Scientists in Texas have identified a variant of the coronavirus that can pose a challenge to patients and healthcare providers trying to treat them.
Texas A&M scientists say the variant, that they call BV-1, has been found in only one person with mild symptoms at this time. It was discovered in a student’s saliva sample taken as part of the university’s ongoing COVID-19 testing program.
However, they felt it was important to tell the scientific community because experiments suggest that antibodies are ineffective in controlling variants with the same genetic markers as BV-1.
“We do not currently know the full meaning of this variant, but it has a combination of mutations that is comparable to other internationally notifiable variants of care”, said Texas A & M’s Global Health Research Complex Chief Virologist Ben Neuman.
“This variant combines genetic markers that are individually associated with rapid spread, severe disease and high resistance to neutralizing antibodies.”
Scientists say the BV-1 variant is related to the coronavirus variant identified in the UK.
The student’s sample tested positive for COVID-19 on March 5, then delivered a second sample on March 25 that also tested positive. A sample taken on April 9 came back negative. Scientists say this 20-day period with two positive COVID-19 results may indicate a longer-than-typical infection for this variant.
The student told the scientists that he had mild “cold-like symptoms” in mid-March and they were gone by April.
“While we may not yet understand the full significance of BV-1, the variant highlights an ongoing need for rigorous surveillance and genomic testing, including among young adults with no symptoms or only mild symptoms,” Neuman said.
The Texas A&M lab has found “scores” of coronavirus mutations in recent weeks, they said, as part of their widespread genetic sequencing program that includes samples from a wide variety of students and patients.