01/05/2021 17:28
Clarín.com
Society
Updated 01/05/2021 17:28
The coronavirus mutations corresponding to the so-called "Rio de Janeiro variant"
were found in a sample in Argentina
, as confirmed by ANLIS-Malbrán (National Administration of Laboratories and Health Institutes), which carries out active surveillance of the genomes of the strains that circulate in the country.
"Of the last genomes we sequenced between November and December, we found one in which we were able to identify the six mutations corresponding to the Rio de Janeiro variant," confirmed Josefina Campos, coordinator of the Anlis-Malbrán Genomics and Bioinformatics Platform.
And he added: "We were also able to identify the clonal relationship,
that means that it has the same origin as the Rio de Janeiro variant
."
Campos noted that "this variant was also found in England and Canada."
"There are still no conclusive studies that allow us to affirm that the variants have any impact on the transmissibility, the severity of the infection or the efficacy of the vaccine.
Viruses mutate all the time
, what there is at this moment is a focus on a UK variant because it has many mutations together that could have some implication on transmissibility but is not conclusive either, he noted.
Referring to the Rio de Janeiro variant specifically, Campos explained that of the six mutations there is one that is in the spicule protein (also called spike) and that "in previous works it had been found that this variant decreased the neutralizing effects of monoclonal antibodies and from some convalescent plasmas, but there are no specific studies of the variant, what is done is an association with previous works ".
The biochemist reported that so far
no mutations have been found corresponding to the UK and South African variants.
"It is important to emphasize that beyond the lineages of the viruses that circulate, it is key that people continue with care," he concluded.
Anlis-Malbrán carries out active surveillance of the genomes that have circulated in Argentina since the pandemic began;
In this context, they announced the acquisition of new equipment.
"By means of this equipment what we intend is to
expand the limits in the quantity of samples processed
, the quality of the information obtained, the processing time and finally, generate reliable data for decision making", said Pascual Fidelio, director of Anlis-Malbrán.
Fidelio also indicated that "the ability to obtain data on the genomes of different pathogens in order to predict and study epidemiological outbreaks places us at the forefront, given that very few nations can currently count on technological and human capital at the height of the challenges".
"The possibility of having a state-of-the-art equipment will make it possible to massively sequence complete SARS-CoV-2 genomes, and this implies quickly knowing the type of strain, lineage and circulation of the virus. With this information, added to other epidemiological, health actions can be defined, a key scenario in the context of a pandemic, "he described.
Source: Télam
Look also
What is known so far about the two new variants of Covid-19?
Coronavirus in Argentina: a genetic finding raises suspicions about a new mutation in the country
