Breakthrough for researchers: Coronavirus mutates hardly – this brings great advantage

Still, there is not the Covid-19-vaccination. But the researchers is a concern in this context, of less: The new Coronavirus does not mutate nearly as fast as feared. Thus, a vaccine that could immunize people for a long time, unlike in the case of the flu.

Viruses are quick-change artists are. They adapt to their host, they change when the end threatened by an enemy. Your mutation joy is the reason why there are some virus infections, to date, no immunization, and why the flu vaccination every year and re-administered needs to be adjusted.

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In the case of fast mutating viruses, vaccination does not work

Especially mutation joyfully corona virus, which so far, in the case of people known variants cause harmless colds are. That is why scientists have great reservations as to whether vaccination can stop this would be the new, dangerous Coronavirus, Sars-CoV-2.

Apart from the fact that the vaccine is not developed yet, fear the experts said that the Virus looks totally different again, if the substance for the immunization of large population produces groups and is ready to use. Vaccination would only be little and would like the flu vaccination – a constantly readjusted.

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The new Coronavirus is a mutation of lazy

Now, there are, in this respect, but a hope: the scientists who examined the genetic Code of the new type of pathogen, and that this corona virus mutates as it circulates through the human population. You conclude from this stability that vaccination people can immunize for a very long time.

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The stability has the following cause: In contrast to other viruses that pile up in their frenzied proliferation in a host, many imperfect copies and mutate, the new Coronavirus, apparently a correction mechanism that reduces the error rate and the mutation of pace.

Stable Virus makes it Impfforschern easier

US scientists are currently investigating more than 1,000 different samples of the Virus, said Peter Thielen, molecular geneticist at the Johns Hopkins University, to the Washington Post. They had discovered only four to ten genetic differences between the strains that have infected people in the United States, and the original Virus that circulated in Wuhan,.

“The Virus has gone through many people, are the only very few mutations,” said Thielen. “At the moment, this low mutation rate suggests that a Sars-CoV-2-developed vaccine could be a vaccine, not one that needs to be administered every year as the flu vaccine.”

It would then be more of a vaccine against measles or chickenpox, which would give, in all probability, for a long time immunity.

Experts WHO have recently given in a comment in The journal “The Lancet,” an Overview of the international activities for the Virus-containment and risk assessment. These are the core statements:

• Corona seems to be genetically to be stable. On the basis of 500 Virus gene sequences, there is no evidence on the development of novel virus strains.
• Infection by hospital personnel in China to be the exception. This suggests that the recommended protective measures for hospital personnel are effective.
• So far, the detection of an infection is based on PCR Tests. Serological testing (blood samples) are in development but not yet validated.
• The Virus production is at the beginning of an infection seems to be the highest – possibly even before symptoms Occur. Many countries begin with the identification of contact persons 1 to 2 days before onset of symptoms in an Infected.

No matter which vaccine it could only be needed once

How the vaccine is developed, is of secondary importance. The stability of the Virus both in the classical vaccination may be of benefit to Parts of a Virus, or attenuated or killed pathogens, or the new concept, according to which only the Blueprint for important viral components in the body and the immune system against the pathogen is activated.

Also on the speed of vaccine development, the knowledge on Coronavirus-stability has no influence. There are at least a year will take up to 18 months, up to one of the substances is going to be available, which are currently in development.   
 

The virologists Stanley Perlman from the University of Iowa, and Benjamin Neuman of Texas A & M University in Texarkana, confirmed to the Washington Post that the Virus seems to be relatively stable. Benjamin Neuman said: “so Far, we have only one root for all, however, is pretty bad. If the Virus is in a year as we could have but a certain amount of diversity.“

Neuman, the stable Virus presents, the Covid-19 triggers, the notoriously volatile Influenza: “influenza viruses have a Trick, the corona viruses do not have: their genome is divided into a plurality of segments, each of which is for a Gene encodes. If two flu viruses are in the same cell, you can replace some segments, and a new combination form. So the swine flu has come about.“

Stable Coronavirus has no different deadly strains

The relative stability of the new Coronavirus, in addition to the hope for a long-term effect of vaccination with a second advantage: It has developed in its train the humanity is no different, dangerous, or particularly deadly strains.

In the case of viruses, it is always possible that a small Mutation of drama can have a dramatic impact on a disease. There is no indication that this is happening with the novel Coronavirus, say the virologists Perlman, and Neuman.

So not a particularly dangerous Sars-CoV-2 strain is about for the dramatic mortality rates in Italy, but to external factors: an older population, overburdened hospitals, the shortage of ventilators and the resulting rationing of life-saving care.

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