GISAID - Initiative

In Focus

22 August 2021 COVID-19 lineages and variants
COVID-19 lineages and variants

GISAID’s EpiCoV database employs tools to assign phylogenetic clades and lineages to genetic sequences of the pandemic coronavirus. One such tool is the Pango nomenclature by Rambaut et al (2020) which takes a granular approach to classify and describe viral evolution with detailed lineages.

As new lineages become more widespread, additional genetic markers emerge. Lineage definitions may be updated to allow researchers to track these separately and permit a more fine-grained picture of how a variant is circulating. When these updates occur, all genomes in EpiCoV undergo reclassification by Pango which can lead to temporary fluctuations in the tallies of variants. Overinterpretation of these changes in numbers should be avoided.
3 June 2021 First human case of influenza A/H10N3 virus infection
First human case of influenza A/H10N3 virus infection

On May 28, 2021 a resident of the City of Zhenjiang in Jiangsu Province, China, was diagnosed with an influenza A/H10N3 virus infection. This is the first human case of infection with a low pathogenic avian influenza virus of this subtype. How the person was infected is unclear. There is no evidence that the virus spreads easily between humans. A/H10 influenza viruses are abundant in wild birds globally, and occasionally transmit to poultry.

The whole genome sequence of the virus, A/Jiangsu/428/2021, was released rapidly via the GISAID Initiative by the Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Nanjing (EPI_ISL_2379892).

> read more
25 February 2021 Human cases of influenza A/H5N8 virus infection
Human cases of influenza A/H5N8 virus infection

On February 19, 2021 the WHO H5 Reference Laboratory of the State Research Centre for Virology and Biotechnology (VECTOR) of the Russian Federation notified the WHO about cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H5N8) virus. These are the first laboratory confirmed human cases of A(H5N8) virus infection to be reported worldwide. The genome sequences of the viruses from a human case and from poultry are shared in GISAID (EPI_ISL_1038924).

On December 21, 2020, FBRI SRC VB VECTOR Rospotrebnadzor had received 56 serum samples and 37 nasopharyngeal swabs samples from farm workers of Vladimirskaya Poultry Farm in Astrakhan (Russian Federation) who were potentially exposed during a large-scale outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N8) in poultry.

> read more
29 January 2021 Additional closely related bat CoVs identified in Cambodia
Phylogenetic tree of animal coronaviruses closely related to the pandemic human virus
Additional closely related bat CoVs identified in Cambodia

The Virology Unit of the Institut Pasteur du Cambodge has recently submitted the full genome sequences for 2 bat coronaviruses from samples taken from bats in 2010 in the Steung Treng province of Cambodia; they appear to join the list of coronaviruses that are closely related to the current pandemic virus.

Other potential precursors known so far include bat coronaviruses from caves in Yunnan (Southern China), sampled in 2013 and 2019, and samples derived from pangolins in Southern China from 2017 and 2019.

see: Vibol Hul et al (2021) A novel SARS-CoV-2 related coronavirus in bats from Cambodia
21 December 2020 - Comment on recent variants and spike protein changes
Comment on recent variants and spike protein changes

As seen on many occasions before, mutations are naturally expected for viruses and are most often simply neutral regional markers useful for contact tracing. The changes seen have rarely affected viral fitness and almost never affected clinical outcome but the detailed effects of these mutations remain to be determined fully. Changes in the spike protein have relevance for potential effects on both host receptor as well as antibody binding with possible consequences for infectivity, transmission potential and antibody and vaccine escape. Actual effects need to be measured and verified experimentally.

As has become evident, these few S gene mutations and some deletions are found in multiple genomic contexts (different clades in different countries) that may be an early indication for some potential advantage for these viruses but needs to be verified and does not necessarily mean change in clinical severity or transmission efficiency. > read more
GISAID's Comments on the WHO Report on the Public Health Implications of Implementation of the Nagoya Protocol
GISAID Comments on the WHO Report on the Public Health Implications of Implementation of the Nagoya Protocol

Member States representatives met at the 72nd annual World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland to discuss and debate a report prepared by the WHO on the public health implications of implementation the Nagoya Protocol.

GISAID comments on that paper, highlighting the current issues around sharing of seasonal influenza viruses, the consequences of delays in virus sharing, and the connection to the discussion at the Convention on Biological Diversity.

> read GISAID's Comments on the Report
CBD Study finds GISAID might provide useful lessons and insight to ABS discussion
CBD Study finds 'GISAID might provide useful lessons and insight to ABS discussions'

A peer-reviewed fact-finding and scoping study on digital sequence information on genetic resources in the context of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Nagoya Protocol, highlights key advantages of GISAID’s sharing mechanism and a fair and equitable benefit-sharing resulting from access to data.

With the core principals of timely international sharing of health data for protecting populations against lethal infectious disease outbreaks and adherence to scientific etiquette of acknowledgement of the source of data has resulted in global trust and confidence in GISAID.

> download the fact-finding & scoping study
19 May 2017 G20 Health Ministers
G20 Health Ministers recognize the importance of GISAID in regard to virus data sharing

At the invitation of Germany, the first meeting of Health Ministers of the Group of Twenty leading industrialized and emerging economies (G20) took place in Berlin between 19-20 May 2017.

Under the banner of “Together Today for a Healthy Tomorrow – Joint Commitment for Shaping Global Health”, the two-day meeting focused on combating global health hazards. In their Berlin Declaration, the G20 Health Ministers recognize the importance of the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID).

> read more
> The Berlin Declaration of the G20 Health Ministers (2017)

hCoV-19 Submission Tracking

hCoV-19 Tracking of Variants

Public-Private Partnerships of the GISAID Initiative

The GISAID Initiative involves public-private-partnerships between the Initiative's administrative arm Freunde of GISAID e.V., a registered non-profit association, and governments of the Federal Republic of Germany, the official host of the GISAID platform, Singapore and the United States of America, with support from private and corporate philanthropy.

In Focus

22 August 2021 COVID-19 lineages and variants

COVID-19 lineages and variants

3 June 2021 First human case of influenza A/H10N3 virus infection

First human case of influenza A/H10N3 virus infection

25 February 2021 Human cases of influenza A/H5N8 virus infection

Human cases of influenza A/H5N8 virus infection

29 January 2021 Additional closely related bat CoVs identified in Cambodia

Additional closely related bat CoVs identified in Cambodia

21 December 2020 - Comment on recent variants and spike protein changes

Comment on recent variants and spike protein changes

GISAID's Comments on the WHO Report on the Public Health Implications of Implementation of the Nagoya Protocol

CBD Study finds GISAID might provide useful lessons and insight to ABS discussion

CBD Study finds 'GISAID might provide useful lessons and insight to ABS discussions'

19 May 2017 G20 Health Ministers

G20 Health Ministers recognize the importance of GISAID in regard to virus data sharing

hCoV-19 Submission Tracking

hCoV-19 Tracking of Variants

Public-Private Partnerships of the GISAID Initiative

Genomic epidemiology of hCoV-19

hCoV-19 data sharing via GISAID

GISAID Resources