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Scientists say they have identified a mutation in the coronavirus that they believe means that a more contagious strain has affected Europe and the UK, and could even reinfect those who already have antibodies.
Researchers from the Los Alamos National Laboratory in the USA. USA They detected 14 mutations in the COVID-19 Peak virus proteins, one of which, known as Spike D614G, said it was of “urgent concern.”
Their research work suggests that the mutated coronavirus strain that has become worldwide dominant was first identified in Europe and is different from those that spread early in the pandemic.
A graph shows the mutation, in blue, making it the most dominant strain.
So urgent is the problem that the research paper describing their findings has been made available before being peer-reviewed, although this has caused concern among some observers.
By analyzing more than 6,000 genetic sequences from coronavirus samples taken from patients worldwide, the researchers found that the mutated strain was persistently becoming the most dominant version of the virus in every region in which it was detected.
Although it was first discovered in Europe in early February, researchers believe that coronavirus The mutation has become the most frequent strain worldwide.
The study indicates that it has consistently outperformed the original strain detected in Wuhan, which spread across that region of China and some other Asian countries before March.
Dr. Bette Korber, lead author of the study, said: “The story is troubling, as we see a mutated form of the virus emerging very rapidly, and during the month of March it became the dominant pandemic form.”
“When viruses with this mutation enter a population, they quickly begin to take over the local epidemic, making them more transmissible.”
The spike protein mutation has caused concern because this is one of the most effective parts of the virus and the focus of most treatments and vaccines.
For example, the discovery of an “innovative” antibody – that prevents the virus from infecting human cells – it works by binding to this protein rather than allowing it to bind to cells and replicate.
Spike proteins are molecules on the outside of the virus that it uses to grab and then penetrate the outer walls of human and animal cells.
There are two key characteristics in the protein that have been attributed to its enormous infectious capacity.
The first is called the receptor binding domain (RBD), which they describe as “a kind of grappling hook that binds to host cells,” while the second is known as the cleavage site, “a molecular opener that allows let the virus open up and enter host cells
The researchers acknowledge that they don’t know how mutations have changed these key characteristics.
However, the fact that the team’s findings have not yet been peer-reviewed has worried some observers, who fear that the potentially alarming report would need to be rigorously scrutinized before being released.
On the website hosting the study, one user suggested that “the manuscript title seems a bit false” and warned that the prevalence of the mutated spike protein could be a matter of correlation rather than causation.
Although the mutated form of the virus quickly outpaces that initially detected in Wuhan, the researchers say they are unsure of their hypothesis that this is due to the spike protein mutation rather than another mutation.
Given the “vital importance of peak protein” both in terms of viral infectivity and as an antibody target, we feel the urgent need for an “early warning” pipeline to assess the evolution of the peak pandemic, “said the authors of the study.
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