Feb 17, 2021
Preprint findings outline the woes of SARS-CoV-2 viral mutations
Results from a preprint study identified seven Covid-19 variants that seem to have originated in the United States and it’s possible these mutant strains are even more contagious, the study authors warned.
In their study, which was published in
MedRxiv and is not yet peer-reviewed, Jeremy P. Kamil, PhD, of the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in Shreveport, Louisiana, and colleagues discovered that all seven variants carry the same mutation to amino acid position 677 a convergent adaptation that may signal an evolutionary advantage for these strains. And, while it is not clear yet whether this particular mutation makes these strains more contagious, the study authors have their suspicions.