Detecting mutant corona virus, able to spread stronger than before

Newly published research shows that the mutation occurring in the corona virus causing Covid-19 virus increases their ability to spread compared to the original strain.

Los Angeles Times on May 5 said the research of scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory, USA, showed that corona virus continues to mutate , this strain is more likely to spread than strains. appeared at the beginning of the pandemic.

The scientists said the mutant strain of the corona virus appeared in Europe in February, then quickly spread to the US East Coast. The strain then spread globally from mid-March. Not only is it more likely to spread, this strain makes it possible for patients to re-become infected after recovering.

Spread quickly

The newly discovered mutation on the virus affects the outer spines of the corona virus, the part that allows them to invade human body cells. The research team says it is necessary to have "early warning" to help vaccines and drugs being developed around the world to be effective against mutated virus strains.

According to the report, the mutant strain spread much more strongly in the places it attacked, compared to the original strain from Wuhan, China, and this is a common strain in some countries after only a few weeks it appears. .

The popularity of this new strain, compared to the previous strain, is proof of its ability to spread, though the cause has not been found.

The research, conducted by scientists from Los Alamos, is based on computer analysis of more than 6,000 samples of corona virus worldwide. After much analysis, the results show that the new strain is becoming dominant compared to the old strains.

Picture 1 of Detecting mutant corona virus, able to spread stronger than before
A photo of an electron microscope image of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. (Photo: AP).

The team from Los Alamos, with the support of British scientists, confirmed a total of 14 virus mutations. These mutations occur in nearly 30,000 basic RNA pairs that are thought to make the corona virus genome.

Scientists from Los Alamos focused on a mutation called D614G, responsible for the change in the hook of the virus.

David Motefiori, a research scientist from Duke University in the UK, said it was the first time a mutation had evidence of a higher likelihood of infection.

Although scientists do not know the details of how mutant spikes work inside the human body, research shows that mutations give viruses a breakthrough advantage, making them spread much faster than strains. old. Scientists call this the " typical Darwin evolution".

Research shows that D614G is appearing more and more frequently at alarming levels, showing the advantage of being able to spread the virus faster than the original strain in Wuhan.

"The situation is worrisome, we see mutants appear very quickly, and become popular after just one month. When viruses with this mutation enter the community, they will quickly prevail. epidemics in that community, because they're more contagious, "says Better Korber, a biology expert at Los Alamos.

According to research by a scientific team in Los Alamos, Italy, was one of the first countries to be infected by the mutant virus strain in the last week of February, almost at the same time as the old virus strain also appeared in the South country. This one.

Meanwhile, Washington was one of the first US states where the old strain of viruses entered. However, by March 15, mutant virus strains had accounted for the majority of cases here. New York was attacked by an old strain of virus on March 15, but within a few days, the new strain was completely dominant.

The risk of disabling developing drugs

Scientists at major organizations studying the vaccine and drug Covid-19 said the corona virus causing the pandemic this time is as stable and non-mutant as the virus that causes seasonal flu. Los Alamos' research is likely to end that expectation.

If the pandemic does not weaken seasonally as the weather gets warmer, the virus may undergo further mutations, threatening the effectiveness of the developing vaccines and drugs.

Some components in the drug being developed today work by clinging to the virus' hook, or disrupting its activity. If the drugs were developed based on data on old strain viruses, they would not be effective against future mutated viruses, the scientists warned.

Picture 2 of Detecting mutant corona virus, able to spread stronger than before
US scientists believe that two different strains of the virus are causing the pandemic in the country. (Photo: AFP).

In the United States, doctors have begun to question whether new strains of the virus are responsible for the difference in the way they infect, cause disease and cause death, said Professor Alan Wu, from San Francisco University, said. In the past two weeks, speculative health experts have witnessed at least two strains of the virus in the United States, one common on the East Coast, the other predominant on the West Coast.

"We are identifying the mutation," Mr. W said, highlighting the hospital where he worked only recorded a few deaths out of hundreds of infections, "far different" than what happened in New York. .

Meanwhile, the Los Alamos study does not show that mutant viruses are more likely to cause death, but people infected with mutant viruses have a higher number of viruses.

Although the mutant strain is not more dangerous than the original strain, it still has the potential to complicate efforts to control the disease. The mutation, if causing the virus to become very different from previous strains, can disable the immunity formed from people who have recovered after infection with the old strain of the virus.

"People can be infected a second time if that really happens," the study authors said.

In addition, there is also the potential for mutations that mutate the viruses' spines in a way that helps them disable the human immune system, Professor Montefiori said. "It is currently a hypothesis, we are taking it very seriously."