Coronavirus variant in Telangana linked to Indonesian tested in March

Scientists can now study this unique clade and see if there is a relationship between the symptoms and the efficiency of its spread, among other factors.
Genome sequencing is figuring out the order of DNA nucleotides. (Photo | PTI)
Genome sequencing is figuring out the order of DNA nucleotides. (Photo | PTI)

HYDERABAD: The initial genome sequencing data of the novel Coronavirus by the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) has revealed a commonality between the virus that was first detected in Telangana in an Indonesian national and subsequent samples collected from infected persons until last month.

The commonality with the viral genetic makeup of the virus detected from the Indonesian national, who had arrived at Karimnagar in March, is not restricted to samples collected from Telangana alone, but also with those from other South Indian States, apart from Maharashtra and Delhi.

These novel Coronavirus genomes, sharing common characteristics between themselves, have been put under the same group, technically known as a ‘clade’, named I/A3i. It was found to be the second most prevalent clade of virus in the country, among 213 virus genome sequences analysed so far. 

As the scientists sequenced more and more genomes, they came across a group of novel Coronavirus that did not fall under any known clade and named it ‘I/A3i’. CCMB Director Dr Rakesh Mishra said this clade is related to the one reported from Southeast Asian countries such as Philippines and Singapore. It is prominent in South India, he said.

Scientists can now study this unique clade and see if there is a relationship between the symptoms and the efficiency of its spread, among other factors. They can also compare it with other clades. However, its uniqueness need not be feared. Researchers report that the Nucleotide Substitution Rate of the I/A3i clade is lower than the first most prevalent clade in India, known as A2a.

This, in simple terms, means that the mutation rate of the virus being commonly detected in Telangana is lower than other clades, making it easy for healthcare workers to fight it. The findings have been reported in a pre-print paper, ‘A distinct phylogenetic cluster of Indian SARS-CoV-2 isolates’, authored by researchers from the CCMB and the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology. More genomes of  the novel coronavirus would be sequenced and scientists say it might give more new results.

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