The Omicron variant may have fragments of another virus, possibly the one that causes common cold in humans, researchers said.
Researchers from Nference, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based data analytics firm, found a piece of genetic code in Omicron that is present in the virus that can bring about a cold, according to a pre-print study shared Thursday.
By mutating to include this piece into itself, Omicron might be making itself look more accustomed to being found in humans, helping it evade attack by the immune system, said Venky Soundararajan, a biological engineer who co-wrote the study.
“By virtue of Omicron adopting this insertion … it is essentially taking a leaf out of the seasonal coronaviruses’ page, which [explains] … how it lives and transmits more efficiently with human beings,” he said. the Washington Post reported.
Researchers in the study said it’s possible that COVID-19 picked up the genetic sequence from the other virus when a person was infected with both pathogens.
The mutation could mean the virus transmits more easily, while only causing mild or asymptomatic disease, according to the study, which has yet to be peer-reviewed.
It is unclear whether Omicron causes more severe illness, such as hospitalization.
Health experts have raised concerns that it could be more infectious than other variants.
In South Africa, where Omicron was first detected, it has become the dominant variant, accounting for 74 percent of samples sequenced last month, the country’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases said.
With Post wires