Researchers find that surges in COVID-19 case numbers are associated with deletions in the SARS-CoV-2 genome in an antigenic site of the spike protein. Some of these mutations are present in vaccine breakthrough infections or reinfections.
“The nference team joined efforts with the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota to explore the potential role of NTD deletions in COVID-19 patients with natural or vaccine-induced immunity. They analyzed the viral genomes from 53 patients, 20 with vaccine breakthrough infections and 33 with suspected reinfections. They observed that 42 of these patients had at least one deletion in the NTD compared to the wildtype reference sequence of SARS-CoV-2, Wuhan-Hu-1, and 4 of them showed a contiguous stretch of 3–9 amino acids deleted. The authors speculate these deletion patterns could allow the virus to evade acquired immunity.”
