Researchers at two universities in the United States have discovered a new variant of the corona virus in New York.
It shows similarities to already known mutations.
New York City - At the beginning of the corona pandemic in the spring of last year, New York City was an absolute hotspot.
Hospitals and crematoriums were temporarily overloaded, and corpses were stored in refrigerated trucks and tents.
Now there is again news from the US metropolis that, according to scientists, is cause for concern.
Researchers discovered a new virus variant that is spreading rapidly in New York and is similar to the South African corona mutation B1.351.
According to two studies by scientists from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and Columbia University, the virus variant B.1.526 appeared for the first time in samples taken in New York last November.
By mid-February, the new variant is said to have appeared in around every fourth sample sequenced by Caltech researchers, reported the
New York Times
.
Virus variant B.1.526 discovered in New York - researchers concerned about vaccine effects
In the Caltech study, several hundred thousand sequencing was carried out.
The new corona variant B.1.526, which had two mutations, was increasingly discovered in samples from the New York region.
On the one hand, the researchers discovered the mutation S477N.
This is able to influence the binding of the coronavirus to human cells - this means: the virus can be transmitted more quickly.
In addition, the researchers were able to determine a genetic change in the spike protein called E484K, similar to the virus variants known from South Africa and Brazil.
This mutation is of greater concern to scientists, as there is evidence that this mutation could make the coronavirus better equipped against both the body's natural defenses and vaccines.
Corona variant B.1.526: Distribution in several areas of the city - "No single outbreak"
In the study by the researchers from Columbia University, 1142 samples from Covid patients from their own university hospital were examined.
Twelve percent of those infected with corona carried the virus variant with the E484K mutation.
The cases of the virus variant that have occurred are spread over several urban areas, as Dr.
David Ho, one of the study's authors, told the
New York Times
.
"We see cases in Westchester, Bronx, Queens, Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn," said the Columbia University researcher.
“So it seems to be widespread.
It's not a single outbreak, ”said Ho.
The immunologist announced that he and his colleagues plan to sequence around 100 samples daily in order to monitor the spread of the virus variant B.1.526.
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Times Square in New York City was partly almost deserted last spring due to the corona pandemic.
(Archive image)
© Michael Nagle / dpa
Corona variant B.1.526: "No particularly good news"
In the
New York Times
report
, other scientists who were not involved in the studies also expressed concern about the discovery of the new virus variant B.1.526.
"It's not particularly good news," said Michel Nussenzweig, an immunologist at Rockefeller University.
"But just knowing about it is good, because then maybe we can do something about it."
Kristian Andersen, a virologist at the Scripps Research Institute in San Diego, stated, “Given the involvement of E484K or S477N, coupled with the fact that the New York area has high immunity from the spring wave, this variant will definitely continue to be observed . ”A new corona mutation, variant B.1.427 / B.1.429, is also spreading in California.
Experts also described it as "very worrying".
(ph)
List of rubric lists: © Michael Nagle
