Viral genome analysis and genotyping of human genetic variants associated with severe disease in COVİD-19 patients

Since the beginning of the pandemic, one of the most challenging factors for clinicians in the management of COVID-19 has been the differences in clinical course. In order to investigate the parameters associated with severe disease in detail, it is necessary to examine genetic factors and host-pathogen relationships in addition to known risk factors such as advanced age and the presence of additional comorbidities. There is evidence in the literature that the clinical course may change due to differences in the viral genome and host genome. For this purpose, in addition to clinical information, nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swab samples for viral genome analysis and saliva or tracheobronchial sampling for genotyping of human genetic variants that may be associated with severe disease were obtained from 86 patients followed up in COVID- 19 services and 63 patients followed up in COVID-19 intensive care units at Hacettepe University Adult Hospital. In multivariate regression analyses, advanced age and the presence of chronic disease were associated as clinical factors and elevated lactate dehydrogenase and low lymphocytes were associated as laboratory parameters with severe disease. Sparse canonical correlation analysis revealed different clinical phenotypes. No statistically significant findings were found between viral mutations and human genetic variants and severe disease. The relatively small sample size used in the study can be considered as a limitation; therefore, it is recommended to reevaluate the findings obtained on a larger cohort.