More than 2 million people have died for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the SARS-CoV-2, has several clinical conditions ranging from no or mild symptoms to rapid progression to respiratory failure. Advanced age is a major risk factor, as well as male sex and some comorbidities such as hypertension and diabetes. Since clinical risk factors do not fully explain the wide spectrum of disease manifestations, it is conceivable that dissecting the genetics of the host response to SARS-CoV-2 infection may provide novel insights into its pathogenesis. Particularly, the genetic predisposition to asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection is still poorly investigated.

Thanks to the fund provided from Regione Campania for the realization of the project "CEINGE TASK-FORCE COVID19”, CEINGE investigators have sequenced and analyzed the DNA coding regions of individuals from Campania, a Southern Italian area.

With the aim of making genetic data available for the wider scientific community, CEINGE investigators generated “ESPOSITO”, a database that contains genotypic frequencies aggregated from the whole-exome sequencing variation of SARS-CoV-2 infected subjects. All data reported in this repository are released openly. Genetic studies to unravel the genetic factors associated with asymptomatic COVID-19 are ongoing.

Coordinators: Mario Capasso and Massimo Zollo (CEINGE and Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II).

Contributors: Pellegrino Cerino (Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno), Achille Iolascon (CEINGE and Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II), Pasquale Abete (COVID Hospital, P.O.S. Anna e SS. Madonna della Neve di Boscotrecase), Giulia Frisso, Giuseppe Servillo, Ivan Gentile (Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II), Carmelo Piscopo, Matteo Della Monica (A.O.R.N. ‘Antonio Cardarelli’), Giuseppe Fiorentino (AORN dei Colli Presidio Ospedaliero Cotugno).

Collaborators: Roberta Russo, Immacolata Andolfo, Veronica Ferrucci (CEINGE and Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II), Maria Biana Pierri (Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno).

Data Analysis: Vito Alessandro Lasorsa, Ferdinando Bonfiglio, Giuseppe D’Alterio, Umberto Esposito (CEINGE and Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II).

Website: Angelo Boccia, Giovanni Paolella (CEINGE and Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II).