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Delta COVID Variant Can Fuse Infected Lung Cells With Uninfected Ones, Experts Reveal What Makes These Strains More Virulent

Delta COVID Variant Can Fuse Infected Lung Cells With Uninfected Ones, Experts Reveal What Makes These Strains More Virulent
Delta COVID Variant Can Fuse Infected Lung Cells With Uninfected Ones, Experts Warn

The Delta variant which first emerged in India in 2020 and subsequently spread globally within a short time period is also responsible for the ferocious second wave of coronavirus that ravaged the country earlier this year.

Written by Satata Karmakar |Updated : October 18, 2021 4:31 PM IST

First detected in India, the highly contagious Delta variant of COVID-19 has now mutated to form another super infectious strain Delta Plus. Many people have tested positive with the variants in the recent past, however, little we know about what makes these variants so dangerous than the original one. In a recent study, experts revealed that these two Covid-19 variants were less well neutralised by antibodies from infected and vaccinated individuals as compared to the original virus, making them more dangerous and contributing to its rapid global spread.

COVID-19 Variants What You Need To Know

The Delta variant which is also known as the B.1.617.2 strain of coronavirus first emerged in India during 2020 and subsequently spread globally within a short time period. This variant was responsible for the ferocious second wave of coronavirus that ravaged the country earlier this year. In addition to Delta, Delta Plus sub-variants have been observed which carry additional mutations that may make them more dangerous.

In the study which was published in the journal 'Cell Reports', the researchers showed that both Delta and Delta Plus variants of coronavirus have the ability to infect the lung cells with higher efficiency than the original virus strain (the virus that circulated during the early phase of the pandemic).

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According to the researchers, the Delta Covid variant was found to be better at entering lung cells compared to the original virus and also at fusing infected lung cells with uninfected cells. This enabled the variant to spread widely and infect more people.

Speaking to the press, Arora Prerna, Scientist at the German Primate Center -- Leibniz Institute for Primate Research in Gottingen, Germany, said, "It is conceivable that by fusing cells in the respiratory tract, the Delta variant may spread more efficiently and induce more damage. This could contribute to a more severe course of Covid-19."

Moreover, one of four antibodies (bamlanivimab) used to treat Covid-19 was not effective against Delta, and Delta Plus was even resistant against two therapeutic antibodies (bamlanivimab and etesevimab).

Similarly, antibodies generated upon vaccination with the BioNTech-Pfizer and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines were also less effective against Delta and Delta Plus compared to the original virus.

"Our results are consistent with the observation that vaccination efficiently protects against the development of severe disease after infection with the Delta variant, but frequently fails to completely suppress infection. In light of the efficient protection against severe disease, the goal continues to be a high vaccination rate. This can prevent the healthcare system from being overwhelmed in case of increased spread of Delta and closely related viruses during the winter months, "said Stefan Pohlmann from the German Primate Center.

(With inputs from IANS)