The features of the new lambda strain of the coronavirus have been clarified. The study was conducted by doctors from a clinical hospital in the Brazilian city of Porto Alegre. Doctors examined in detail the case of infection in the state of Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil.
They examined a patient, a young man who developed respiratory symptoms upon his return from Argentina. Two days later, he was admitted to a local hospital. There, the results of the PCR test confirmed the infection with the coronavirus.
As a result, whole genome sequencing of the sample was carried out. Scientists have found that the “lambda” is characterized by a deletion of Δ3675-3677 in the ORF1a gene – one of the parts of the SARS-CoV-2 genome, with which all the activity of the virus inside the cell begins. This deletion results in the loss of three amino acids. The gene itself encodes the spike protein of the virus.
The same feature was found in the British alpha strain, South African beta, Brazilian gamma. And the lambda also contained a new deletion – Δ246-252, as well as multiple nonsynonymous mutations in the gene that encodes the S-protein. Prior to this, one of them (F490S) was associated with a reduced susceptibility to antibodies.
The research was published on the medRxiv preprint portal. It has not yet been reviewed. The SARS-CoV-2 variant was first identified in Peru in August 2020. Soon it was discovered in 26 more states. Among them are the United Kingdom and the United States.
Earlier, Doctor of Medical Sciences, immunologist Vladislav Zhemchugov revealed the features of the lambda strain of the coronavirus. The coronavirus strain contains several mutations in the spike protein that affect the degree of infectivity. It is clarified that while scientists do not have evidence that this strain provokes a severe course of the disease or weakens the effect of vaccines.
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