Wuhan Pneumonia Mutation and Subtype 2 L is more Aggressive and Infectious

March 5, 2020, by Lu Yixin

When and how the Wuhan virus has mutated are the issues that are the focus of current academic researchers. 

According to the latest research by the Chinese scientific research team, the new coronavirus has recently generated 149 mutation points and has also evolved two subtypes, namely the L subtype and the S subtype. The study also found that the two subtypes showed significant differences in their geographical distribution and proportion in the population.

The S type is a relatively older version, while the L subtype is more aggressive and more contagious. An in-depth understanding of different subtypes will help to understand the different treatment methods and prevention treatment of Wuhan pneumonia.

Based on reports from Free Times, Wang Bao and CTWANT, many international medical units have successively obtained New Coronavirus, New Coronary Pneumonia, COVID-19) virus strain research facilities.

According to the latest research report, the New Crown virus’s infectious power is around 1,000 more powerful than that of SARS and inflicts agony to the human body the same as AIDS and the Ebola virus. “The main reason is that the new coronavirus has similar characteristics to AIDS (HIV virus) and the Ebola virus. It can attach to human cells and is more aggressive and affects more severely, so it can infect faster.”

Therefore, the academic community is examining how and when the new coronavirus mutated. After all, many factors determine the applicability of drugs and the development of vaccines.

According to a recent report in Surging News, a paper published in the National Science Review hosted by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese research team discovered a new type of coronavirus after analyzing the entire genome of the Wuhan pneumonia virus. They discovered that the virus has recently mutated and evolved into two subtypes with different degrees of infectivity.

The latest document, “About the Origin and Persistence of SARS-CoV-2” jointly published by Researcher Lu Jian (Bioinformatics Center, School of Life Sciences, Peking University), and Evolution “On the origin and continuing evolution of SARS-CoV- 2). They stated: “If this conclusion is confirmed, it will likely guide us to better differentiate and treat the new coronary virus.”

According to the analysis of the paper, so far, 103 new coronavirus genes have evolved, and 149 mutation points have been found in the virus strains. Most have been recently generated. The new coronavirus has evolved into two types, L and S. Subtypes, 101 of which belong to these two subtypes. In terms of proportion, infection with the L subtype is more common, reaching 70%, but the L subtype is also more aggressive and more infectious; the S subtype is a relatively older version with a 30% infection rate.

The research team also found that the two subtypes, L and S, differ greatly in their geographical distribution and their proportion in the population. 

In addition, according to the way the virus evolved, the authors also believe that the ability to transmit the two subtypes and the severity of the disease may be quite different.

The researchers also found that the older S virus did not infect more people because of the longer time it takes to spread among the population.

According to genomic data, the L subtype was more common in the early stages of the outbreak of pneumonia in Wuhan, and its frequency decreased after the beginning of January 2020. 

The authors believe that human intervention may result in greater selective pressure on the L subtype. Without these interventions, the L subtype may be more aggressive and spread faster.

The author finally speculated: “L-type viruses are more capable of transmitting or replicate faster in the human body, which may mean that their virulence is also greater.”

In addition, because the selection pressure is relatively weak, the S subtype that is older in evolution and less aggressive may increase in relative frequency. 

These findings mean that there is an urgent need to combine genomic data with epidemiological data, as well as a chart of clinical symptoms of patients with pneumonia in Wuhan, to facilitate further comprehensive research.

However, it is worth noting that 103 samples showed that most patients were infected with only one of the L or S subtypes. 

However, a virus strain isolated from a US lung cancer patient with a recent history of travel in Wuhan suggests that it may also be infected with both the L and S subtypes of the new crown virus. The authors also stated that the possibility of newer mutations cannot be ruled out at this time.