen 4 - Número 4 - Enero del 2021
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Introducción
II. Results:
Genetic Characterization
Figure No. 4. Evolutionary Relationship among Inuenza A (H3N2) HA genes, Ecuador 2015 - 2017.
Código ISSN 2588-0551 Código ISSN 2588-0551
Revista INSPILIP - Volumen 4 - Número 4 - Enero del 2021
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Table 1. Comparison of amino acid changes and numbers of glycosylation sites in HA gene of Ecuadorian inuenza H3
viruses detected in 2015-2017 with current vaccine strain.
After phylogenetic analyzes, 11 samples were grouped within clade 3C.2a, which are related to the vaccine reference
strain of that year for the H3N2 subtype recommended by WHO in the formulation of the 2016 Southern Hemisphere
and 2017-18 Northern Hemisphere (A/Hong Kong/ 4801/2014). Five Ecuadorian samples from 2017, were genetically
related to clade 3C.3a, this cluster is more related to Northern Hemisphere Vaccine strain 2015-2016 and Southern
Hemisphere 2015 (A/Switzerland/9715293/2013), and these samples were more evolutionarily distant with the current
vaccine reference strain. In conclusion we could observe dierent genetic lineages of H3N2 subtype co-circulate in
Ecuador during 2017. Additionally in some sequences were detected the A138S mutation, which is associated in H3N2
porcine strains with the virus binding to the sialic acid of the cellular receptor.
Código ISSN 2588-0551
Revista INSPILIP - Volumen 4 - Número 4 - Enero del 2021
https://www.inspilip.gob.ec/
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Figure No. 5. Evolutionary Relationship among Inuenza A(H1N1 pdm) HA genes, 2016 - 2017.
Código ISSN 2588-0551 Código ISSN 2588-0551
Revista INSPILIP - Volumen 4 - Número 4 - Enero del 2021
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Table 2 . Comparison of amino acid changes and numbers of glycosylation sites in HA gene of Ecuadorian inuenza
AH1N1 pdm viruses detected in 2016-2017 with current vaccine strain.
All Ecuadorian samples were grouped within clade 6B.1, which are related to the vaccine reference strain of that time
for the H1N1pdm, recommended by WHO in the vaccination formulation.