Brazil: they identify a new variant of coronavir …

A study by scientists in Brazil detected a new potentially dangerous variant of the coronavirus, with a combination of 18 mutations never before found in Sars-CoV-2. Among these mutations appear some shared with the variants of Manaus, Rio de Janeiro, South Africa and the United Kingdom.

According to a study by the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), the A new mutation has been identified in Belo Horizonte, where severe case registrations have increased in recent weeks.. So far, it is not known whether the variant has greater transmissibility or is more aggressive in the patient.

Researchers sequenced 85 SARS-CoV-2 genomes from clinical samples collected in and around the capital. Two new genomes were found with “a collection of mutations not yet described, presenting a possible new variant of SARS-CoV-2”.

“These two new genomes are found in samples taken on February 27 and 28, 2021 and there is no evidence of an epidemiological link between them, such as kinship or residential region, which reinforces the plausibility of circulation of this possible new variantThe group reports in a press release.

Among the mutations, some are shared with the Brazilian variants P1 (originating in Manaus) and P2 (Rio de Janeiro), with the South African B.1.1.351 and the British B.1.1.7., All associated with a more great transmission.

“These are not the same mutations, but they are in the same regions as the P1, P2, African and British variants. Which is a warning because they are the most transmissible and this corroborates somewhat with the increase in cases of the disease in the State, ”explains Danielle Zauli, Research and Development coordinator of the Pardini group.

The research team considers that it is possible that the variant circulates in several cities of Minas Gerais. “Maybe even in other parts of the country, but it had not yet been discovered,” they noted.