It is normal for the coronavirus to mutate. But when does a mutation become a danger? Much is currently being reported about a new virus variant in France. What role B.1.640.2 will play in the further course of the infection is, however, completely open.
Omikron has spread worldwide since the end of November and is also considered to be dominant in some European countries. What we know so far: The virus is more infectious than previous variants, but probably causes a milder course of infection than Delta, for example. Nevertheless, the mutant not only threatens the health of the population, but also the critical infrastructure if too many people are infected at the same time. Some countries, including the US, have already launched a shorter quarantine period for those infected without symptoms.
In France, where Omikron has already displaced Delta and now dominates, scientists recently reported a new virus variant. As the Institute for Infectious Diseases at the University Hospital in Marseille (IHU) announced on Twitter in December, the virus was discovered in some patients. So far the new variant is called B.1.640.2. Numerous media are currently reporting on them.
Virus variant has 46 mutations
As can be seen from one, B.1.640.2 was detected in twelve corona patients in southern France. The researchers discovered “atypical mutation combinations” in the samples. The scientists suspect that the new virus mutation originated in Cameroon and was brought in by a person returning to France. In their study, the researchers identified 46 mutations, some of which affect the virus’ spike protein.
As the researchers report, the new variant also has known mutations. Among other things, N501Y has already been detected in the alpha variant and ensures that the virus can dock better on human cells. The second mutation, E484K, is known in the art as the “escape mutation” and is located on the spike protein. It makes the virus less sensitive to neutralizing antibodies that have already been formed and has already been detected, among other things, in the beta variant of the coronavirus.
However, it is currently completely open whether the virus poses a greater risk than previous variants. The question of whether the virus could displace the omicron variant that is predominant in many places cannot currently be answered either. However, the scientists rate the data published in the preprint as “another example of the unpredictability of the occurrence of Sars-CoV-2 variants and their introduction into a certain geographical area from abroad”.
Variants could hardly play a role in the future
It is not surprising that viruses mutate. “Mutations are the order of the day. It is now more or less a matter of chance that this mutation was reported, because many other mutations continue to develop that are completely unnoticed,” says general practitioner and medical journalist Christoph Specht. Not every mutant automatically poses a threat to the population.
According to Specht, it cannot be said at the current time whether B.1.640.2 will be really worrying. How B.1.640.2 behaves in relation to the infection process, the spread and the vaccinations is “still completely unclear”. The World Health Organization has also not yet classified WHO B.1.640.2 according to its classification system. This shows that the mutant has so far hardly been ascribed any importance.
This provides for the following stages:
- In addition worrying variants (“Variants of Concern”) include Omikron and Delta. Variants of this type are characterized, for example, by a high level of infectivity, or else they can escape immune protection through vaccinations better than other variants.
- To the Variants of Interest (“Variants of Interest”) include lesser known mutants such as Lambda or Mu. They show changes in their genetic code that are related to certain critical properties – such as increased transferability. Whether these properties actually apply to these variants, however, must first be investigated further.
- To the Variants under observation (“Variants under Monitoring”) includes the Breton mutant from March last year. According to the WHO definition, these are viruses that show genetic changes, the effects of which, however, cannot yet be precisely determined due to a lack of data.
According to the expert, it is completely open whether the new variant will prevail and spread further. It points to missing data. In his estimation, the variant could “disappear quickly”. The fact is, however, that Omikron will not be the last mutant: “After Omikron, further mutations will arise. Omikron – and possibly also the new mutation – will not be the last variants to be discovered.”
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Source From: Stern
