Most Mutated COVID Variant Discovered From a Case of Chronic Infection in Indonesia

Coronavirus is a big family of several types of viruses, including those that cause the common cold in humans and other infections in animals such as camels, bats, and cattle. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, first appeared in Wuhan, China, in November 2019 and has spread inside and outside the country leading to a global pandemic.

Since September 2020, eight notable variants of SARS-CoV-2 have been found, named after the Greek alphabet's letters. Just recently, a new variant was discovered in Indonesia, speculated to be the most mutated version of coronavirus ever recorded.

A Deadly Virus Strain

The virus, a morphed version of Delta, has 113 unique mutations, almost double the number found in the lethal Omicron variant, which had roughly 50. Thirty-seven of the alteration affects the spike protein used by the virus in latching onto humans.

The newly discovered strain was collected from a patient swab in Jakarta, Indonesia. This variant's emergence further demonstrates the virus's ability to continue mutating as it spreads. This means that it could lead to serious infections among the most vulnerable people and increase the burden of the long-term impact of infection.

The experts have not yet revealed the details about the health status, age, and sex of the patient from whom the sample was collected. Online Covid variant tracker Ryan Hisner initially highlighted the strain before American virologist Marc Johnson flagged it from the University of Missouri.

The highly mutated variant has sparked the scientific community's attention due to its potential to affect immunity. Since vaccines teach the immune system to identify and attack the spike protein, any significant changes in this protein can also affect the efficacy of vaccines.

However, it is important to note that this version of SARS-CoV-2 becomes an important concern only if it spreads quickly. According to virologist Lawrence Young from Warwick University, the ability of the newly discovered strain to infect others is still unknown. He emphasized that to gain traction, the new variant must outperform other circulation strains, such as Omicron varieties.

Effect of Chronic Infection on Virus Mutation

The new virus strain was believed to have originated from a chronic infection where a single individual suffered from extended respiratory infection for months instead of beating the virus in just a few weeks. Chronic infections usually occur in individuals with compromised immune systems, such as those with AIDS or cancer patients who undergo chemotherapy since they have a weaker ability to fight off the virus.

Professor Ian Jones from the University of Reading describes the new variant as 'unusually mutated.' This is because while SARS-CoV-2 naturally mutates all the time, chronic infections have increased the potential of the newly discovered virus to infiltrate the human immune system.

Jones added that what concerns scientists is the impact of chronic infections on allowing the virus to mutate in a person who has already generated viral immunity. In short, the virus almost has the kind of mutations that permit it to escape immunity.