COVID-19 virus mutates into a more contagious form

Recent studies involving more than 5,000 people COVID-19 (new coronavirus infection) (# If there is no character limit, add parentheses when it first appears Patients in Houston have discovered that the virus that causes the disease has accumulated genetic mutations. One of them may have made it more contagious.According to a paper published in a peer-reviewed journal mBIOThe mutation, called D614G, is in a spike protein that prys cells open for virus invasion. This is the largest ever peer-reviewed study of the SARS-CoV-2 genome sequence in one metropolitan area of ​​the United States.This paper shows that the virus is mutated by a combination of “neutral drift (meaning random genetic changes that do not help or hurt the virus) and pressure from us. Immune systemA researcher at the University of Texas at Austin said. The study was conducted by scientists such as the Houston Methodist Hospital and the University of Texas at Austin. Read again- Coronavirus Symptoms: COVID toes can last up to 6 months

71% of patients in Houston had this mutation

During the first wave of PandemicThis mutation was found in 71% of novel coronaviruses identified in patients in Houston. When the second wave of outbreaks struck Houston during the summer, the variant had jumped to a prevalence of 99.9 percent. This reflects the trends observed around the world. A study published in July based on more than 28,000 genomic sequences found that mutants with the D614G mutation became the globally predominant form of SARS-CoV-2 in about a month. SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus It causes COVID-19. Read again- Domestic infection of COVID-19 is faster and wider than previously estimated: new study

This mutation gives the virus a favorable start in other strains

So why are the stocks that contain this? mutation Would you like to beat what you didn’t have? Perhaps they are more contagious. Studies of more than 25,000 genome sequences in the United Kingdom have shown that mutated viruses tend to infect slightly faster than unmutated viruses, causing larger infection clusters. Natural selection will favor strains of the virus that are more easily transmitted. But not all scientists are convinced. Some suggest another explanation, called the “founder’s influence.” In that scenario, the D614G mutation could have been more common in the first viruses arriving in Europe and North America, and essentially made a good start in other strains. Read again- COVID-19 LiveUpdate: Indian cases surge to 81,84,082, deaths reach 1,22,111

Neutralizes naturally occurring antibodies

Spike proteins also continue to accumulate additional mutations of unknown importance.The Houston Methodist-UT Austin team also showed in laboratory experiments that at least one such mutation allows spikes to avoid neutralization. antibody Naturally produced by humans to combat SARS-CoV-2 infection. This can make it easier for viral variants to slip through the immune system. It’s not yet clear if it will lead to easier transmission between individuals.

The good news is that this mutation is rare

Fortunately, this mutation is rare and does not appear to make the disease more severe to infected patients. According to Finkelstein, the group did not see the virus that learned to evade first-generation vaccines and therapeutic antibody preparations. According to researchers, the virus continues to mutate as it hits the world, and real-time surveillance efforts like this one ensure that global vaccines and therapies are always one step ahead. Scientists have pointed out a total of 285 mutations across thousands of infections, most of which do not appear to have a significant effect on the severity of the disease. Ongoing research is ongoing to monitor a third wave of COVID-19 patients and characterize how the virus adapts to neutralizing antibodies produced by the immune system. Each new infection is a roll of dice, an additional opportunity to develop more dangerous mutations.

(With input from the agency)

Release date: October 31, 2020 11:21 am