According to reports from the mutation rate of the monkeypox virus, the rate of spread of this virus seems to be 12 times faster than the initial predictions.
New research shows that the smallpox virus is mutating much faster than expected, and the virus appears to be rapidly evolving. The virus has infected 3,500 people worldwide to date. The mutation rate of the virus was 12 times faster than the researchers expected.
Read more: WHO statistics on monkey pox; 3200 cases and one killed
Is the rate of mutation of monkeypox virus alarming?
Monkeypox virus, first detected outside Africa in May, now has more than 50 new mutations, none of which have been seen in the same strains as the previous 2018 and 2019 strains. The researchers published their findings in the journal Nature Medicine, stating that viruses such as monkey pox appear to have one to two mutations during the year.
Mutations in this virus can be divided into two groups; Strains seen in West Africa and the Congo Basin. It should be noted that each of these viruses has different lethality and speed of spread. It should be noted that the virus that has already spread belongs to the West African branch. According to researchers, the death rate of the virus is estimated at about 1 percent.
The smallpox virus, known as the large double-stranded virus, has a better ability to correct its errors than RNA viruses such as HIV. Examining 15 samples of the virus from monkey pox patients and reconstructing their genetic information, it was found that the mutation rate of this virus was approximately 6 to 12 times faster than the researchers calculated.
The scientists also said that the big jump in the mutation rate of the monkeypox virus was more than expected, given previous predictions about the rate of change in the orthopox virus genus. Smallpox is caused by one of the main members of the orthopox genus. The researchers claim that while there are clues as to the sequential evolution of the virus, the possibility of human adaptation is also a matter of concern.
Although the name of this disease is reminiscent of monkeys, but it should be said that the virus is usually transmitted from rodents to humans. Direct treatment of monkey pox has not yet been approved by doctors Antiviral drugs and antibodies for treatment People who have been vaccinated against smallpox. Interestingly, the rate of virus transmission will also be lower if the smallpox vaccine or monkeypox vaccine is given.
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