The British variant, which has spread throughout the UK and many other countries around the world, appears to have undergone worrying new genetic changes. This is what scientists report with the appearance of a mutation called E484K. Let’s do a check in.
UK discovers new mutation in coronavirus
In the United Kingdom, researchers have discovered the mutation of the coronavirus ” the most worrying Which occurred spontaneously in the British variant, as declared by a professor of epidemic medicine on Tuesday, February 2, 2021. This is the E484K mutation, which occurs on the peak protein of the virus and which operates the same change as seen in the South African and Brazilian variants.
Indeed, in a report published this Monday, February 1, 2021, the English public health agency declared that this modification of the RNA of the virus was spotted on 11 genomes of the variant B.1.1.7 (English variant) detected at UK. ” Preliminary information Suggested that this mutation appeared in parallel in two different places. The sequencing has detected several cases in England and one in Wales.
A mutation more resistant to antibodies
What worries scientists is that this new mutation would be more resistant to antibodies. As Ravi Gupta, professor of microbiology at the University of Cambridge at AFP put it, of all the mutations observed currently, it is “ the most disturbing of all “. And for good reason, laboratory tests have shown that this virus mutation is capable of reducing the recognition of the virus by antibodies, and therefore its neutralization.
” E484K dramatically increases the amount of antibody needed to prevent infection of cells »Explains Professor Ravi Gupta. In addition, some patients with Covid-19 may not be properly immunized against a variant with E484K than against a more classic strain. If pharmaceutical companies like Moderna and Pfizer have assured that their vaccines could be effective against the new variants, future tests will be necessary to learn more about this new mutation.
