NEW DELHI: Five distinct strains of coronavirus have been isolated by scientists from 165 genome sequenced so far across 19 states and 40 per cent cases, majority from the state with high COVID-19 burden, are found to have one virus cluster.
The analysis ‘The Diversity of SARS-nCoV-2 genomes from India’ by a team of scientists from the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB) shows that the SARS-CoV-2 genomes isolated from Indian fall into five distinct clusters — A1a, A2a, A3, B and one unclassified.
But experts clarify that there is not enough data to prove anything about pathogenicity/virulence of virus in India. The genetic makeup of virus holds key information in understanding the spread of the COVID-19 across the world and by studying virus mutations, scientists can better understand how efficiently the virus bind and replicated inside human body.
A dataset of 165 viral genomes from India submitted at the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) database (May 7, 2020) from Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, West Bengal, Ladakh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Kerala, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Odisha, Punjab and Rajasthan.
According to analysis, the B clade was obtained from early SARS-CoV-2 genomes from Wuhan and one of the first genomes sequenced in Kerala fall in this cluster while the A3 clade mutation has previously been found to be linked to Iran. Seven samples collected from Ladakh fall in this cluster. Genomes belonging A2a cluster saw two mutations.
"40 per cent genomes from India fall under this cluster, including samples from Delhi, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, West Bengal, Punjab, Telangana," Vinod Scaria, Genomics Scientist, IGIB, quoted Phlyogenetic analysis.
The assessment says that the A1a clad, as of now, samples from Delhi make up the cluster. Besides, Genome sequences from people who had travelled from Wuhan, China to Kerala on January 23, 2020, Though both genomes show 99.98 per cent similarity with original Wuhan seafood Market pneumonia virus but they are positioned in different clusters.