In the long run, the SARS-CoV-2 virus is likely to show a protective clearance, scientists say
Berlin:
Scientists have evaluated the evolutionary course of the novel coronavirus and have predicted that COVID-19 vaccines currently in use around the world may need regular updating to prevent the against new variants of the virus that are able to escape the body’s immune antibodies.
The study, published in the journal Virus Evolution, evaluated whether, over the long term, the SARS-CoV-2 virus is likely to exhibit a protective clearance equivalent to that of influenza viruses.
In the research, virologists from Charite – Universitatsmedizin Berlin in Germany studied the genetic evolution of the four currently known ‘common cold’ coronaviruses, in particular the two longest known viruses, 229E and OC43.
They found changes in the spike proteins of these coronaviruses, which allow them to enter host cells, about 40 years in the past.
Based on the analysis, the scientists found one feature that was common to both the coronaviruses and the influenza virus – all three had a ladder-like shape in their evolutionary pathways.
“An irregular tree of this type is the result of the replacement of one circulating virus variant with another that had a fitness benefit,” explained the study’s first author, Wendy K. Jo .
According to Jo, this is evidence of ‘antigenic drift’, an ongoing process in which changes in surface structures allow viruses to evade the human immune response.
“It means that these endemic coronaviruses are also escaping the immune system, just like the influenza virus. However, one has to look at how quickly this evolutionary change will occur. happen, “she said.
The scientists said that the novel coronavirus genome is currently estimated to change at a rate of about 10 mutations per 10,000 molecules a year, meaning that the rate at which it grows is much higher than the speed at which it grows. the endemic coronaviruses.
“This rapid genetic mutation in SARS-CoV-2 is evident when several viral changes have emerged across the globe,” explained study co-author Jan Felix Drexler.
“However, this is likely due to the high levels of infections seen during the pandemic. When infection numbers are so high, a virus will be able to grow faster,” Drexler said.
Based on the levels of evolution seen in the common endemic cold coronaviruses, the scientists believe that SARS-CoV-2 will start to change more slowly once diseases die.
“Once a large portion of the world’s population has developed immunity either as a result of infection or through vaccination. We therefore anticipate that COVID-19 vaccines need to be monitored regularly throughout the disease. -discharge and upgrade where necessary, “Drexler explained.
According to virologists, effective vaccines are likely to last longer once the pandemic reaches this stable condition.
(This story was not edited by NDTV staff and is automatically extracted from syndicated feedings.)