Scientists in the UK and other countries report the discovery of potentially important new mutations found in local strains of the coronavirus. These strains can pose a real danger to people, as early research suggests they are more transmissible than the classic version. And while there are many things to understand, there is also concern that they may be less vulnerable to the vaccines that have been developed so far.
Mutation news emerged in early December. Scientists in the UK, who were conducting routine genetic surveillance of viral strains taken from patients in the country, had identified a variant of the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that was beginning to appear much further south-east of England. Last week, several other countries reported finding strains with some of the same mutations as the UK variant, including the Netherlands and South Africa. This week, some countries have done so announced a new round of stricter travel restrictions to and from the UK, in hopes of curbing its spread.
Virus mutar all the time. Most of the time, these mutations do not change the way a disease-causing virus spreads or interacts with people. But sometimes yes. At the beginning of the pandemic, a mutation called D614G became widespread and eventually became universal in coronavirus strains. The mutation is now believed to have helped the virus become more transmissible than during the first outbreaks in China. By the time this mutation had become dominant, the pandemic was already well underway everywhere, so it didn’t really change our situation. Nor has it been associated with more serious illnesses.
There are scientists who remain skeptical that the mutations found in the UK variant, known as B.1.1.7, are really relevant. It is possible that these mutations are simply a coincidence: “lucky” genetic changes sticking to virus strains that would spread widely independently. But other experts are less reassured. Last Friday, scientists from the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG), a group appointed by the UK government, met to discuss the new strain. They concluded, with moderate confidence, that B.1.1.7 has a “substantial increase in transmissibility compared to other variants”. Since then, they have done so become even more certain of its conclusion.
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One of the main reasons why variant B.1.1.7 is worrying is that it carries multiple mutations that could improve the virus’s ability to infect people. B.1.1.7 is said to have 17 possibly relevant mutations in its spike protein, which the virus uses to enter our cells. Any mutation may not significantly change the relationship of the virus to humans, but there are enough of the right ones. It could even help these strains, in theory, elude the immune response generated by the vaccines we have developed against the coronavirus, according to Jason McLellan, a molecular biologist at the University of Texas at Austin. McLellan and his team have been studying coronaviruses since before this pandemic, and their work has contributed to the development of the covid-19 vaccine authorized by Moderna, as well as various antiviral treatments in development.
“A single point mutation would probably not affect a vaccine as much, as the vaccine is generating what is called a polyclonal response, which means there are many different antibodies targeted to different parts of the ear protein. In general, it can be it is difficult for a viral strain to escape so many different antibodies to the ear with a single mutation, ”McLeWe will tell Gizmodo by phone.
However, he noted, variant B.1.1.7 appears to have several mutations that could be relevant to vaccines or other treatments. In particular, there are several genetic bits that help shape the N-terminal domain of the ear protein that have been removed in these strains. The domain of terminal N is a key area that antibodies against the target of the coronavirus and it is possible that these changes affect the way antibodies formed by vaccines effectively recognize and neutralize the virus.
“So I think there’s some concern,” he said. “I don’t know how much it could affect the effectiveness of a vaccine, but I’m sure it will be tested in the coming weeks.”
One way to test the effectiveness of a vaccine against new strains is to collect antibodies from the blood of people who have already been vaccinated. Their response to the new variants could be compared to the response to strains collected earlier in the pandemic. If they get noticeably worse against the new version, it’s a sign of trouble.
It is worth noting that some experts are less concerned about these mutations and their potential to significantly affect our efforts to end the pandemic, at least for now.
“SARS-CoV-2 is mutating at a much slower rate than the flu,” Soumya Swaminathan, chief scientist at WHO, told a news conference on Monday. “And so far, although we have seen several changes and several mutations, none have had a significant impact on the susceptibility of the virus to any of the therapeutics, drugs or vaccines under development that are currently in use. keep it up. “
Even if this variant is medically important, that doesn’t mean it’s unstoppable. Viruses and other pathogens evolve over time to adapt to our immune system or the weapons we develop against them, but we can adapt right away. Vaccines can be adjusted on the fly to better adapt to the germ they are targeting, even if it is noticeably mutated, which is done every year by the flu. And no matter what happens with B.1.1.7, scientists will have to watch for strains that may escape the reach of a vaccine for the foreseeable future.
“It would be optimistic that these mutations would not have a significant impact on vaccine efficacy, but it could have some impact,” McLellan said. “And really, what we need to know is the scope of the impact.”
For now, the situation on the ground is unlikely to change much. The coronavirus continues to spread and make people sick everywhere, and vaccines will not make much progress in slowing the pandemic until early next year. If it is understandable that you are concerned about these mutations, it is a reason to stay alert and reduce the risk of capturing and spreading covid-19 to other people. In short, the fewer opportunities we have for coronavirus to become infected, the less threatening it will be, both the old and the new versions.