Three cases of hybrid coronavirus strains that combine genes from the Delta and Omicron variants, hence the name Deltacron, have been identified in France, according to French scientists.
A total of at least 17 Deltacron-infected patients have been found in Europe and the US since the beginning of the year.
The first time that the existence of Deltacron was announced was by a Cypriot scientist. The international scientific community then became convinced that such a variation had never existed, but that it was a mistake. But now new evidence seems to confirm its existence.
The researchers, led by Dr. Philip Colson of the IHU Méditerranée Infection Medical Institute in Marseilles, who pre-published medRxiv, said they had found three patients in southern France infected with a variant of the (sub-variant NE.1) with the “body” of the Delta.
Two other similar Deltacron cases have been reported in the United States, according to genetic research firm Helix, while other research teams have reported the detection of 12 more Deltacron cases in Europe from January to date, all with Omicron protein and body from the Delta, bringing the total number of such hybrid infections to 17.
Due to the few confirmed cases, Colson said, according to Reuters, it is too early to say whether Deltacron infections are more contagious or cause more serious illness.
Genetic recombination of human coronaviruses – and more – occurs when two variants of the virus infect the same cell. When two variants, such as Delta and Omicron, circulate in the population at the same time and in the same area, this creates opportunities for the coronavirus to hybridize its recombination. Colson said his team had designed a molecular PCR test that could quickly test samples for the presence of Deltacron.
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