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- Primate environment: Monkey pox virus mutates and may become more contagious
Primate environment: Monkey pox virus mutates and may become more contagious
For the first time, scientists have discovered mutations in the genes of the monkey pox virus, which are responsible for overcoming the human immune system. According to experts, such changes can increase the contagiousness of the virus and accelerate its spread, while potentially reducing the severity of clinical manifestations. The last case of infection in the Russian Federation was recorded on April 13. Outbreaks of monkey pox are also occurring in other countries. For more information about how the virus continues to adapt to humans, see the Izvestia article.
Mutations to overcome immunity
For the first time, Indian scientists have identified mutations in the regions of the monkey pox virus genome that the pathogen uses to bypass immune defenses and enter the human body. As part of the study, experts analyzed genetic changes in 40 samples collected in Europe, Asia and Africa, and found mutations in three key genes.
"The phylogenetic analysis of mutations was carried out on genes that encode proteins that ensure evasion of the immune response: OPG002, OPG176 and OPG210. The computer analysis system identified important functional domains associated with immune modulation in them. This provides information about changes in the monkeypox virus and highlights the need to monitor its mutations and the emergence of new variants. However, larger sets of genomic data are needed to confirm the findings," the researchers wrote in their scientific article Virus Genes.
These mutations can make the monkey pox virus more contagious, but the course of infection usually becomes less severe, Andrey Prodeus, chief immunologist and allergist at the Ministry of Health of the Moscow Region, explained to Izvestia.
— The ability of a pathogen to bypass the immune system often makes it less "evil." Potentially, the contagion increases, and the severity decreases, because bypassing the immune system requires more "friendly settings." The spread of the virus could potentially be easier. But only practice will show that," the medic said.
As immunologist Mikhail Bolkov explained to Izvestia, the article deals with the analysis of those parts of the virus genome that encode proteins that interact with human immunity. Such genes are characteristic of a wide variety of microorganisms, and viruses specifically copy them in order to deceive our immune system. However, the researchers obtained this data using purely analytical methods.
— These data still need to be checked in the laboratory. The researchers found that these mutations are very similar in samples from different countries. This may indicate that the changes are stable and spread well, or these mutations occur simultaneously in different evolutionary branches, since such options are more beneficial and ensure survival," he said.
Smallpox of monkeys in the Russian Federation
The latest case of monkey pox infection in Russia was reported by the media on April 13. A patient with characteristic symptoms who had not traveled abroad recently was admitted to Domodedovo Hospital in the Moscow region. On March 31, two men were taken to the same medical facility with suspected infection, and the pathogen was detected in one of them.
— According to available data, the latest recorded case of smallpox in monkeys is not related to previous cases. At the global level, the risks to the general population remain low. Rospotrebnadzor is monitoring the situation and has the necessary means to ensure biological safety. The test systems available in the Russian Federation are capable of effectively detecting the monkey pox virus, including new genetic variants, the agency told Izvestia.
According to Andrey Prodeus, monkey pox is now being closely monitored in the Russian Federation, the virus has been isolated from infected people, and all information has been entered into the database.
— Viruses will be analyzed from Russian patients in order to sequence their genomes and compare them with genomes in other countries. We need to understand which strains are more resistant and why they spread, what they are more or less dangerous for, and what clinical symptoms they have," Mikhail Bolkov added.
The revealed mutations in the genome regions associated with bypassing the immune system indicate that the virus continues to adapt to humans. These are proteins that help it suppress the immune response, such as binding inflammatory signaling molecules, preventing infected cells from dying, or confusing T cells. Changes in such genes may affect not so much the severity of the disease directly, but rather the subtle mechanisms of interaction between the virus and the body.: Albert Rizvanov, head of the Center for Excellence "Personalized Medicine" at Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University, told how long it persists, how effectively it is transmitted, and how the immune system reacts to it.
He stressed that such mutations do not necessarily make the virus more dangerous — evolution often moves towards better adaptation to spread, rather than increasing the severity of the disease.
— It is possible to predict further evolution by those parts of the genome where mutations occur repeatedly, usually these are areas critical for interaction with the immune system. But any predictions here are conditional: the real picture is provided only by regular genomic monitoring of circulating strains," the expert said.
Outbreaks of smallpox of monkeys are periodically recorded in other countries. In Pakistan, nine people died due to infection, including five newborns, The Telegraph reports. In Sindh province, according to local media, there are 25 confirmed cases of infection out of 122 suspected. According to the Ghanaian Health Service, by the beginning of April, the total number of cases in the country reached 1,062, eight cases were fatal.
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