A very rare variant of covid described in only one other case in the world has been identified in the Microbiology Laboratory of the ASST Sette Laghi in the province of Varese.
That there was something different in one of the many swabs analyzed every day in Varese, the professionals of the Microbiology Laboratory of the ASST Sette Laghi, led by Professor Fabrizio Maggi, immediately noticed. The sequencing of the entire spike protein, that part of the Sars CoV-2 that comes into contact with the cells to invade, has in fact revealed a unique molecular structure, different from all the others, even from that of the other variants already identified in Varese in recent weeks, in some cases for the first time in Italy.
A SIMILAR CASE IN THAILAND
It is the way in which the virus protein binds to human cells that differentiates a very rare variant of Covid-19, identified by the microbiology laboratory of the Asst Sette Laghi, on a patient hospitalized at the Circolo di Varese hospital, of which only one other case in the world has been recorded, in Thailand, on a traveler returning from Egypt. The discovery, defined by the Welfare Councilor of the Lombardy Region Letizia Moratti as "of international importance", now follows the need to understand what clinical and epidemiological impact it could have on the population, including its sensitivity to the vaccine even if at the moment no criticality is feared. Its ability to mutate rapidly has already been ascertained, however, according to researchers.
As reported by Asst Sette Laghi itself, following the analysis of researchers led by Professor Fabrizio Maggi, later confirmed by doctors at San Raffaele in Milan, this rare variant differs in the sequencing of the entire spike protein, precisely that portion of Sars CoV-2 that comes into contact with the cells to be invaded. The province of Varese is not new to discoveries regarding variants, especially due to the presence of Malpensa airport. Only a week ago in Viggiu' an unknown variant of Covid was isolated, following an outbreak that led, as per the regional plan, to a massive vaccination plan for the entire population.
A CASE OF BRAZILIAN VARIANT ALSO IDENTIFIED
Also in Varese, the first case of the "Brazilian" variant considered more contagious was detected and last February 3, Asst 7 Laghi also identified the first case of the South African variant in Italy, with an infected passenger who had just arrived in Malpensa from Africa. To these three variants are added the best known and the one with the greatest contagion capacity, namely the English one, which now represents more than 50% of cases in Italy, but there is also the Scottish one, which has also proliferated in the Varese area, and the Nigerian one considered the one that could eventually be resistant to the vaccines approved to date.
Article published on March 7, 2021 - 10pm
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