MUMBAI: A recent study by Partha Majumder and Nidhan Biswas of the National Institute of Biomedical Genomics (NIBG) has revealed that the novel coronavirus has mutated into ten different types. However, one of its type, the A2a, has nearly replaced all others and become the most dominant type of the virus across geographical regions. The study will soon be published in the Indian Journal of Medical Research, a medical journal published by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
The A2a mutation of the novel coronavirus is highly efficient in entering human lung cells in large numbers. The previous SARS-CoV that killed 800 and infected 8,000 people 18 years ago was also efficient in entering human lungs but not as much as the A2a. Due to its efficiency, Covid-19 has become prevalent across all regions. The study would prove to be crucial as it would provide vaccine manufacturers with a specific target.
In order to conduct the study, the researchers accessed RNA sequence data shared by Covid-19 researchers from across the world on a public database, the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID). The team used RNA sequences of 3,600 coronaviruses collected from 55 countries from December 2019 to April 6, 2020.
Initially, the team observed that the virus had started mutating into newer types during its spread within China and the rest of the world. According to Partha Majumder, Founding Director, NIBG, in order to survive, a virus must propagate by infecting other animals. A mutation usually disables the virus from transmitting itself. However, some mutations, like the A2a of the novel coronavirus, make the transmission of the virus more efficient, thereby affecting a larger population in a shorter time. Such mutant viruses can sometimes completely replace the original, ancestral virus.
This study is extremely important in the battle against Covid-19 as it will help vaccine manufacturers in understanding exactly what the virus is. Moreover, it will also help to determine if the existence of the A2a mutation along with other types of mutations in a particular region is possible.