Identification, Isolation, Propagation and Inactivation of SARS-CoV2 Isolated from Egypt

Seadawy, M.G; Gad, A.F; Elhoseny, M.F; ELharty, B.El; Shamel, M.D

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 causes the novel pandemic Pneumonia disease. It is a positive single strand ssRNA virus that infect human. COVID-19 appeared in Egypt in Feb 2020.The samples were taken from patients with COVID-19 symptoms at military hospital in Egypt and transported to the main chemical laboratories under all the biosafety measures according to WHO guidelines. All samples were tested with RT-PCR. Positive samples were cultured using VeroE6 cell lines. The propagated virus was isolated and inactivated. The isolated virus was sequenced using next generation sequencing and submitted into gene bank. This study provides an isolation, propagation and inactivation methodology which is valuable for production of inactivated vaccines against SARS-CoV2 in Egypt.