Mutation in novel coronavirus may have made it more contagious: Study

 

The novel coronavirus is accumulating genetic mutations, one of which may have made it more contagious, according to a study involving more than 5,000 COVID-19 patients in the US.

The research, published in the journal mBIO, however, did not find that these mutations have made the virus deadlier or changed clinical outcomes.

The researchers noted that the mutation, called D614G, is located in the spike protein that pries open our cells for viral entry.

"The virus is mutating due to a combination of neutral drift -- which just means random genetic changes that don't help or hurt the virus -- and pressure from our immune systems," said Ilya Finkelstein, associate professor at The University of Texas at Austin, US.

The researchers noted that during the initial wave of the pandemic, 71 per cent of the novel coronaviruses identified in patients in Houston had this mutation. Read More