One person may have several variants of SARS-CoV-2 in different organs

One person may even have several variants of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, hiding in various organs, such as the kidneys or spleen. On the occasion of this discovery, however, researchers found a good target to attack the germ.

As the pandemic progressed, further variants displaced the original form of the Wuhan virus, making it difficult to combat vaccination and antibody therapy.

“The constant emergence of new variants has completely replaced the original virus, with the Omikron and Omikron 2 variants currently dominant,” emphasizes Prof. Imre Berger of the University of Bristol, author of a new study presented in the journal Nature Communications.

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This publication points to another obstacle. Well, a virus can evolve differently in different cells of the same person.

Scientists noticed this after analyzing an early variant found in Bristol – BrisDelta.

This variant makes up a small subpopulation of SARS-CoV-2 but appears to attack some cells more readily than the original virus.

“Our results indicate that one person may have several variants of the virus in the body. Some of them can use kidney or spleen cells to hide in them when the body is busy fighting the dominant variant. This can make it difficult for an infected patient to get rid of SARS-CoV-2, ”explains one researcher, Dr. Kapil Gupta.

With the help of the virus’s synthetic counterparts, imaging and computer techniques, researchers showed that changing the shape of the spike protein allows the virus to hide from the immune system.

However, there is a special structure in it – the pocket, which is crucial for the contagiousness of the germ.

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“By failing to attach the inflammatory fatty acids, the virus becomes less visible to the immune system. This could be a mechanism to avoid detection by the host and a strong immune response for an extended period of time and increase the effectiveness of the infection, ”says lead author of the study, Dr. Oskar Staufer of the Max Planck Center Bristol.

“It seems that a pocket specially shaped to recognize these fatty acids gives SARS-CoV-2 an advantage in infecting humans and allows the virus to multiply rapidly. This may explain why it is present in all variants, including Omikron “- adds Prof. Berger.

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The good news, however, is that this pocket remains the same across different mutations of the germ.

“Interestingly, the same trait gives us the unique ability to defeat the virus precisely because it is strictly preserved. So you can create a particle matching the virus that will target this pocket “- explains the expert.

The spin-out Halo Therapeutics, founded at the University of Bristol, is already working on this type of drug.

Author: Marek Matacz

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