The coronavirus continues its invasion and its mutations as well. The talk of a possible new hybrid variant with a name reminiscent of the Hollywood catastrophe B-movie has spread like wildfire on social media, leaving behind the now-usual trail of conspiracy theories and black humor.
While some prominent scientists have been quick to warn of the dangers of misinformation, others have argued that unbridled variants make the threat of such mutants real and dangerous.
According to the French News Agency (AFP), the controversy started in Cyprus – which currently suffers from the highest rate of coronavirus infection in Europe – where a team of scientists claimed last week that it had discovered a new mutation. Led by Leontios Kostrikis, a professor of biological sciences at the University of Cyprus, the scientists said the new strain had Omicron-like genetic traits in the Delta genomes, hence the name “Deltacron”.
Kostrikis said his team had found 25 cases of the mutation, including 11 cases among patients treated with Covid-19. He noted a “higher frequency of mutations among inpatients, which may indicate a correlation between Deltacron and hospitalizations”. He added that it is too early to assess how contagious or dangerous the seemingly new strain will become.
Horror scenario or …
The findings of the Cypriot team have been sent to GISAID, an international database that monitors and shares official data on the coronavirus, giving other scientists access to the genetic details of the “Deltacron”. The initial reaction was at best skeptical, with leading experts arguing that the seemingly new strain looked more like a “scary” – unconfirmed scenario, causing global fear – than a given new mutation.
While there is indeed the possibility for coronaviruses to be genetically fused – a process known as biological recombination – experts have noted that the alleged mutations discovered by the Cypriot team were found in a part of the genome that is vulnerable to erroneous results in certain processes.
“The Cypriot Deltacron sequences reported by many major media outlets are clearly contagious,” Tom Pickock, a virologist at the Infectious Diseases Department at Imperial College London, wrote on Twitter over the weekend. In other words, according to Pickock, what was reported as a new strain was most likely the result of a laboratory error, and samples were probably mixed from patients infected with the Omicron mutation and others from the Delta mutation.
Immediate response from the Cypriot scientist
Kostrikis responded immediately, through the Bloomberg news agency with a statement in which he claimed that the cases he identified “indicate an evolutionary pressure on an ancestral strain to acquire these mutations and not the result of a recombination event”.
He pointed to at least one Israeli sequence submitted to a global database that has genetic characteristics of the hybrid variant, adding: “These findings refute the unsubstantiated claims that Deltacron is the result of a technical error.”
And yet it is possible!
Since the beginning of the pandemic, scientists have been battling a flood of misinformation about Covid-19, much of which is circulating on the Internet. Last week, there were unverified reports of a “flurona” or “flurone” virus – a combination of flu and coronavirus – which was rejected by the World Health Organization (WHO).
In this context, it is not surprising that the news of the “Deltacron” variant was treated with prudence, but also skepticism by scientists. However, according to Christian Brechot, head of the Global Virus Network and former director of the Institut Pasteur: “There is no reason to question the quality of the work of the Cypriot team. Of course, from a technical point of view, it is important to ensure that no artifact (laboratory contamination) incorrectly indicates recombination cases, “Brechot told FRANCE 24, adding that” further data will be needed to confirm the new variant. First of all, a recombination of different variants is entirely possible. “It applies to viruses in general and to coronaviruses in particular,” he said. “When you have a high level of circulation of two variants, the possibility of their recombination increases significantly. “And this will not be the first time this kind of mutation has happened.”
Threat from future Deltacron
Such a scenario is indeed quite possible, says virologist Christine Rouzioux, an emeritus professor at the University of Paris-Descartes, while stressing the need for more data on the specific case of Deltacron.
“It’s still too early to draw conclusions (for Deltacron),” he told FRANCE 24. “We must first verify the sequence and then analyze the results. But in theory, the combination is entirely possible. “
“Whether or not this particular strain is confirmed, the emergence of such hybrid variants in the future remains possible,” Brechot warned. “This situation is further evidence that a strategy based on giving rich countries preferential access to vaccines is doomed to fail.”
“The Delta seems to come from India and the Omicron probably comes from South Africa. Now we hear about Deltacron from Cyprus. “It’s obvious that national strategies alone can not work,” Brechot added. “It’s imperative that we define a global strategy based on vaccinating people around the world!”
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