Mexico.- The more viruses remain in circulation, the more susceptible they are to change, points out the World Health Organization (WHO), which also explains that when pathogens such as coronavirus they reproduce, they make copies of themselves in infected cells, but sometimes they make mistakes, which in many cases will give them evolutionary advantages; for example, they could increase the efficiency to enter the cell, produce more copies or more quickly, which would make it distributed more efficiently among the host population; but this is only determined by rigorous studies observing the behavior of the virus.
Recently, a new coronavirus variant found in California, United States, has attracted the attention of the scientific community of the world, because L452R appears to be distributed successfully and is the cause of several outbreaks in that state, as recently ruled by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH).
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Wide distribution
In January 2021, the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) announced that the L452R variant of SARS-CoV-2 (also described as 452R) was being identified more frequently in the state of California, drawing attention for its wide distribution in various localities of the state.
The 452R variant has been previously detected in much of the United States, but also in several countries around the world. Since its detection, the state of California and all the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have been monitoring its behavior.
Researchers are concerned due to its presence in multiple places, however, research is still lacking to define whether this new variant is more or less dangerous than other coronaviruses or if, in effect, it is spreading faster.
Mutation could provide advantages
What is known is that it was originally brought from Europe, having previously been identified in 2020 in countries on the Old Continent, but the L452R is different from the UK variant that caused outbreaks in England.
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Researchers Wenjuan Zhang, Brian D. Davis and Stephanie S. Chen published in the JAMA editorial the article “Appearance of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 in southern California”, a letter addressed to the scientific community where they communicated the findings made thanks to documentary and statistical information reviewed at the CDC, since they noted that the appearance of this variant in southern California coincides with the increase in cases in that region of the state.
The above is related to the fact that the L452R mutation in protein S it is found in a domain or place of the protein that helps it to bind to the cell, and it has also been observed that this variation confers on the virus a certain resistance to monoclonal antibodies (antibodies that are produced in series and identical ) against protein S, that is, it somehow evades antibodies against this protein.
Worries that it may be resistant
What is more worrying is that vaccination relies on a specific protein S gene to create a generic form of this spike protein of the virus, and the change could mean that it is a resistant variant of the vaccines currently created.
Read more: Treatment against Covid-19 developed by Mexicans will be approved by Harvard University
In a UCSF report, Dr. Chiu warned: “This variant carries three mutations, including L452R, in the spicular protein, which the virus uses to adhere to and enter cells, and is the target of both vaccines. that are currently available in the United States, ”he said, also clarifying that his study was being prioritized and it was going to determine whether or not the Californian variant is more infectious or affects the performance of the vaccine.
They will continue to sequence the virus
For now, Dr. Chiu and his team continue to sequence samples of the virus as part of the Statewide SARS-CoV-2 Whole Genome Sequencing Initiative, known as COVIDNet. This will help you to know how relevant is the appearance of this variant that has been found in Santa Clara County, in Humboldt, Lake, Los Angeles, Mono, Monterey, Orange, Riverside, San Francisco, San Bernardino, San Diego and San Luis Bishop.
Because genomic sequencing is not done equally across the state and the country.
The researchers note that it is too early to know how prevalent or dangerous the 452R variant is at the state, national or global level.
Mexican strain
The E484K strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus detected in Jalisco by researchers from the University of Guadalajara is only a mutation, and not a new variant of the virus (INDRE, 2021).
The Data
Variants
In addition to the Californian strain, these other variants are known: the variant from the United Kingdom, was named B.1.1.7, the experts associated it with a higher risk of death.
Variant B.1.351 appeared in South Africa, independently of B.1.1.7, but it shares some mutations with it. In Brazil the variant called P.1 appeared, it contains a set of additional mutations that could affect its ability to be recognized by antibodies.
The variants appear to have spreading advantages and research is continuing (CDC, 2021).
Vaccination of older adults begins in CDMX
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