Coronavirus infection is not one of the viruses that can integrate into the human genome, unlike viruses such as hepatitis B or the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This was stated by the head of the branch of the SSC VB “Vector” Rospotrebnadzor in Yekaterinburg Alexander Semenov.
“Representatives of coronaviruses, that is, coronavirids, do not have the necessary structures in order to integrate or interfere with the human genome,” RIA Novosti quotes the words of a specialist.
Semenov noted, indeed, there are viruses that can be incorporated into the human genome. “For example, of the most famous and of those with which scientists have been dealing for a long time, this is the human immunodeficiency virus, this is the hepatitis B virus, these are various oncoviruses,” he said.
The expert clarified that coronavirids fundamentally cannot integrate into the genome, since they simply do not have genes that could encode proteins that allow viruses to cut human DNA, and then integrate into the chromosome.
We will remind, earlier professor of the Department of Virology, Faculty of Biology, Moscow State University, Alexei Agranovsky said that the Russian vaccine against coronavirus infection “Sputnik V” does not affect the human genome, and the adenoviruses contained in it cannot multiply in the human body.
