BA.2.86 variant of covid may be more problematic in the lung

The BA.2.86 subvariant of the virus what causes the covid-19 is less resistant to vaccinesbut a new study suggests that it causes greater fusion with human lung cells.

A study published today in Cell, and led by Ohio State University (USA), indicated that this subvariant of ommicron can infect human cells that line the lower part of the lung and carry out the fusion of the cell membrane host with the virus more efficiently.

These two characteristics are related to serious symptoms of the disease caused by SARS-Cov-2, recalls the university.

The team performed cell culture studies using pseudoviruses: a non-infectious viral core surrounded by different SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) proteins on the surface structured to match known variants.

“As we used a pseudovirus, we have to confirm these results with the real virus,” said Shan-Lu Liu, of Ohio State University and lead author of the research.

The expert highlighted, however, that from past experience it is known that infectivity in human epithelial cell lines provides very important information.

The concern is whether this variant, “as well as its descendants, including JN.1, will or will not have a greater tendency to infect human lung epithelial cells in a similar way to the parental virus that launched the pandemic in 2020”he pointed.

The BA.2.86 variant of Omicron is the ancestor of the currently dominant JN.1 and has about 60 more mutations in the spike (S) protein than the original coronavirus, which raised fears that it would be as difficult to contain as the outbreak began. omicron.

Despite these mutations, BA.2.86 “It is not as immunoevasive as the XBB.1.5 variant, which until recently had been dominating the pandemic for months. “It’s good news,” Liu stated.

However, BA.2.86 “appears to have greater infectivity of human lung epithelial cells” compared to all omicron variants, so it is “a little concerning” and also has increased fusion activity with human lung epithelial cells, he added.That raises – the researcher said – a possible concern about whether or not this virus is more pathogenic compared to the variants. omicron recent”.

First detected in July in Europe and the Middle East, BA.2.86 and its sublineages (including JN.1) have been spreading and on November 22, the World Health Organization classified them as “variants of interest”.

The omicron variants are less virulent compared to previous variants such as delta, which means that they do not make most people very sick, but the antibodies generated by the infection are low, almost 10 times lower than those induced by the vaccine. “That’s why you can’t rely solely on natural infection for immunity.”

Liu highlighted that “Although the bivalent vaccine can still neutralize BA.2.86, its effectiveness is clearly reduced. Therefore, it is important to receive the newer booster vaccine, which is formulated solely with XBB.1.5 and has been shown to be effective against BA.2.86.”