Sequencing SARS-CoV-2 in a Malaria Research Laboratory in Mali, West Africa: The Road to Sequencing the First SARS-CoV-2 Genome in Mali

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has become a necessary tool for genomic epidemiology. Even though the utility of genomics in human health has been proved, genomic surveillance has never been as important as during the COVID-19 pandemic. This has been demonstrated by the recent use of genomic surveillance to detect new variants of SARS-CoV-2 in the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Brazil. Until recently, Malian scientists did not have access to any local NGS platform, and samples had to be shipped abroad for sequencing. Here, we report on how we adapted a laboratory setup for Plasmodium research to generate the first complete SARS-CoV-2 genome locally. Total RNA underwent a library preparation using an Illumina TruSeq stranded RNA kit. A metagenomics sequencing was performed on an Illumina MiSeq platform, which was followed by bioinformatic analyses on a local server in Mali. We recovered a full genome of SARS-CoV-2 of 29 kb with an average depth coverage of 200x. We have demonstrated our capacity to generate a high-quality genome with limited resources and highlight the need to develop genomics capacity locally to solve health problems. We discuss challenges related to access to reagents during a pandemic period and propose some home-made solutions.

Automated summary

NGS has become essential in genomic epidemiology, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. By adapting a lab setup for malaria research, we successfully generated the first complete SARS-CoV-2 genome locally, demonstrating the capacity to produce high-quality genomes with limited resources and emphasizing the importance of developing genomics capacity locally.