Skip to main content

PERSPECTIVE article

Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Infectious Agents and Disease
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1483895

Does viral circulation in slums have a global impact? The lesson learned from early SARS-CoV-2 circulation in Complexo de Favelas da Maré, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Running head: SARS-CoV-2 in Slum

Provisionally accepted
Monique Cristina dos Santos Monique Cristina dos Santos 1Natalia Fintelman-Rodrigues Natalia Fintelman-Rodrigues 1Aline de Paula Dias da Silva Aline de Paula Dias da Silva 1Rodolfo Leandro Nascimento Rodolfo Leandro Nascimento 2Victor Corrêa Seixas Victor Corrêa Seixas 2Amanda A. Batista da Silva Amanda A. Batista da Silva 3Marcelo Alves Ferreira Marcelo Alves Ferreira 1Patricia Bozza Patricia Bozza 1Fernando A Bozza Fernando A Bozza 1Thiago Moreno L. Souza Thiago Moreno L. Souza 1*
  • 1 Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  • 2 Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  • 3 Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Because of growing inequalities, more than one-third of the worldwide population is expected to live in slums by 2050. Although slum dwellers are at increased risk of infectious diseases, this population may have been overlooked with respect to the sustainability of virus evolution. Here, we aimed to analyze the genetic diversity and evolution of SARS-CoV-2 in the Complexo de Favelas da Maré slum, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and to assess its impact on the global spread of the virus. We found that this slum harbored multiple strains of SARS-CoV-2, and its amplification and genetic diversity connected with the global circulation from 2020--2022. Thus, enhancing surveillance in slums could be important for future epidemic/pandemic preparedness by connecting virus genetic diversity in this region with its circulation at divergent locations.

    Keywords: COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Slum, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Received: 20 Aug 2024; Accepted: 13 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 dos Santos, Fintelman-Rodrigues, de Paula Dias da Silva, Nascimento, Corrêa Seixas, Batista da Silva, Alves Ferreira, Bozza, Bozza and Souza. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Thiago Moreno L. Souza, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.