Israel’s scientists revealed a new, who had not yet occurred coronavirus mutation. Description of the Israeli virus Scientists have published on MedRXIV.
It is noted that in the territory of Israel, the new strain appeared at the end of the autumn of 2020 and from the other varieties of the virus is distinguished by a unique mutation in the key shell protein.
Analyzing samples from different cities of Israel, which collected in the interval between August 2020 and January 2021, scientists noticed that they had an unusually many fragments of the genome of the new type with the same mutation – P681H.
It was a slight change in the structure of the virus S-protein – the key part of its shell, which is responsible for penetration into the cell. Calculations allowed scientists to assume that P681H makes the virus more contagious. Therefore, biologists became interested in how much this mutation is common among the inhabitants of Israel.
Scientists have studied several hundred samples of biological fluids of patients who have become infected with COVID-19 at the end of the fall last year. This analysis made it possible to conclude that a new unique strain of SARS-COV-2 appeared in Israel. For him, not only the P681H mutation is characterized, but also some other changes in the structure of RNA.
It is noted that the new mutation has not yet affected the amount of infection or the frequency of hospitalization of its carriers. Scientists continue to observe the further distribution and accumulation of mutations in the genome of this species.