"Deltakron": Expert plain text on Corona mixed variant - Ciesek is bothered by the name

Created: 03/24/2022, 12:19 p.m

By: Patrick Huljina

A corona variant that makes you as sick as Delta and as contagious as Omicron.

"Deltakron" is considered a horror scenario in the pandemic.

Experts assess the danger.

Munich – The Omicron wave is causing new corona records in Germany almost every day.

The number of new infections and the incidence are higher than ever.

Nevertheless, politicians decided to relax the measures significantly.

Because: Although Omikron is more contagious than previous variants, the course of the disease is less severe than, for example, with Delta.

In addition, the intensive care units are currently not threatened with overload.

Corona mixed variant "Deltakron": Experts agree - "not a helpful term"

For many experts, a horror scenario of the corona pandemic remains a possible super variant: as pathogenic as delta, as contagious as omicron.

In this context, the name "Deltakron" is often mentioned.

At the beginning of the year, researchers from Cyprus initially wanted to have provided evidence of a combination of the two variants.

However, it quickly became apparent that it was most likely an error due to contamination in the laboratory.

In the meantime, however, reports of "Deltakron" cases are piling up again.

However, experts are dissatisfied with the name "Deltakron".

It was "not a helpful term," Richard Neher told the dpa.

He is head of the research group Evolution of Viruses and Bacteria at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel.

When it comes to the term "Deltakron" it is unclear which mixed form - experts also speak of recombinants - is meant.

Because: Several such variants have been confirmed.

In addition, the term resonates with an alarmism for which there is “no good reason”, according to Neher.

Large number of recombinations: "Deltakron" as a designation "not useful"

A mixed form of delta and omicron, which was recently described for the first time by the French Institut Pasteur, has the abbreviation XD, according to Neher.

So far, it is the only variant in which the omicron spike protein is "more or less perfectly" inserted into a delta genome.

Other recombinants would also have this key omicron trait and other genes from Delta.

So far, XD has mainly been observed in France and Denmark.

The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) speaks of a confirmed case for Germany.

"Since there are several delta and omicron subvariants and a large number of recombinations are theoretically possible, the term is indeed very imprecise and is only suitable for illustration, but not as a meaningful designation," explained Sandra Ciesek.

The virologist from the University Hospital Frankfurt made it clear: "Especially when tracking infection chains, the entire virus sequence must always be taken into account."

Virologist Sandra Ciesek finds Deltakron "not suitable as a meaningful name".

(Archive image) © Sebastian Gollnow/dpa

Corona variant "Deltakron": Experts want to monitor developments

But how great is the danger of such mixed variants?

Virologist Friedemann Weber from the Justus Liebig University in Gießen initially gave the all-clear.

"It would be wrong to assume that such recombinants are necessarily horror variants that combine the worst properties of the original variants," Weber told dpa.

The omicron subtype BA.2, which is currently prevalent in Germany, is almost as contagious as measles - the virus can hardly grow much more.

“In some cases, such recombinants have only appeared in limited outbreaks.

Others seem to be increasing linearly at the moment, but fortunately not yet exponentially.

You have to observe this and take it seriously," said virologist Christian Drosten in a

interview on Wednesday.

Weber also advises further observation.

However, he reminded that in the corona pandemic some variants appeared that were never heard from again.

"These recombinants could also disappear again in the mists of history."