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The B.1.1.529 variant was first detected in Botswana. Six cases have also been detected in South Africa
According to scientists, there is a new covid variant that has an “extremely high number” of mutations and can trigger further waves of disease by evading the body’s defense mechanisms.
Only 10 cases in 3 countries have been confirmed by genome sequencing, but the variant has caused great concern among some researchers because a number of mutations could help the virus evade immunity.
Variant B.1.1.529 has 32 mutations in the spike protein, the part of the virus that most vaccines use to activate the immune system against covid. Mutations in the spike protein can affect the virus’ ability to infect cells and spread, and also make it harder for immune cells to fight the pathogen.
The variant was first discovered in Botswana, where 3 cases have since been sequenced. Six more cases have been confirmed in South Africa and one in Hong Kong in a traveler returning from South Africa.
Tom Peacock, virologist at Imperial College London, published details of the new variant, noting that the “incredibly high number of spike mutations suggests this could be of real concern.”
Tom Peacock (@PeacockFlu) November 23, 2021
In a series of tweets, Peacock stated that this variant should be watched very, very closely due to the “horrible spike profile,” but added that it could be an “odd cluster” that is not very easily transferable. “I hope that is the case,” he wrote.
“Since it is in the nature of viruses to mutate frequently and randomly, it is not uncommon to have a small number of cases with new mutation clusters. Any variants that show evidence of spread are rapidly assessed,” said Meera Chand, Covid-19 case director at the U.K.’s Department of Health and Human Services.
Still many unanswered questions
Scientists will monitor the new variant for signs that it is gaining momentum and spreading. Some virologists in South Africa are already concerned, especially given the recent increase in cases in Gauteng, in northern South Africa, where B.1,1,529 cases have been detected.
Ravi Gupta, professor of clinical microbiology at the University of Cambridge, said work in his lab found that two of the mutations on B.1.1.529 increase infectivity and decrease antibody recognition. “However, a key property of the virus that is not known is its infectivity, because that’s what seems to have driven the delta variant in the first place.”
According to Francois Balloux, director of the UCL Genetics Institute, the large number of mutations in the variant apparently accumulated “in a single surge,” suggesting that it could have evolved during a chronic infection in a person with a weakened immune system, such as an untreated HIV/AIDS patient. “I would definitely expect it to be poorly recognized by neutralizing antibodies compared with alpha or delta,” he said. “It’s hard to predict how transmissible it is at this stage. For now, it should be closely monitored and analyzed, but there is no reason to be overly concerned unless the incidence increases in the near future.”
- source: futurezone.at/source:pixabay.com
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