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Coronavirus mutates. Currently, a different strain than the one that appeared in China dominates the world. Scientists have named the new coronavirus mutation G614. “It is now the predominant form of infecting humans,” says immunologist Erica Ollmann Saphire of the La Jolla Institute of Immunology. According to a study published in the journal Cell, this “version” of SARS-CoV-2 is much more contagious than the one that evolved in China. Does this also mean that the new coronavirus is more dangerous to your health? The results of the above-mentioned experiment were written, among others, by CNN.
- In most countries, the COVID-19 epidemic started with the coronavirus D614 variant. In March, the data showed that a new strain, called G614, replaced it in most European countries and the US
- Scientists took a close look at the mutant version of SARS-CoV-2. It turned out that this strain spreads much faster and is more contagious
- However, experts reassure that no evidence has been found that the mutant virus causes more severe COVID-19 disease
Coronaviruses mutate fairly quickly, which allows them to adapt to new conditions, thus surviving and spreading to new vectors. This also applies to SARS-CoV-2.
Scientists from the University of Sheffield and a New Mexico lab have determined that most countries have started the COVID-19 epidemic with the D614 variant coronavirus. In March, the data showed that a new strain, called G614, replaced it in most European countries and the US.
- This may be of interest to you: Results of previous research on a new strain of coronavirus, G614
By studying a new strain of coronavirus, scientists not only tested more genetic sequences, they also conducted experiments involving humans, animals and cells on lab plates.
According to CNN, researchers have found strong evidence that this form of SARS-CoV-2 has spread from Europe to the US. The G614 coronavirus has almost completely replaced the first version widespread in Europe and the United States, D614, they say.
Until March 1, 2020, the G614 variant was rare outside Europe, but its frequency increased worldwide by late March, according to the researchers. “It is the predominant form of infectious disease in humans today,” said structural biologist and immunologist Erica Ollmann Saphire of the La Jolla Institute of Immunology to CNN.
“Our observations show that the G614 variant is spreading faster than D614,” say scientists at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, including biologist Bette Korber. We interpret it to mean that the virus could be more contagious, they add.
“We know the new virus is more efficient,” says Erica Ollmann Saphire. According to the researchers, the new version of the coronavirus multiplies faster in the upper respiratory tract (in the nose, sinuses and throat), which may explain the fact that it moves more easily.
David Montefiore of Duke University and his colleagues tested the virus in a laboratory.
“ We were able to test whether the G form of the virus was more infectious than the D form, ” CNN said, adding, “ All results showed that Form G was three to nine times more infectious than Form D.
The increased infectivity is due to mutations in its protein spikes – the structures by which the virus attacks cells, the researchers say.
Even though the coronavirus variant is more contagious, scientists have found no evidence that it causes more severe COVID-19 disease. The researchers came to this conclusion by examining data from around 2 British hospitalized patients with the coronavirus. It turned out that the people carrying the new strain in them had more virus particles in their bodies, although they were not in worse shape than patients infected with the original SARS-CoV-XNUMX virus strain.
Lawrence Young, professor of molecular oncology at the University of Warwick in the UK who was not involved in the study, says it might be good news. – Current work suggests that while the G614 variant may be more infectious, it is not more pathogenic. The hope is that as SARS-CoV-2 infection spreads, the virus may become less pathogenic, he says.
The researchers emphasize that more research and analysis are needed to fully understand the consequences of the coronavirus mutation for both the epidemic and individual patients.
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