Exploring the infectivity, transmissibility, and immunological resistance characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron XBB.1.5 strain biorxivpreprint UTokyo_News_en UTokyo_News WeizmannScience Omicron Variant SARSCoV2 COVID19 Infectivity Transmission
By Pooja Toshniwal PahariaJan 19 2023Reviewed by Aimee Molineux In a recent study posted to the bioRxiv* preprint server, researchers performed an epidemic dynamic analysis to assess the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 Omicron variant of concern ’s sub-VOC XBB.1.5 characteristics.
About the study The present study extended the researchers’ previous analysis by elucidating XBB.1.5 characteristics. Serum samples were obtained from 13 COVID-19 convalescent individuals who had received full COVID-19 vaccinations and had a prior history of Omicron BA.2 infection post-full COVID-19 vaccination, of which nine individuals had received two doses, and four individuals had received three doses of COVID-19 vaccines.
The estimated infectivity and ACE2 binding affinities of the XBB.1.5 strain were three-fold and four-fold greater than the corresponding properties of the XBB.1 strain, respectively. The findings indicated that the XBB.1.5 strain exhibited remarkably stronger ACE2-binding affinity due to the F486P mutation, whereas the 144Y mutation elevated XBB.1 strain infectivity. The XBB.1.5 strain infectivity did not get enhanced by the 144Y mutation.
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