Regarding the mutant virus of the new coronavirus, a group of Tokyo Medical and Dental University announced that it has confirmed another mutant virus that is different from the one that spread in the United Kingdom and other countries.
It means that there is no mutation that increases infectivity, but the function of the antibody may be weakened.
This was announced by a group of lecturers Hiroaki Takeuchi of Tokyo Medical and Dental University.
The group collected samples from patients with the new coronavirus who visited the university hospital and examined the genetic information of the virus in detail.
As a result, a mutation in a gene called "E484K" was confirmed in the virus detected in three patients examined between the end of December last year and the middle of last month.
The mutation of "E484K" is said to be related to the property of avoiding antibody attack, and the same mutation has been found in mutant viruses confirmed in South Africa and Brazil, but unlike these viruses, there is no mutation that enhances infectivity. did.
The three patients had no history of traveling abroad and were all asymptomatic or mild.
According to the group, "I don't know how widespread the mutant virus is, but it is important to monitor the transition and understand the actual condition of the epidemic."
In addition, the National Institute of Infectious Diseases has revealed that 91 similar mutant viruses have been found throughout the Kanto region and 2 in airport quarantine, and announced that they will keep track of the actual situation in the future.
The National Institute of Infectious Diseases says that it is not a situation that requires the same caution as the mutant virus that has spread in the United Kingdom so far, and for any mutant virus, avoiding three stakes and wearing a mask, Basic measures such as thorough hand washing will not change.