COVID Tests sorting and sequencing area at the AP-HP Henri-Mondor hospital in Creteil (Val-de-Marne), February 5, 2021. -

NICOLAS MESSYASZ / SIPA

  • After the English, Brazilian, South African, Californian, Breton variant, we have been talking for a few days of the “Henri Mondor variant”.

  • Its small name, it owes it to the hospital of Créteil where were identified for the first time these mutations in patients.

  • He is considered as "

    variant of interest ”(variant to follow) because, with seven to eight mutations in the Spike protein, it could make vaccination difficult.

    Christophe Rodriguez, virologist who works on the platform

    of sequencing to Henri Mondor explains to

    20 Minutes

    the specificities of this new variant discovered in France.

Each week its new variant.

After the “Breton variant”, then “Alsatian”, the list of baptismal names is growing.

We are now talking about the “Henri Mondor variant” of Covid-19, so called because the first patients were identified at the Henri Mondor hospital (AP-HP), in Créteil (Val-de-Marne).

Why is this variant attracting the attention of researchers? 

20 Minutes

takes stock.

When did he emerge?

At the end of January, the doctors of the Henri Mondor hospital discovered by sequencing the viruses of some of their patients, that they were affected by a new variant.

A few days later, the hospital alerted the French Regional Health and Public Health Agency.

But it's only these last days

that the information has filtered

.

“We called it a 'Henri Mondor variant' at the start, but now it has an international A27 nomenclature,” explains Christophe Rodriguez, director of the high-throughput sequencing platform at this hospital.

How many people has he already reached?

About a hundred people, according to the latest figures revealed by the Flash study, which should be published on Tuesday.

“In France, the fourth Flash study shows that this variant represents a little less than 2% of sequenced tests, reveals the virologist.

Which does not yet represent a large part of the variants, but it is not anecdotal either.

In addition, it is present everywhere in France.

With clusters in

Dordogne, Brittany, Paca, but above all in Val-de-Marne and Seine-et-Marne.

But this "Henri Mondor variant" has also been found abroad, in around thirty countries so far, notably in Great Britain.

Why is it considered a “variant of interest”?

We get a little lost in the emergence of new variants… For greater clarity, the World Health Organization (WHO) has classified mutations into two categories: variants of concern (VOC), which are for the moment the English, Brazilian and South African variant.

And the “variants of interest” (VOI), understand “of interest” in the sense that they must be closely monitored and that they are emerging.

What is the particularity of this “variant Henri Mondor”?

It has 18 mutations, including seven on the Spike protein.

"And an eighth for half of the patients followed", specifies the virologist.

Eight mutations is the same number as the English and South African variant.

“In addition, it presents the 501Y mutation, the same as that of the English variant and the 452R, the same as that of the California variant,” he continues.

This suggests that this variant could take an important place in the future.

"

Is it more contagious?

"It is too early to tell, for the moment, we have a slight decline," continues Christophe Rodriguez.

And more lethal?

" Currently not.

The infected patients do not appear to be serious patients.

But it can change.

"

The researchers are not hiding their concern that the more these changes focus on the Spike protein, the less effective the vaccines are.

Because they target this protein.

But if it is unrecognizable because "in disguise", the immune system may not respond.

"A research laboratory backing onto the hospital is currently carrying out research to see whether this variant risks defeating the vaccination," says Christophe Rodriguez.

We cultivate the "Mondor virus" and put it in contact with sera from patients vaccinated with AstraZeneca, Pfizer or who have had the disease [therefore with natural immunity].

We should have the results in a week or two.

"

Seeing the list of mutants grow longer, one could wonder: will vaccination really succeed in knocking out the coronavirus?

The virologist ends on a note of hope: “we see that there are a lot of variants and all of them find the same ways to escape the vaccine: mutations in the Spike protein.

The number of mutations that a virus is capable of producing is not infinite.

This makes many virologists say that when we have identified all the solutions that this virus can use, we can imagine that a vaccine could solve several variant problems with a single injection or a booster.

"

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