by Bea Negosa (Ikirara)
The novel coronavirus outbreak started last December 2019 in Wuhan, China. The disease has afflicted billions of people around the world, resulting in millions of recorded casualties. Researchers have gradually uncovered its strength and posing threats, especially now that researchers have discovered genetic variants of SARS-CoV-2. Minor and major random mutations have occurred as SARS-CoV-2 infected humans, a progression from being originated from other types of animals. It is alarming that several variants (or the wild type) of the original virus are causing major differences in the pathogen’s behavior. Scientists have found these new variants in different geographical regions such as the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Brazil.
The first renowned variant is the 20A.EU1 or B.1.177 that was first identified in Spain. Its mutation occurred on the viral spike protein, a component of SARS-CoV-2 binds to the receptor of human cells called Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which allows the virus to infect the cells. The mutation was denoted as A222V, letters and numbers showing the segment where mutation occurred in the sequence of the viral genome. A222V mutation decreased the efficiency of human antibodies to neutralize the virus. Furthermore, the 20A.EU1 or B.1.177 variant turned out to be more transmissible, which requires stringent protocols and safety precautions.
Another variant is named as 20I/501Y.V, VOC 202012/01, or B.1.1.7. The B.1.1.7 variant was first discovered in December 2020 inside the borders of the United Kingdom. Scientists revealed this variant’s higher transmissibility than the original virus as it rapidly infected people in a week. One mutation that occurred in the variant was the N501Y mutation which led to the strengthening of the bonds between the virus and the ACE2 receptor in human cells. Other mutations have appeared to more readily mediate viral transmission and immune system evasion inside the host. This variant caused travel bans and lockdown announcements in the U.K., making it hard for its citizens to live their normal lives. Stringent protocols were consequently announced and implemented to mitigate the spread of B.1.1.7.
The 20H/501Y.V2 or B.1.351 variant appeared in South Africa in 2020. Just like the B.1.1.7 variant, B.1.351 also contains the N501Y mutation, although these two variants were founded independently. However, the primary difference is that another mutation called E484K and K417N occurred in this variant. This genetic change gave the virus the abilities to fight off vaccines and evade the host’s immune system. Scientists found that this mutation made it difficult for the antibodies to bind in the spike protein of the virus.
Researchers in Brazil detected two new variants, P.1 and P.2, which had the same mutations with the aforementioned variants. However, scientists were more concerned with the P.1 variant as it contains more mutations including K417N/T and N501Y. Scientists suspect these mutations to have accumulated in an immunocompromised individual who could not fight off the virus.
The SARS-CoV-2 continually reinvents itself in the process of infection through these various mutations. Despite the emergence of new variants, vaccines manufactured by Moderna and Pfizer are still able to fight off the virus. However, a time will come when companies would need to redesign the vaccines in terms of how these new variants work in our body and how these are being transmitted. Even though public health interventions are being implemented, it would be better if we would be able to control the transmissibility of the virus. This puts emphasis on the importance of scientific laboratory research on the disease for both the regulation of the virus’ transmissibility and the acceleration of a future freed from the bounds set by COVID-19.
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