Corona viruses have developed their own types that are more contagious than ever before.
The claim was made in a medical study conducted in the United States in which more than 5,000 genetic sequences of the virus were analyzed.
The analysis revealed that the virus is undergoing changes or strains that are making it more contagious.
These types cause more viral load in patients.
However, research has not found that these new strains can alter more lethal or clinical results than ever before. In fact, all viruses have such genetic mutations and most of them are abnormal.
The results of the study were published in the online preprint server MedRxiv and are the largest study on genetic sequencing in the United States.
Earlier in September, a large-scale study of the genetic sequences of the corona virus in the United Kingdom revealed that the structure of the spike protein in these species had already changed.
James Moesser, an expert at Houston Methodist Hospital, who conducted the study in the United States, said that corona viruses, such as SARS CO2, are genetically more stable than other viruses due to their copy-proof-reading mechanism.
But with thousands, if not millions, of new cases every day, there are opportunities for the virus to change.
“We’ve made a lot of changes to the virus because a large part of the population is infected,” said James Meusser.
The study included experts from the University of Chicago, the Oregon National Laboratory and the University of Texas.
David Morins, a virologist at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who reviewed the study, said: Has also been affected.
He said it was a study and its results should not be exaggerated, but that the virus was potentially making its mark with various changes, such as wearing masks and social distance measures.
He added that wearing face masks, washing hands and other precautions are barriers to transmitting the virus, but it seems that with these barriers, the virus has become more contagious.
He said that the development of vaccines could have consequences and that when people develop immunity to it, whether from vaccines or from illness, it increases the pressure on the virus to attack the human immune response. Will
“Although we do not know why this is the case, it is likely that when immunity at the population level increases, the corona virus will find a way to penetrate it. If that happens, we will get the flu,” he added. As the situation arises, we will pursue the virus and develop new varieties that will resist the virus.
Peter Thein Lane, an expert in applied physics at Johns Hopkins University, says scientists need to continue working on the virus to see if the new research has identified the types that are actually contributing to its spread. ۔
Jeremy Leuben, a virologist at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, has also worked on the corona virus and said that the new research highlights the fact that we need to be constantly vigilant and improve our ability to monitor virus types. Will be.
Sequences of 30,000 corona genomes have been created at Texas Medical Center since early March, and the study looked at 5,085 of them.
Research has shown that the virus spreads in two waves around Houston, first reaching the rich and the elderly and then spreading, while the second wave appeared in the young and low-income groups.
This second wave showed a specific type of virus in 99.9% of cases, and those who were infected had a higher viral load in the upper respiratory tract, which helped to spread the virus more efficiently. There may be a provider factor.
A recent study based on an analysis of 25,000 genomes in the UK also found evidence that this type of virus has surpassed other species.
Scientists had previously expected the virus to develop its own variants that would make its spread more efficient as it would help make more copies, but not necessarily the more dangerous ones. Doesn’t help reach other people.
The research uncovered 285 mutation sites that altered the building block of spike proteins, the most important part of corona viruses, as they infect and harm humans.
49 mutations in parts of the virus have never been seen before in other genome sequences.
James Meisser said he thinks there is strong evidence that certain parts of the spike protein are changing.
Changes in a virus usually occur when it makes mistakes in copying its genome inside the cell, but each new case increases the likelihood of further changes, increasing the likelihood that one of these types of virus May be useful for