The article begins with recent findings by scientists from the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology and the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) laboratories. They have discovered a type of coronavirus, A3i, that may be the second most prevalent in India, contributing to around 3.5% of the genomes globally.
Key Findings of the Research
In their research, the scientists analyzed 213 genomes. They found that out of the total, 62% were A2a, making it the most dominant coronavirus clade in the country.
For clarification, a coronavirus type or clade is a cluster of SARS-CoV-2 viruses that possess evolutionary similarities and are grouped together based on characteristic mutations or similarities in parts of their genomes. In simpler terms, a clade can be regarded as a strain of the virus.
The newly identified clade A3i, or as some refer to it Clade I/A3i, accounted for 41%, rendering it the second most common coronavirus type in India. The distinct feature of the A3i clade is that it has variations at four different places in its sequence, making it significantly different from other clades.
Scientific analysis denotes that the A3i clade mutates more slowly compared to A2a, which often puts the virus at a disadvantage. As it stands, there is no substantial evidence to indicate whether A3i is more virulent (extremely severe or harmful) and associated with more deaths. The predominant areas of circulation for the A3i strain include Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Maharashtra, and Delhi.
Significance of the Classification
Classifications like these are imperative for determining whether certain strains are particularly virulent, spread easily, how they are likely to evolve over time, and whether some might be less vulnerable to certain kinds of vaccines.
With the introduction of the new clade, there are now 11 SARS-CoV-2 types identified globally, with at least six of them found in India. Previous studies show that while type O was the first ancestral family of the virus identified from China, it’s the A2a type that’s most dominant worldwide due to a mutation in its genes. This mutation allows the coronavirus’ spike to infiltrate the lungs more efficiently.
So far, The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) stance holds that there are three principal variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in India: those that came from Wuhan, the USA, and Europe via air travelers.
About the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research
This body was established by the Government of India in September 1942 as an autonomous body. It is renowned for its cutting-edge research and development knowledge base in diverse science and technology areas. CSIR has been ranked first in the Nature Ranking Index-2020. The Nature Index provides near-real-time proxy of high-quality research output and collaboration at the institutional, national, and regional level.
About Indian Council of Medical Research
ICMR is the apex body in India responsible for the formulation, coordination, and promotion of biomedical research. Its mandate is to conduct, coordinate, and implement medical research for societal benefit, translating medical innovations into products/processes, and integrating them into the public health system. It is funded by the Government of India through the Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
