Researchers have discovered seven variants of coronavirus in the United States with a mutation in the same genetic letter, a new study has found.
They have been found in states across the country and it is not yet clear if the strains are more contagious, but researchers are worried.
“Clearly, something is happening with this mutation,” said Jeremy Kamil, a virologist at Louisiana Shreveport State University Health Sciences Center. New York Times.
Kamil, co-author of the new study, said he was sequencing coronavirus samples when he noticed new variants with mutations on the same amino acid. Scientists are worried because the mutations could facilitate the penetration of the virus into human cells Times reported.
Kamil said the viruses all belong to the same line, and after entering the genome into an online database used by other scientists, he learned that there are scientists in New Mexico who have also found the same variant with the same mutation. .
The line detected by Kamil dates from December 1, and the samples from New Mexico date from October, but it is not clear when these variants actually started. Samples from across the country have emerged with this variant, but with limited genome sequencing, it is difficult to understand how prevalent these mutant viruses are.
“I would be hesitant to offer a home location for any of these offspring at this time,” Emma Hodcroft, an epidemiologist at the University of Bern and co-author of the new study, told the Times.
The study has not yet been evaluated by colleagues. Experts said Times that further experiments are needed to assess whether these mutations have an impact on transmission or morbidity.
Other more contagious variants have been discovered elsewhere. A recent analysis found that a variant first discovered in the United Kingdom, known as B.1.1.7, is 35% to 45% more transmissible than other strains that are spreading in the US, while a new one. The British government’s scientists found that the same variant could be 30% to 70% more deadly than the original coronavirus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicted it would be the most common variant of coronavirus by March.
This article was originally published by Business Insider.
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