Scientists have identified nearly 200 genetic mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 by analysing virus genes from over 7,500 people infected with the disease globally, an advance that offers clues to direct drugs and vaccine targets.
The study, published in the journal Infection, Genetics andEvolution, characterised patterns of diversity of the genome of the virus,highlighting how it may be adapting and evolving to its human hosts.
The researchers from University College London (UCL) in theUK found that a large proportion of the global genetic diversity of SARS-CoV-2is found in all hardest-hit countries, suggesting extensive global transmissionfrom early on in the epidemic and the absence of single ‘Patient Zeroes’ inmost countries.
The findings further establish that the virus only emergedrecently in late 2019, before quickly spreading across the globe.
The scientists identified 198 mutations that appear to haveindependently occurred more than once, which may hold clues to how the virus isadapting.
“All viruses naturally mutate. Mutations in themselvesare not a bad thing and there is nothing to suggest SARS-CoV-2 is mutatingfaster or slower than expected,” Professor Francois Balloux from UCL said.
“So far we cannot say whether SARS-CoV-2 is becomingmore or less lethal and contagious,” Balloux said.
The small genetic changes, or mutations, identified were notevenly distributed across the virus genome, the researchers said. As some partsof the genome had very few mutations, those invariant parts of the virus couldbe better targets for drug and vaccine development, they said.”A major challenge to defeating viruses isthat a vaccine or drug might no longer be effective if the virus has mutated.If we focus our efforts on parts of the virus that are less likely to mutate,we have a better chance of developing drugs that will be effective in the longrun,” Balloux explained.