C
Chris Smith
Guest
- The UK coronavirus mutation is spreading in US communities, with patients in Colorado and California having already tested positive for the new variant.
- Genomic sequencing is necessary to identify any mutation, B.1.1.7 included, but the UK change has an unexpected weakness that can speed up diagnoses.
- One of the mutations on the B.1.1.7 strain impacts PCR testing, which isn’t able to detect one of the coronavirus genes it’s supposed to detect. Results return positive but with a gene dropout, and this might prove to be a quick way to identify and isolate COVID-19 patients infected with the mutated version.
When a virus like the novel coronavirus mutates, it isn’t immediately clear to doctors and scientists. Genetic sequencing is required to demonstrate that a mutation or a series of mutations have occurred. Scientists have followed the SARS-CoV-2’s evolution closely for a year now, mapping the genetic changes and studying their effects. Not all mutations are beneficial to the virus, and they don’t necessarily make the illness worse or more deadly than it is. A mutation called D614G is one of the most popular coronavirus changes, believed to be responsible for the pandemic. The strain became dominant early in the pandemic, as it spread more efficiently than its predecessor. But COVID-19 did not increase in severity. Since then, we’ve witnessed many scary mutations, including the Spanish strain or the mink coronavirus variant.
The UK mutation that emerged in September, and was acknowledged a few weeks ago, appears to be more dangerous. It’s not because it leads to more severe disease or more deaths, but it can spread even more efficiently than its progenitors, which already contained the D614G change. The UK mutation has spread to other continents, reaching the US as well, where two cases were already diagnosed. One of them is of the worst possible variety, a man who has no travel history. This indicates the virus is spreading freely in the community.
There is a silver lining in all of this, a weakness of the B.1.1.7 strain that might help authorities contain the infection with this particular variant and reduce its spread. The mutation can be detected with a regular PCR test rather than a full genomic sequence.
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The UK coronavirus mutation’s unexpected weakness can help the world contain it originally appeared on BGR.com on Thu, 31 Dec 2020 at 07:31:14 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Via BRG - Boy Genius Report