An international study with the participation of researchers from the University of Valencia and the Higher Research Council Scientists (CSIC) have identified a genetic variant of SARS-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19, which would have originated in Spain in the summer and would have spread throughout Europe during the autumn, becoming the dominant variant.

An international team led by the University of Basel and the ETH University of Zurich, with the participation of the consortium SeqCovid-Spain and funded by the Carlos III Health Institute, has managed to identify this new variant of the coronavirus – called 20A.EU1 –, which is mainly characterized by mutations in the spike protein (or protein S), the “key” that allows the virus to enter cells.

Headed by scientists Iñaki Comas (CSIC) and Fernando González-Candelas (Universitat de València), the Spanish consortium, in which more than 50 research centers from across the State participate, is being key not only to understanding the spread of the virus but also to identifying its possible mutations.

The study, recently published in preprint and pending peer review, suggests that the new variant originated in the northeast of Spain at the beginning of summer; It spread to the local population, and quickly throughout the country, and currently explains almost 80% of the sequences in Spain. As of July, this variant would have moved when borders reopened throughout Europe, and has already been identified in 12 European countries, in addition to having been exported to Hong Kong and New Zealand. Likewise, while the initial spread of this variant was probably due to travelers going to or coming from Spain directly, the analysis reveals that the variant may have continued to spread from secondary countries thereafter. At the moment, there is no evidence that these mutations of the virus increase its transmission or virulence.

The work details that 20A.EU1 is present in 90% of sequences from the United Kingdom, in 60% of sequences from Ireland, and between 30 and 40% of sequences from Switzerland, France and the Netherlands. It has also been identified in Belgium, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Norway and Sweden.

Although genetic analysis indicates that the variant has probably traveled hundreds of times between European countries, the authors of the study warn, however, that this is not the only variant that is in circulation. In fact, in some countries with significant increases in Covid-19 cases, such as Belgium or France, other variants prevail.

Reference:

Emma B. Hodcroft, Moira Zuber, Sarah Nadeau, Inaki Comas, Fernando Gonzalez Candelas, SeqCOVID SPAIN consortium, Tanja Stadler, and Richard A. Neher. A rapidly spreading SARS-CoV-2 variant in Europe in summer 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.10.25.20219063

Link list:

• Preprint article