The researchers found seven variants of the coronavirus in the US, with a mutation in the same genetic letter, a new study found.
They have been discovered in states across the country and it is still unclear whether the strains are more contagious, but researchers are concerned.
“There is clearly something going on with this mutation,” said Jeremy Kamil, a virologist at the Louisiana State University Center for Health Sciences in Shreveport. The New York Times.
Kamil, co-author of the new study, said he was sequencing coronavirus samples when he noticed the new variants, which have mutations in the same amino acid. Scientists are concerned that mutations could make it easier for the virus to enter human cells, the Times reported.
Kamil said that all viruses belonged to the same lineage, and after inserting the genome into an online database used by other scientists, he found that there were scientists in New Mexico who also found the same variant with the same mutation.
The strain detected by Kamil dates back to December 1, and New Mexico samples date back to October, but it is unclear when these variants actually started. Samples from across the country appeared with this variant, but with limited genome sequencing, it is difficult to understand the prevalence of these mutant viruses.
“I would hesitate to give any of these strains a place of origin at the moment,” Emma Hodcroft, an epidemiologist at the University of Berne and co-author of the new study, told the Times.
The study has not yet been peer-reviewed. Experts told the Times what additional experiments are needed to assess whether these mutations affect transmission or morbidity.
Other, more contagious variants have been discovered elsewhere. A recent analysis found that a variant first discovered in the UK, known as B.1.1.7, is 35% to 45% more transmissible than other strains that spread in the U.S., while a new assessment by government scientists British found that the same variant can be 30 to 70 percent more deadly than the original coronavirus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicted that it will be the most common variant of the coronavirus by March.
This article was originally published by Business Insider.
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