Antibody Resistant Coronavirus Strain Found In USA
In the United States, employees of the Global Health Research Complex in Texas (GHRC) have discovered a variant of SARS-CoV-2, which has demonstrated resistance to neutralizing antibodies, writes Medical Xpress.
It is noted that this variant is genetically related to the “British” strain. It was named BV-1. It was found in a man with mild symptoms. Nevertheless, scientists decided to report the find to the scientific community around the world.
“This variant combines genetic markers separately associated with rapid spread, severe disease and high resistance to neutralizing antibodies,” said GHRC virologist Ben Neumann.
BV-1 was first detected in a sample of the saliva of a University of Texas student as part of the university's current COVID-19 testing program. From early to mid-March, the young man developed mild symptoms of a cold, which did not progress and had disappeared by April 2. A negative test was received on April 9th.
GHRC staff have submitted the document on BV-1 to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, as well as to the international organization GISAID in Munich, which collects SARS-CoV-2 sequences from around the world.
Earlier it was reported that the first case of the “South African” strain of coronavirus was recorded in Uzbekistan. According to the Prime Minister of the Republic Abdulla Aripov, the specialists of the Center for Advanced Technologies were able to identify the new strain, where, together with the Sanitary and Epidemiological Service, relevant studies are being carried out.
