Indore doctors on Sunday put forward a theory that the COVID-19 cases in Indoremay be the cause of a more aggressive and dangerous strain of the novel coronavirus. The samples of the L-Type coronavirus have been sent to National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune that was discovered by researchers in Wuhan.
What is the L-type strain?
In early March, six scientists from China published a paper in the Oxford Academic's National Science Review journal, having analysed the genomes of 103 COVID-19 samples from Wuhan, the original epicentre of the pandemic. The researchers found that the virus had mutated, with the more aggressive L-type strain found in greater frequency within the city. Of the 27 samples tested from Wuhan, only one was found to be the S-type strain, reported to be evolutionarily older.
The researchers also noted that the human interventions that followed the discovery of the novel coronavirus could have “caused severe selective pressure against the L-type. The S-type might have experienced weaker selective pressure by human intervention, leading to an increase in its relative abundance.” They did note that the samples studied were collected from a variety of different sites, and called for more comprehensive studies to identify the variations between the two strains.
L-Type strain in Gujarat:
In recent times, Ahmedabad has emerged as concerning hotspot. In fact, with case numbers quadrupling in just under 2 weeks, the entire state of Gujarat has caused consternation, also boasting the highest death to case ratio.
The state has also, reportedly, only tested about half as many samples as Maharashtra. The high numbers being recorded in Gujarat, relative to other states, have led some experts to suggest that the state may be exposed to the more virulent mutant strain of the virus.
In mid-April, the state-run Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre (GBRC) reported that it had successfully decoded the whole genome sequence of the novel coronavirus. GBRC director CG Joshi confirmed that a sample collected from a patient for genome sequencing did, in fact, contain the L-type strain.
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Atul Patel, an expert on infectious disease with Sterling Hospitals had suggested, via the media, that the S-type strain might be more prevalent in Kerala, while the L-type strain may have been common in badly affected nations like France and Italy.
Despite the scientists' theories, it is important to note that, till date, no research has been conducted to verify whether the disproportionately high death rates in Gujarat may be the result of a more aggressive strain of the virus.
There are many factors that influence the degree of illness that patients experience, most notably co-morbidities, age, and other high-risk factors. Conditions like heart disease, other respiratory diseases and hypertension were commonly found across those patients that have lost their lives to the virus in Gujarat.