Global dispersal and increasing frequency of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein variant D614G are suggestive of a selective advantage but may also be due to a random founder effect. We investigate the hypothesis for positive selection of spike D614G in the United Kingdom using more than 25,000 whole genome SARS-CoV-2 sequences. Despite the availability of a large dataset, well represented by both spike 614 variants, not all approaches showed a conclusive signal of positive selection. Population genetic analysis indicates that 614G increases in frequency relative to 614D in a manner consistent with a selective advantage. We do not find any indication that patients infected with the spike 614G variant have higher COVID-19 mortality or clinical severity, but 614G is associated with higher viral load and younger age of patients. Significant differences in growth and size of 614G phylogenetic clusters indicate a need for continued study of this variant.

SARS-CoV-2 刺突蛋白变体 D614G 的全球扩散和频率增加暗示了选择性优势，但也可能是由于随机创始人效应。我们使用超过 25,000 个全基因组 SARS-CoV-2 序列研究了在英国阳性选择尖峰 D614G 的假设。尽管有一个大数据集的可用性，由两个尖峰 614 变体很好地代表，但并非所有方法都显示出肯定选择的决定性信号。群体遗传分析表明，相对于 614D，614G 的频率以与选择性优势一致的方式增加。我们没有发现任何迹象表明感染尖峰 614G 变体的患者具有更高的 COVID-19 死亡率或临床严重程度，但 614G 与更高的病毒载量和患者年龄较小有关。