Coronavirus spreads. But don't panic! (topical thread)

[Dānu]

A genetic mutation in the new coronavirus that significantly increases its ability to infect cells may explain why outbreaks in Northern Italy and New York were larger than ones seen earlier in the pandemic. Scientists at Scripps Research in Florida say the mutated virus was seen infrequently in March, but by April accounted for some 65% of cases submitted from around the world to the GenBank database run by the National Institutes of Health. The mutation, designated D614G, increased the number of "spikes" the virus uses to bind to and break into cells, and made them more stable, researchers found in the study undergoing peer review. In test tube experiments, the mutated virus was roughly 9 times more efficient at breaking into cells and infecting them. "The number - or density - of functional spikes on the virus is 4 or 5 times greater due to this mutation," said study co-author Hyeryun Choe. It is not clear to what extent the changes affect symptoms and transmission, "but it is hard to believe they do not have some effect," said Michael Farzan, another lead researcher. "However," he said, "this particular virus changes slowly, so I wouldn't expect anything as dramatic as D614G for a while. We don't expect the virus to become more deadly, just more efficient at propagating itself." Compared to virus particles without the mutation, the mutated viruses were just as vulnerable to treatment with antibodies from the blood of recovered coronavirus patients, the researchers said.

(Reuters)