Covid-19
Deltacron Variant Not Lab Error, Cypriot Scientist Says
Deltacron Covid Variant – The prevalence of Deltacron infection among patients hospitalized for Covid-19 is higher than among those not hospitalized, so that rules out contamination, Kostrikis said.
Scientists in Cyprus claim there is a new strain of Covid-19 that combines characteristics of both delta and omicron strains.
Leonidas Kostrikis’s findings have been attributed to laboratory contamination, according to some scientists. The mutations he identified “indicate an evolutionary pressure to a strain and not a result of a single recombination event,” he told Bloomberg in an emailed statement.
Related: Deltacron EXPLAINED: A New Variant or a Lab Error?
There are more Deltacron infections among patients hospitalized for Covid-19 than among non-hospitalized patients, so that rules out contamination as a cause, said Kostrikis, a professor of biological sciences at the University of Cyprus where he directs the Laboratory of Biotechnology and Molecular Virology.
In addition, the samples were processed in more than one country through multiple sequencing procedures. According to him, at least one sequence from Israel in a global database is genetically similar to deltacron.
According to Kostrikis, these findings disprove the undocumented claims that deltacron was caused by a technical error.
Related: Does the New Deltacron Covid Variant Exist? Scientists Explain.
Related: Delta Corona Symptoms: It can be Dangerous, Please Stay Safe
What Has Been Detected In Cyrpus?
Protein forms determined by viral genes perform a variety of functions. Mutations in the spike protein in Omicron and Delta affect their ability to enter human cells, with Omicron becoming more infectious as a result.
Lots of reports of Omicron sequences carrying Delta-like mutations (eg P681R or L452R). Although a subset of these might end up being real, the vast majority will most likely turn out to be contamination or coinfection. No clear signals of anything real or nasty happening (yet).
— Tom Peacock (@PeacockFlu) December 21, 2021
Related: Deltacron – Cyprus Identifies Combined ‘Deltacron’ COVID
Researchers studying Coronavirus at England’s University of Birmingham, Nick Loman, said recombinant forms of viruses can be created when multiple variants of a pathogen are present. Having a recombinant delta and omicron would not be a complete surprise, but the finding from Cyprus is more likely a “technical artifact” that occurred during the process of sequencing the viral genome, he said.
The Philippines reported that Cypriot Health Minister Michael Hadjipantela said Sunday that the new variant will not be a cause for concern. He will provide more details at a news conference this week.
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