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The Danish government’s warning that coronavirus mutations in mink could jeopardize the search for a vaccine has caused a stir around the world. Because it is precisely at a time when many countries have to re-enact crown restrictions and the yearning for a vaccine that can pave the way to everyday post-crown life is growing. The uncertainty is correspondingly large.
The problem: So far, the Danish government has remained covered with more information. It is unclear what mutation it is and how it was tested. Until this information is known, it is difficult for experts to assess how great the potential danger really is.
What is known
The coronavirus invades human cells through proteins called spike proteins, causing them to make countless copies of the virus. Random copy errors occur in the virus genome, so-called mutations. In itself, this is not a threat, most of these changes have no effect, and compared to other pathogens, the coronavirus mutates only slowly.
However, according to the Danish government, mutations have occurred in minks that affect the beak protein. This can become a problem because part of the body’s defense system targets precisely these proteins. The immune system produces antibodies that block the spike protein and thus render it harmless. However, if the proteins of the virus change due to mutations, the antibodies no longer fit perfectly and may therefore be less effective.
Furthermore, mutations no longer only occur in mink. According to the Danish government, the variant of the virus has been detected in twelve people in Jutland.
What does this have to do with the vaccine?
An active vaccine only fools the body into thinking it is infected and causes it to set up defenses that are also supposed to protect against a real infection. But if the mutations cause the virus to change significantly, the vaccine may need to adapt as well.
It is absolutely crucial that a vaccine works optimally, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen explained in a Facebook post about the decision to kill all minerals grown in the country. “Therefore, every effort should be made to ensure that the possibility of an effective vaccine is not undermined.”
Denmark is the world’s largest producer of mink fur. There are currently 1,139 breeding farms and around 15 to 17 million minks in the country. According to the Danish authorities, corona cases have already been found on more than 200 farms. The fur population has already been killed on 67 farms.
It has been known for a long time that the corona virus can also attack mink. Also in the Netherlands, mink from various farms were euthanized after there were indications that a person might have been infected by one of the animals. However, there are only a few suspected cases so far. The drivers of the current pandemic are person-to-person droplet infections.
However, because minks live together on fur farms, the virus can spread quickly. This also increases the likelihood of mutations. By killing all mink animals, the Danish government wants to prevent the variant of the virus from spreading further.
However, scientists are warning against panic too hastily. It is not yet clear which mutations are involved and if they could affect the search for vaccines.
“If Denmark is convinced that the matter is serious enough to kill the entire mink population, it could also be concluded that the matter is serious enough to share more information about the mutations with the scientific community as soon as possible. if the variants are still circulating elsewhere, “Biozentrum Basel epidemiologist Emma Hodcroft wrote on Twitter. She helped set up the Nextstrain platform, which documents coronavirus mutations.
However, so far nothing is known about the mutations. The Danish Statens Serum Institute, comparable to the German Robert Koch Institute, reported in September two mutations that had been detected in mink and humans and that affect the spike protein.
“We need more information”
One of them is related to another known genetic change that could possibly make the virus less sensitive to antibodies. However, it is not clear whether the mutations are the same that now lead to the slaughter of all breeding animals in Denmark. Other mutations may have occurred as well.
Even if genetic changes should make the virus less sensitive to antibodies, this does not mean that a possible vaccine is ineffective. Because the body’s own defense does not only depend on antibodies.
In Germany, the breeding of fur animals does not play an important role. Since September 2017, the so-called Prohibition of Trade in Animal Products Act has been in force in Germany, which establishes stricter requirements for the commercial possession of fur animals. As a result, keeping animals has become less profitable. According to the Tierschutzbüro organization, Germany’s last fur farm stopped operating a year and a half ago.
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