The researchers noted that there are currently six strains of the new coronavirus.
New Delhi:
In “good news” for scientists working on a viable vaccine for COVID-19, the latest study found that the SARS-CoV-2 virus behind the disease shows little variability, despite at least six strains.
Published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology, the “most extensive” study ever conducted on the sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 was inspired by the analysis of 48,635 coronavirus genomes, which have been isolated by researchers in laboratories around the world.
Researchers at the University of Bologna in Italy have mapped the spread and mutations of the virus as it travels across all continents.
The results show that the new coronavirus exhibits little variability, around seven mutations per sample.
The common flu has a rate of variability that is more than double, according to the researchers.
“The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus is presumably already optimized to affect humans, and this explains its small evolutionary change,” said Federico Giorgi, a researcher at the University of Bologna and study coordinator.
“This means that the treatments we are developing, including a vaccine, could be effective against all strains of the virus,” said Federico Giorgi.
The researchers noted that there are currently six strains of the new coronavirus.
The original strain is the L strain, which appeared in Wuhan in December 2019. Its first mutation – the S strain – appeared in early 2020, while since mid-January we have both V and G strains, have they said.
To date, the G strain is the most widespread: it mutated into GR and GH strains in late February, according to the researchers.
“Strain G and its related strains GR and GH are by far the most prevalent, accounting for 74 percent of all the genetic sequences we analyzed,” said Federico Giorgi.
“They have four mutations, two of which are capable of altering the sequence of the RNA polymerase and Spike proteins of the virus. This characteristic probably facilitates the spread of the virus,” he said.
In addition to the six main strains of coronavirus, researchers have identified rare mutations which they said are not of concern at the moment but should be watched for.
