SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariant BA.2.86: limited potential for global spread
Xinling Wang, Lu Lu, Shibo Jiang
Abstract
In recent studies published in Nature and Lancet Infectious Diseases , 1 , 2 SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariant BA.2.86 exhibited a substantial antigenic drift, enhanced receptor affinity, and less immune evasion to sera of individuals upon XBB breakthrough infection or reinfection. These findings suggest that the potential for BA.2.86 to spread globally is limited, albeit the mutated BA.2.86 sequences were detected in wastewater in various public and commercial venues before the confirmed case of BA.2.86 infection in Thailand, which raised concerns about the spread of BA.2.86 through international travel. 3
Topics & Concepts
Spike ProteinMutationProtein subunitSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)VirologyCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)BiologyChemistryGeneticsGeneMedicineInfectious disease (medical specialty)PathologyDiseaseSARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 ResearchSARS-CoV-2 detection and testingAnimal Virus Infections Studies