Title | The importance of naturally attenuated SARS-CoV-2in the fight against COVID-19. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2020 |
Authors | Armengaud J, Delaunay-Moisan A, Thuret J-Y, van Anken E, Acosta-Alvear D, Aragón T, Arias C, Blondel M, Braakman I, Collet J-F, Courcol R, Danchin A, Deleuze J-F, Lavigne J-P, Lucas S, Michiels T, Moore ERB, Nixon-Abell J, Rossello-Mora R, Shi Z-L, Siccardi AG, Sitia R, Tillett D, Timmis KN, Toledano MB, van der Sluijs P, Vicenzi E |
Journal | Environ Microbiol |
Volume | 22 |
Issue | 6 |
Pagination | 1997-2000 |
Date Published | 2020 06 |
ISSN | 1462-2920 |
Keywords | Betacoronavirus, Coronavirus Infections, COVID-19, Disease Outbreaks, Humans, Pandemics, Pneumonia, Viral, SARS Virus, SARS-CoV-2 |
Abstract | The current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is wreaking havoc throughout the world and has rapidly become a global health emergency. A central question concerning COVID-19 is why some individuals become sick and others not. Many have pointed already at variation in risk factors between individuals. However, the variable outcome of SARS-CoV-2 infections may, at least in part, be due also to differences between the viral subspecies with which individuals are infected. A more pertinent question is how we are to overcome the current pandemic. A vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 would offer significant relief, although vaccine developers have warned that design, testing and production of vaccines may take a year if not longer. Vaccines are based on a handful of different designs (i), but the earliest vaccines were based on the live, attenuated virus. As has been the case for other viruses during earlier pandemics, SARS-CoV-2 will mutate and may naturally attenuate over time (ii). What makes the current pandemic unique is that, thanks to state-of-the-art nucleic acid sequencing technologies, we can follow in detail how SARS-CoV-2 evolves while it spreads. We argue that knowledge of naturally emerging attenuated SARS-CoV-2 variants across the globe should be of key interest in our fight against the pandemic. |
DOI | 10.1111/1462-2920.15039 |
Alternate Journal | Environ Microbiol |
PubMed ID | 32342578 |
PubMed Central ID | PMC7267670 |