Delta Variant may be More Pathogenic According to the Researchers
Researchers in Japan say the Delta variant of the coronavirus may be more pathogenic than other existing variants.
A team led by Associate Professor Sato Kei of the Institute of Medical Science at the University of Tokyo reported their findings in a preprint of an article released online.
The group artificially created viruses carrying the P681R mutation, which it said was a “hallmark mutation” of the Delta variant.
Infection with the coronavirus is known to lead to a breakdown of cells, which then fuse together into a mass of cells known as “syncytia.”
The scientists conducted experiments and found that the syncytia formed by infection with the Delta variant were 2.7 times larger than those formed by infection with another variant.
The team also found that hamsters infected with a virus carrying the P681R mutation significantly lost weight — between 4.7 and 6.9 percent more than those infected with another variant.
The group said the larger the syncytia a virus causes, the more pathogenic it is. Sato said the team will continue trying to uncover the features of new variants.
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