Rapid Identification of Relevant Microbial Strains by Identifying Multiple Marker Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms via Amplicon Sequencing: Epidemic Monkeypox Virus as a Proof of Concept

Despite the proven value of applying genomic data for epidemiological purposes, commonly used high-throughput sequencing formats are not adapted to the response times required to intervene and finally control outbreaks. In this study, we propose a fast alternative to whole-genome sequencing (WGS) to track relevant microbiological strains: nanopore sequencing of multiple amplicons including strain marker single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). As a proof a concept, we evaluated the performance of our approach to offer a rapid response to the most recent public health global alarm, the monkeypox virus (MPXV) global outbreak. Through a multisequence alignment, a list of 42 SNPs were extracted as signature makers for this outbreak. Twenty primer pairs were designed to amplify in a multiplex PCR the regions including 22 of these SNPs. Amplicon pools were sequenced in a MinION device, and SNPs were called in real time by an in-house bioinformatic pipeline. A total of 120 specimens (95 MPXV-PCR positive, Ct values from 14 to 39) were selected. In 67.37% of the positive subset, all 22 SNPs were called. After excluding low viral load specimens, in 92% of samples ≥11 outbreak SNPs were called. No false positives were observed in any of the 25 negative specimens. The total turnaround time required for this strategy was 5 hours, and the cost per sample was 14 euros. Nanopore sequencing of multiple amplicons harboring signature SNPs escapes the targeting limitations of strain-specific PCRs and offers a powerful alternative to systematic WGS, paving the way to real-time genomic epidemiology and making immediate intervention possible to finally optimize transmission control. Nanopore sequencing of multiple amplicons harboring signature single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) escapes the targeting limitations of strain-specific PCRs and offers a powerful alternative to systematic whole-genome analysis, paving the way to real-time genomic epidemiology and making immediate intervention possible to finally optimize transmission control.