In novels and movies, infectious pathogens mutate and inevitably become more life-threatening. In the blockbuster movie Contagion, for instance, a deadly virus acquires a mutation in Africa that causes the global death toll to a spike in mere days.
The reality, however, is far less theatrical.
During the past few months, scientists have been studying the coronavirus in great depth and have found new strains of the virus called SARS-CoV-2. This is the specific name of the virus that has literally upended our world. But as this virus mutates, scientists have found that none of the reported changes to the virus has been shown to make it more dangerous.
Mutations are simply changes and most of the time viruses remain unchanged by mutations. Viruses are simply protein shells that contain either DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) or RNA as their genetic material. In the case of SARS-CoV-2, it’s RNA. The building blocks of RNA, called nucleotides, are arranged in triplets, called codons. These nucleotide trios provide the code for building amino acids, which make up the virus’s proteins. A mutation is a change to one of these nucleotides in the virus’s genetic material — in SARS-CoV-2’s case, one of around 30,000 nucleotides.
Sometimes a mutation in a triplet is silent, meaning the codon still codes for the same amino acid. But even when an amino acid does change, the virus might not behave in a way that’s obviously different. Some mutations could also spawn dysfunctional viruses that quickly disappear as a result. Additionally, these mutations can also help scientists track the origin of the virus which could be extremely helpful.
To conclude, the coronavirus has taken a great toll on mankind and is gradually mutating (changing) into slightly different versions of itself. These mutations are not necessarily harmful hence there is no need to cause panic.
Writer: Tiana Bijlani
30/06/2020
Comentarios