Mutated 'more infectious strain' of coronavirus now dominates global cases, Sheffield researchers find

Researchers at Sheffield University who have been tracking the spread of Covid-19 around the world have discovered that the virus has mutated into a new, more infectious variant that has now overtaken the original strain.
By Lloyd Bent
Published 2nd Jul 2020, 16:38 BST
Updated 2nd Jul 2020, 16:43 BST
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Analysis of the coronavirus genome sequence found a mutation called ‘D614G’ made the virus more infectious than the original strain, but did not cause more severe disease.

Dr Thushan de Silva, Senior Clinical Lecturer in Infectious Diseases at the University of Sheffield, led analysis of data.

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He said: “We have been sequencing SARS-CoV-2 strains in Sheffield since early in the pandemic and this allowed us to partner with our collaborators to show this mutation had become dominant in circulating strains.

A more infectious strain of coronavirus has now become the most common strain in the world, Sheffield-based researchers have found.A more infectious strain of coronavirus has now become the most common strain in the world, Sheffield-based researchers have found.
A more infectious strain of coronavirus has now become the most common strain in the world, Sheffield-based researchers have found.

“The full peer-reviewed study published today confirms this, and also that the new D614G genome mutation variant is also more infectious under laboratory conditions.

“Data provided by our team in Sheffield suggested that the new strain was associated with higher viral loads in the upper respiratory tract of patients with Covid-19, meaning the virus’s ability to infect people could be increased.

“Fortunately at this stage, it does not seem that viruses with D614G cause more severe disease.”

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Theresearchers’ study, published today (July 2) in the journal ‘Cell’, shows the variation is more infectious in cell cultures under laboratory conditions.

The variant, named ‘D614G’, makes a small but effective change in the ‘spike’ glycoprotein that protrudes from the surface of the virus, which it uses to enter and infect human cells.

The D614G variant of Covid-19 quickly took over as the dominant strain soon after it first appeared, with geographic samples showing a significant shift in viral population from the original, to the new strain of the virus.

Researchers from the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and Duke University in North Carolina, partnered with the University of Sheffield’s Covid-19 Genomics UK research group to analyse genome samples.

Researchers are keen to stress that further laboratory analysis in live cells needs to be done to determine the full implications of the mutation.

Related topics:Covid-19SheffieldData