Impact of SARS-CoV-2 envelope protein mutations on the pathogenicity of Omicron XBB
Yi Wang, Xiaoyan Pan, Hongying Ji, Xiaoli Zuo, Gengfu Xiao, Jia Li, Leike Zhang, Bingqing Xia, Zhaobing Gao
Abstract
There was a surge of new emergent Omicron variants when the restrictions that were used to quash the virus’s spread were dismantled. Advantageous subvariants had distinct transmission, neutralization and immune escape capabilities. Mutations in the viral spike (S) protein were demonstrated to be responsible for immune escape and enhanced transmission 1 . In comparison with the original strain and other variants, the pathogenicity of Omicron variants was milder 2 . However, it is worth noting that BA.5 infection has shown an increased rate of recovery positivity and an increased proportion of infections that were “symptomatic” 3 . These phenomena remind us to be alert to the change in pathogenicity.